Recently in Politics Category

So a few months ago, I talked to Robert Scoble about why today's Web 2.0 world doesn't "get" Washington. 463's Sean Garrett totally nailed it in a blog post a few months ago, too, right around when I went into Radio Silence (more on that below). Robert said he wanted to learn more about the issue, and we talked more about it at SXSW. He said he wanted to come check this place out for himself, and I was happy to oblige

Ok, so yesterday I posted the witness list for today's Net Neutrality/Broadband hearing. I could have woken up at 5am to beat the line standers and get a seat with the lobbyists who pay people to stand in line for them in the halls of the Rayburn building, but I didn't. I could be listening on the Audio Webcast. I tuned in for about 10 minutes, and haven't been impressed yet. I've got other projects, other things to work on, so I'm listening but my attention has not been caught. Why? Have you ever turned on your favorite TV show expecting a new episode and instead getting a rerun, or worse yet, a 3 hour extended version of American Idol? You know what you'll be seeing and hearing. No surprises, nothing to discuss with your friends. Just the same, this hearing, despite a few new faces, was a rerun in a series over the past year or so, including a few at the FCC. 

It's really hard to follow an audio feed when you don't know who is talking. Tech Policy Central may have someone there.

You know, I go to these conferences and hear the same people talk about new media and campaigns and getting their message across, blah blah blah but I never hear about how politicians get input from voters. Yes, there are grassroots campaigns but they are largely orchestrated and rarely come from "grass roots."

Enter Twitter. Just a few minutes ago Scoble wrote about how he uses the service versus how some people think it should be used.

But there +is+ value in having a great group of people you're following. Follow @craignewmark and you'll see what Craig is seeing or thinking (he's the founder of Craigs' List). Follow @pierre and you'll see what he's thinking (he's the founder of eBay). Follow HRBlock and you'll see what the team at H&R Block is thinking about taxes and such. Follow @newmediajim and you'll see what Jim Long, who is a camera guy in the press pool at the White House, is thinking about.

Now, do you start to get it? If you define yourself by who is following you you'll always feel inadequate. After all, you can't control your followers and any idiot can follow people. But, define yourself by who you are following and you can really build something of high value.

Do you get it? He's L I S T E N I N G. Remember when Sen. Clinton (D-NY) launched her campaign with a "listening tour?" Not much listening took place. Those town hall sessions you see? Participants are routinely screened and questions planted. We know this.

Robert has figured out what only a small number of politicians do, and those are the ones who aren't in the leadership. Remember Sen. Al D'Amato (R-NY)? He was known as "Senator Pothole" because of his commitment to his constituent services. Robert Byrd (D-WV) may be almost a century old, but he still cares about West Virginia enough to steer tons of federal funding there, and his "case work" staff is one of the best in Washington.

Talkers get headlines. Listeners get things done.

Another example? Comcast! They've got an entire program devoted to listening to social media and using new technology to connect with their constituents customers.

Listen. Listen. Listen.

If you're in @SiliconValley, you need to follow @Washington. If you're in Washington, you need to follow  @SiliconValley.  Then, you need to have a real conversation.

Patrick Ruffini is right. The next campaign managers will be online strategists who know how to listen to voters. Not pollsters, listeners.

You heard it here first.

Harold M. Ickes is as close to Democratic Party royalty as they get. The son of FDR's Interior Secretary, he was a Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, and now serves as an adviser to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in her own White House bid.

Catalist is transforming the way progressive organizations communicate and campaign by creating a comprehensive, well-maintained national database of all voting-age individuals in the United States, along with the tools and expertise needed to make this database broadly accessible, at an affordable price.

As promised, I appeared tonight on Rod Adams' podcast, The Atomic Show. While the tone of the debate stayed sub-critical, among other things we delved into one of the darker sides of tech policymaking: who funds interest groups?

By now the news that Penn has resigned from the Clinton Campaign is all over the place.

I suppose I'll take traffic no matter where it comes from, but if you're going to link to me from an overtly political blog, whether or not you're liberal or conservative, at least do me the courtesy of putting me in context.

Ok, so last week John McCain took some flack (ok, bad choice, how about we'll say encountered hostile fire...wait...non military metaphor coming...) was attacked by the DNC for running an ad on a Northern Virginia blog that has, among other things, blamed illegal immigrants for the housing crisis...

McCain's campaign is running banner ads on the website www.bvbl.net, which includes posts blaming "illegal aliens" for the "real estate meltdown" and sensationalizes "illegal alien crime." The blog is credited with helping shape public opinion in Prince William County, Virginia, which has embraced policies to crack down on illegal immigration. [Washington Post, 4/4/08]

Oh, the other hand, the same blogger has had ads from Obama and Senate candidate Mark Warner (D) on the exact same site. Straight from the Blogger's mouth:

When the Democratic National Committee decides to take John McCain to task for having his ads appear on BVBL via Google AdWords, they might want to do a little homework first. Ads for Mark Warner and Barrack Obama have appeared on this site, and it never seemed to bother them before.

RNC Spokesperson Liz Mair had this to say about it:

"In view of the fact that the DNC attacked John McCain for running ads on a blog at which we now know Barack Obama and Democratic US Senate candidate Mark Warner have also advertised, the DNC should either apologize for, and withdraw, its ham-handed attack on John McCain or similarly condemn both Obama and Warner."

(here is where Andrew puts on his "voice of reason" hat)