Why Republicans Don't Get the Internet(The Daily Beast, February 19, 2009)When I first suggested launching a blog chronicling my experience on my father's campaign for president, I was met with confusion and resistance. A few people even asked me what's a blog. Throughout the campaign, I did everything possible to showcase the fun and interesting parts of the campaign. I posted pictures. I wrote posts.
I even included a playlist of my favorite songs. But often, I got the sense that people on the campaign thought I was wasting my time.The Republican party isn't exactly Internet savvy. That's no secret. This has been a source of personal frustration for me for a very long time. Unless the GOP evolves as the party that can successfully utilize the Web, we'll continue to lose influence. I think nothing confirms this fact to be more true than this recent election. I don’t claim to be an expert on mobilizing voters, but a significant number of the readers on mccainblogette.com, my blog, were between the ages of 18 and 30, a key demographic that either party would want. Many of the established Republican strategists told me that young people would not visit my web site. I used to categorize many of the advisors in my father's campaign into one of two groups: those that "respected" the Internet and those who didn't. It was a running line between me and my friends who worked on my site.
I remember explaining this to former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman (who was also an advisor to my father), and having him share his concerns about my father's campaign effectively using the Internet. It's often suggested that because the GOP was in power the past eight years, it became lazy and content with its success. So the party did not see the need to utilize the web as the Democrats did.
I wanted to ask some of the people who have been doing online work for the Republican party if they could somehow explain — or even admit — what has gone so wrong. But when I started calling around asking for people to comment, I discovered most did not want to talk to me. Instead, they told me that not having enough money was a huge factor in our loss — not our misuse of the Internet. Others were just plain angry, blaming the liberal media, and not the party's shortcomings online. Of course, there is truth in some of this.
But denial only amplifies the stereotypes about Republicans being disconnected.(More at link) Meghan's article is interesting and has some actual insights, although the McCain campaign staffers who shunned the playlist of her "favorite songs" were probably right to do so. :eyes:
More interesting than the article itself are the comments that follow, most of which kindly attempt to set Meghan straight on what is
really wrong with the republican party! It's worth a read.
A sample comment, from mordoormat:
The problem with the Republicans is that they don't get what the problem is.
It must be advertising and technology because people for some reason are not drawn to the party of racist fear-mongering, unlimited defense spending (for contractors and not the troops), religious fanatacism, neglect of the infrastructure, coddling of the obscenely rich. Anti-science, anti-freedom (unless you are rich or a corporation) anti-environment, pro-big oil, pro-torture and anti-middle and working class.
Your father was not a victim of the "liberal media" as you seem to think he was, he chose to embrace an immoral philosophy which he used to oppose and many people who used to respect him saw through the hypocrisy. It is pretty hard to watch someone who was a staunch opponent of torture suddenly embrace it with his other Republican opponents just so he can become president.
He sold out and leaned far right and embraced George Bush to get the nomination and, in doing so, lost the respect of a lot of objective, independent people. Give credit where credit is due, the Republicans earned their defeat through flawed philosophy, not flawed technology.
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