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Karl Rove: Not Citizen 2.0

BY Michael Bassik | Thursday, November 8 2007

Karl Rove and Max Cleland spoke to over 100 online political consultants today in Washington, DC during Yahoo's The Rise of Citizen 2.0 event. Yahoo's Citizen 2.0 is not much unlike IPDI's Poli-fulentials , Roper's Influentials, or -- as Cleland noted -- the "attentive elites."

They're news-hungry voters with a heightened sense of civic responsibility and a penchant for online discourse. They’re involved in their communities and are the people "who get my friends to pitch in." They're more likely than others to agree with phrases such as "knowing what is going on politically is the responsibility of every citizen" and "the Internet empowers groups of people to get together and act."

For most of us in the audience, the presentation was an elaborately-delivered (think Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia) compilation of overused Pew research points and carefully-selected stock photos.

Clearly, we are not the intended audience. Those who would find this presentation helpful are those who still think internet users are 12-year-old kids in their mother's basement posting visceral blog comments in virtual echo chambers. In other words, Karl Rove and Max Cleland.

Rove told a charming story about his first personal computer and went on to acknowledge the challenges candidates, news organizations, and voters face in the new media environment.

Rove's insights included:

  • Blogs give angry people an undeserved voice: "People on the fringe are no longer voiceless," noted Rove. Blogs have the unintended effect of giving "angry kooks" an "inexpensive soapbox" and a sense of "pseudo-anonymity" that "brings forth the worst angels of our nature." He trashed DailyKos and the liberal blogosphere for using more "dirty words" than conservative blogs like Townhall and RedState. "The Netroots, he said, "argue from anger rather than reason." Many, he believes, blog for "personal release" and not "political persuasion." He argued that the Netroots have been largely ineffective and said MoveOn.org’s inability to end the war proves his point.
  • The 24-hour news cycle "may not be good for the system": "Being right," he said, "has given way to being faster." "Speed matters, but speed kills."
  • The internet has made running for president "like the Emperor’s new clothes": "Every word, public utterance, and public appearance can be captured and put on the web. "If you don't believe me, just ask Senator James Webb or former Senator George Allen."
  • The internet lacks proportion: Sites like The Drudge Report skew perceptions and public opinion and make mountains out of molehills.

    (He did mention that he likes The Wall Street Journal's Best of the Web -– a daily blog written by James Toronto and is interested in meeting those folks from Drinking Liberally who were featured throughout Yahoo! presentation.)

    Cleland, following Rove, joked that "the preceding was a paid political advertisement." Jumping on the Rove bandwagon, Cleland equated the internet to "Viagra for political junkies" where you can find everything from "fishing to fornication." "It's Dodge City without the Sherriff."

    Cleland also lamented the abundance of vulgar words on blogs and expressed shock when a friend shared with him my favorite YouTube video. The blogosphere, he said, is "out of control" and "ain't gonna win undecided voters" even though it may be responsible for increases in youth voter turnout. "The good news is that [the internet] is total free expression and the bad news...is that it's total free expression." He's clearly up on the latest news, though, and cited Ron Paul's success online as an example of how unconventional campaigners and upstarts can use the web to get a leg up.

    Key takeaway: While the online political consultants in the room all "get it," those we're trying hardest to convince -- the traditional strategists (Rove) and politicians (Cleland) -- have a long way to go.

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