Letters from NYC

A Powerful Political Tool

Bloggers are a force to be contended with, and we are here to stay!

I have to admit, bloggers like Wonkette and her leftists ilk, did a great disservice to the credibility of bloggers everywhere on election night. They created a damaging situation by releasing unverified, speculative poll numbers prematurely on the web. In doing so they spun things out of control.

Had the margin of victory been narrower, the would have created a situation that would have been worse than Florida in 2000. In the eagerness to scope the media, they hurt Kerry campaigners and volunteers, by leading them to believe a false victory.

I found, that honest, self-respecting bloggers on the right, did not engage in spin. Instead, they stated the facts as facts, and their hopes as personal opinions and were up front about it all.

In this past year, five things made it clear for me that the internet, as a political tool and medium, was here to stay:

1. Howard's Dean's online fundraising efforts made it clear that the internet is not only a viable information tool, but also a grassroots campaign fundraising tool. Dean's fundraising began explosively and increased exponentially the moment after he went online.

2. Kerry's "Plans" were laid out in detail on his website, which garnered many hits from people on both sides of the aisle. People on the opposite side of the aisle (like me) used it as ammunition to deconstruct his policies and show the plain truth behind them.

3. The DNC was able to use the internet to:

• raise over 5 Million dollars in campaign funds,
  
• mobilize people/protestors during the RNC, and
  
• get out their message and "rapidly respond" or spin statements made by Republicans during their convention.

4. The Swift Vote Vets were able to get their message out, even when the Main Stream Media was supressing it. This caused Kerry's post convention bounce to slow to a dribble.

5. Two words: CBS' Memogate.

I firmly believe that Bush's re-election was directly obtained by those who worked tireless to spread his message, who questioned and relentlessly dogged the opposition and the media medium by holding them accountable for their half-truths.

In the end, the internet has grown up and now has the role as the seeker and vanguard of truth.

Posted by Michele at November 4, 2004 02:02 PM