I think Democrats can make a move in the right direction if work to re-bridge the communication divide by not just looking to hire “New Media strategists” or “social media gurus” who can help them put up some meaningless blog post or launch Twitter accounts, but by bringing in staffers with progressive policy and political gravitas who fundamentally “get” the zeitgeist of both off and online left. As mentioned, above Democrats took some baby steps baby steps back in '04-05 following the rise of Netroots, and showed some encouraging signs all the way up to 2008, but in last two years despite the explosion in social media communities, the engagement fundamentally has been stalled. I don’t believe we are going to get moving any time soon unless sincere efforts are made to bridge the enormous divide between DC and the Netroots. As prescribed above, a couple of good places to start would be to immediately move away from the extreme rightward tilt in policy and by re-engaging with the Netroots in a meaningful way that is not based on superficial focus on tools but policy.
What's interesting to me is that he makes the same mistake many of us do when we start to talk about how to mend a broken relationship - he proscribes what the other party (the Democratic establishment) should do and doesn't even take a moment to think about how the Netroots might need to change. As most of us already know, that is a recipe for failure.
Perhaps a little personal reflection about how the Netroots has failed would be in order. In thinking about that, a post that Norbrook recently wrote comes to mind. He outlined what the "frustrati" would need to do in order for him to listen to them.
Demonstrate the ability to successfully lobby for and shepherd through Congress a bill meeting your standards.
Identify and recruit primary challengers to members of the Blue Dog caucus, and provide them with the financial support, campaign staff, and field support needed to win that primary.
Demonstrate that you can get local candidates on the ballot and win in a number of areas around the country.
Can turn out a reliable block of voters who make a difference in an election, in more than just a few select urban areas that were going your way anyway.
Start acknowledging when the President does something right, and stop blaming him for things he had no control over.
Start going after Republicans with the vigor you’ve been using on Democrats.
What he's got there is a pretty good list of what would be in the establishment's best interest. And that's what you need to know in order to form a working coalition. Once you have paid some attention to what the other party wants, you have some potential for finding common ground where you can work together.
In other words, simply stomping your feet and saying "if I don't get my pony, I'm going to go home," doesn't get you anywhere.
The other problem the Netroots has in being a credible partner for the Democratic establishment is that they spend all their time preaching to a closed circle choir. Have they spent ANY time trying to find out how to draw in or affect a larger audience that aren't political junkies and are perhaps intimidated by the world of bloggers? I don't think so.
Until the Netroots can address some of these issues, I don't see the Democratic establishment paying much attention to them. I'm sure they'll go on whining about how no one listens to them. But they will remain irrelevant.
Everything you say above about this 'come our way, OUR way' tendency of the un-elected zillions of online presidents I absolutely agree with.
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"As prescribed above, a couple of good places to start would be to immediately move away from the extreme rightward tilt in policy and by re-engaging with the Netroots in a meaningful way that is not based on superficial focus on tools but policy."
Excuse me if I misunderstand this statement, but I do not see the president's policies as moving in an extreme rightward policy direction. I see the president trying to MOVE. And unless we are as blinded by the mud that President Obama is surrounded by, our job is to help him push as if our lives depended on it--because they do. He is not pushing Rightward, he is moving the ball down the field--you know, zig a little, zag a little, feint, nudge, score, try again. I think that's called strategy, but I'm neither warrior nor sportsperson, so--
What the last 2 1/2 years ought to have shown us by now is the general progressive direction in which the president is trying to suggest, lug, drag the congress and the damned country, and the feeble-minded Left.
My God, I feel for the man, surrounded on ALL sides by people who hammer at him while he's trying to do some "presidentin" for the whole g-ddamned world in a civilized, intelligent and empathetic manner. If I were he I would feel so friggin' demoralized every damned day to see, for example, Black so-called spokespeople like Laughy and Smiley talking to our community as though I am the enemy. If they were really trying to help they would be touting the extraordinary moves the Administration has been making in every possible way under the radar, over the radar and in the radar, with and without the assistance of his own party, to bring aid and comfort to a community as despised as he is, while helping the haters with the same moves as well. That is smart!
Do they ever go to the Administration's website? Do they ever check-on what the HHS is doing? I grant you that the news isn't as widely disseminated as it should be from those quarters. But why? Regular media isn't doing it. Isn't that one sure job for the Netroots?
I'm sorry to be going off in your space, Smarty. Please forgive me. But really, I have read so many comments from bloggers and their commenters who act as though they have never seen the many instructive videos (instructive if not by intent then by content), the town halls, the weekly statements, the legislation, the handouts, readouts, shoutouts that the Administration delivers. And yet they moan and rant and cuss and stomp about what he SHOULD do even when he's already done it, is doing it! And they can't be corrected and don't feel stupid.
So-called progressives are allowing themselves to be manipulated by the right wing and its dirty tricks on the net, in the press, on the air, in their local legislatures--to bring this president down as they work diligently to replace him with some fool of their own. The thing is, the Left will be replacing him with one of the RW's own, too, if they continue the anti-Obama barrage.
Then the country will be able to give a relieved sigh with their new 'American-looking' white handsome aah-back-in-the-comfort-zone president while their cuckoo d'etat sinks us slowly into the tar pit of history--sans Medicare, sans Medicaid, sans Social Security, sans environment--sans everything!
Did I say I'm sorry for this rant? Lord knows I am and have embarrassed myself again on the nets. At least I'm anonymous. Thank you, Smarty, for letting me be that.
Please don'e apologize.
ReplyDeleteRant on!!!!!!!!
Smartypants, this is all kinds of awesome, and thanks for a very informative post. As Norbrook has so simply put, "First you have to win" and until the 'netroots' stops kneecaping the Dems at every turn with their poutrage.
ReplyDeleteAl Giordano's post about activism vs. organizing seems more precient every day.