Blogging to the White House
by robert karimi, 8/1/04

Today, I have ventured to the blogs of John Kerry and George W. Bush.

Yes, they have blogs. The democratic party gave press credentials to bloggers this year, and according to their own statistics the press:blogger ratio was 1:1. Who knows?

I have been searching for blogs from bloggers that were at the convention, so i can review their coverage, so if anyone knows of any please let me know.

The interesting thing about going to both websites is how distinct their design is, and how they embody the sentiment of each campaign. websites are great for furthering the marketing metaphor of any company, artist, and/or candidate. Go to http://www.obamablog.com for barack obama's blog to see what i mean or http://www.tmbg.com for they might be giants.

First when you go to kerry's site, he invites you to join his team. he wants your address, he wants your website. he wants you to join the campaign. maybe because everyone knows the more registered voters in an election, the more likely a democrat will be elected.

However...if you go to bush's site, something else hits you. Other than all the hit pieces against Kerry, (and there are a lot!!!) on the site, the GOP is not the party of the Internet, and they know it.

When I went to the blog, all of the entries are written by someone known as GeorgeWBush.com. There are no places for comments. There are links. Send to Friends buttons. And a sign up section. The blog is just another way to spread Republican propaganda. It shouldn't be called a blog; it should be called News or Update. Not that blogs aren't there own tools of a certain agenda, but they have personality. They are places for exchange. They are places for dialogue. They are personal.

Kerry's blog has personal pictures. It looks like someone took them with a digital camera you bought at Costco. And there are comments. My are there comments. If I got this many comments on my blog, I would write everyday. And there is no mention of Bush. It looks like you are seeing a journal of a friend. If nothing else, the Kerry campaign knows how to create the appearance of a personal blog.

The Bush folks are still clueless. Especially how they even have one entry that bashes Kerry: Morning Reads: Kerry's Agenda Still a Mystery. Huh? There's no personal analysis or even an attempt. It' s as if the GOP made a blog because Kerry has one, and because they know their constituents are not blog-proficient. And check out their definition of what a blog is (to explain to the non-blog proficient): "A blog is a free-flowing online journal that’s constantly updated with the latest news from throughout the Web. This blog will serve as your personal guide to the campaign to re-elect President Bush, with breaking news, grassroots updates, and posts from campaign leadership." (What? What about exchange of ideas?)

Or maybe the Bush campaign doesn't care. They do not care about the Net community. They do not care about the tech folk because the tech folk were the ones that gave Bush a cold shoulder in the last campaign. Maybe young Republicans do not use craigslist (which is not true, a young Republican just posted looking for a ride to the GOP convention; i would love to get a ride with him so i can talk to him), so the GOP doesn't want to put the detail and attention to the blog.

But I don't believe it. The party that created the most planned funeral in U.S. history to add to the embellished myth of Ronald Reagan uses marketing to its fullest to create a party that is compassionate and for the people by the people. And like I said before websites are one of the greatest marketing tools known now, they are already superseding TV (check out the latest Wired magazine) So what is it?

Why are they doing this? What do their blog and the Kerry blog say about each party? What do they say about each Presidential campaign?

I ask you to check for yourself and decide.

For me, as I looked through the blog archive of each site, I realized both sides are using blogs to thump their chests, but I had cause to pause when I read the guest blogs of the Bush campaign, especially the entry from Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman:


"Ronald Reagan had the wisdom and vision to see a brighter day for America. His answer to the challenges facing our country was freedom. President Reagan cut taxes and reduced regulation, unleashing the longest and most productive economic boom the world has ever seen. He spoke with moral clarity about the Evil Empire and matched his words with action as he rebuilt America’s military. The Soviet Union's march was reversed and the Berlin Wall came down a few short years after Reagan left office.

I am proud to be a political activist. Ronald Reagan showed that politics can change the world. Through his strong voice for freedom and democracy, he showed the power of the bully pulpit. Hundreds of millions of once captive people in the world are free today, and hundreds of millions of Americans have enjoyed prosperity and opportunity, because Ronald Reagan and his supporters took politics seriously."


I am still unsure about the Democrats' strategy of "anyone but Bush", but I know this, the GOP has become the party of the delusional myth. Nixon lived out delusions about his power during his waning years of his presidency, and the current GOP is delusional about the extent of Reagan's legacy. Sadly, they think bringing back Reagan's ideas is the way to go. Reagan's ideas were outdated then, and they are now. (i don't want anymore Bully Presidents, weren't nixon and reagan and bush enough? wait, wasn't sadaam hussein a bully, too?). And the Bush site blog shows this.
Unless the GOP at least create the image they can engage in dialogue, then we should make the members of their party history as well.

We need dialogue more than ever. The monologue created by Bush after 9/11 has led to a destruction of freedom in this country like never before. Bush had a chance to create a world united in peace after 9/11, instead he has chosen war and destruction of freedom and the global environment.

I am not saying the blog is going to change the world, but at least it has people talking. At least it's a start. Now we just have to get out of our houses, behind our computers, and engage in some face-to-face dialogue about how we love our country and we, as a people, are going to fix the mess left by the DOP (just in case you missed it: the Delusional Old Party).

And, please, don't forget, leave me a comment before you leave cyberspace.

peace,
rfk