Attack Machine Returns: Republicans steal Barack Obama's internet campaigning tricks

[steven johnson]

The McCain Campaign was at a disadvantage when it stayed with public funds, the RNC fund raising more than made up for this shortfall. RNC out-raised the DNC by 5 times. Yet they were outgunned by the new media that the Obama Campaign worked to their advantage. That advantage is slipping away as the GOP plays catch up.

Now 2010 will show a different right wing strategic thrust.

Less than eight months later, the seed planted in those anti-Obama Google groups has burst into flower on the streets of Washington. Tens – or even perhaps hundreds – of thousands of livid demonstrators filled the capital, brandishing banners saying "Don't tread on me!" and "Obamunism" – a reference to the president's perceived socialist or even communist tendencies. "Liar! Liar!"they shouted, echoing the outburst of a Republican congressman to Obama's face last week.

The noise of that startling crowd could be heard rumbling on throughout this week. Democrats rushed to dismiss the display of rightwing force as the work of mavericks and extremists. Jimmy Carter upped the ante by suggesting the vitriol was racist: many people in America, he said, believed a black man should not be president.

For Telford, though, dismissing the eruption as extremist or racist was to miss the point. For him, the 9/12 rally marked the moment at which conservative America finally embraced the new world and recovered its confidence. He believes the movement is now close to catching up with the Democrats in terms of internet savviness; in some ways he contends it has even surpassed them, particularly on Twitter, where much of the heavy lifting behind the so-called "tea parties" against Obama's tax and other policies is being done.

Just how far the movement can go to lift the Republican party out of its doldrums and re-energise it in Congress will become clear next year with the first major electoral test of the Obama presidency: the mid-term elections. According to Peter Brown, a pollster at Quinnipiac University, Republicans tend to turn out in higher numbers in off-year elections, which makes the tea parties highly relevant. "Enthusiasm matters: the more angry people are, the more likely they are to vote. All this activism and demonstrating is not necessarily the end for Obama, but it's certainly not good news."





Republicans steal Barack Obama's internet campaigning tricks

[cliffordu]

1. 6 months of work on the net AND 24/7 coverage on FUX for 70,000???

Bullshit meme.

Fail.

[comtec]

3. As I understand it, the 60,000 number may be completely wrong

as in way too high.
Seems there was a UNRELATED event going on at the same time...

[MrModerate]

2. Well, one hopes that the party bosses and individual pols we keep sending money to . . .

Are paying attention, but let's not panic.

Twitter is useful for calling out mobs -- a benefit but hardly a game changer. And while Dem messages have been somewhat uncoordinated and in way too many case tinged with political cowardice, the fact is that 'Lican messages are angry, crazy, distasteful, low-fact, high-hate, and extreme. While they got tens of thousands of fat asses off the couch and into Washington last week, that doesn't mean that they're doing much more than stirring up their moron-American base. In fact, their dependence on the moron-American vote will be the death of them.

Dems can't let their guard down or go into any contest assuming it'll be a walkover -- 'Licans play dirty and the media generally gives them a pass -- but good organization, money, and sanity are pretty strong planks to build on.

[vinylsolution]

4. Exactly - the Republicans own the mass media....

... which is by far the most powerful weapon in framing issues to their own BS specifications.