Public Policy and the Internet |
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Political Campaigns and "Emerging Democracy" Online The Web and e-mail have been used in political campaigns since the early 1990s, but the election of 2004 may have been the first in which these technologies played a significant and even critical role in American democracy. The Howard Dean campaign showed how the Internet might be used for organizing grassroots supporters, and the Dean campaign explored the campaign use of blogs and other new online tools. But yet, of course, the Dean campaign failed to win a single Democratic primary. Is this a new opportunity for revitalizing American democracy, as some have argued? Or is this mostly hype, overshadowed by television and more traditional forms of political fundraising and organizing? What's the future role of the Internet in politics? Readings "Emergent Democracy," by Joichi Ito, at http://joi.ito.com/static/emergentdemocracy.html. "The Internet's Role in Political Campaigns," by The Bivings Group, 2006, on E-res. "The Impact of the Internet on Politics," Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2006, on E-res. Look at TechPresident.com, at http://www.techpresident.com/. Look at the Hillary Clinton blog site, at http://www.hillaryclinton.com/blog/. Look at the Barack Obama Web site, at http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/group/ObamaHQ/. Look at the Rudy Giuliani Web site, at http://www.joinrudy2008.com/. Look at Campaign Advantage, at http://www.campaignadvantage.com/. Further optional reading: Winning Campaigns Online: Strategies for Candidates and Causes, by Emilienne Ireland and Phil Tajitsu Nash, Science Writers Press, 2003 (Second Edition). Internet Politics: States, Citizens, and New Communication Technologies, by Andrew Chadwick, Oxford University Press, 2006.
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