The online world is buzzing about the online-heavy launch of John Edwards' campaign for President. Jeff Jarvis summarized it this way:
So John Edwards announced his presidential announcement on YouTube in a video made by Andrew Baron and Joanne Colan of Rocketboom (who put up their own interview the next day) and Chuck Olsen (who, Andrew reports, is flying with Edwards to make video for the official campaign site). The digital cool doesn't end there. Edwards tells you to text the word "hope" to a given number to get more instructions; how mobile. As NewTeeVee reports, he has Robert Scoble trailing around with a camera as well. He's "live-bloggin" (their usage, not the usual meaning) at Daily Kos. He's trying to create is own sort of Peace Corps called One Corps with people signing up online to do good deeds under his brand (they will "fight poverty" and, oh, while they're at it, flog candidates who "support One America ideals' [that was the old name of this campaign effort] and spread the word by calling radio stations). And tonight he's having an online town hall from Iowa.
How cyber can you get?
Is this all just a publicity stunt to look modern and cool or is this a turning point in how campaigns are run? We'll know in about a decade.
I think we will know whether John Edwards, and other candidates for President in 2008, are serious about the use of the internet and change the way they campaign well before a decade has passed. Change is already taking place. I wonder what impact those changes will have on politics - and what use of online is really worthwhile when promoting a political activity like this. What will John Edwards' next announcement look like and how much of his campaign will be geared towards the online audience (as opposed to complementing his outreach to all audiences, to balance or bypass television coverage, for example)? How will the online momentum that he is able to generate translate into real votes on Election Day (remember, Howard Dean had all the online momentum before the 2004 primaries began but couldn't translate them into wins in key primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, dooming his quest).
I have high hopes for the Edwards campaign and their online efforts in particular. But I don't want this to become a debate about what an internet-driven campaign should look like, or a media-driven frenzy over 'who is going to be the internet candidate'. Every candidiate should launch their campaigns online in some way because a big part of the electorate looks online for some part of their news, or political information. But every campaign, Edwards included, should also have a substantial grass-roots base, a sophisticated media strategy, a good message and some credible policy positions, advertising, and a host of other things. The smart campaigns know this. And when we look back in November 2008 at which candidate was elected as our next President, it will be the one who mixed all those pieces best that wins the day.
