It’s Not A Movement

Ari Melber has a great post at Personal Democracy Forum rebutting the Washington Post’s fact-free claim that Senator Chuck Hagel is benefitting from an online movement to push his candidacy. I blogged about Shailagh Murray’s WaPo piece on Friday, though I didn’t address the line about Hagel’s alleged internet support.

Melber asks of the supposed “Draft Hagel” movement:

So why was a project with no dedicated website, no supporter lists and no organizing events declared an Internet movement on the front page of the most important political newspaper in the country?

I’d say it’s because having an online support base, or more specifically, a grassroots movement trafficking in the idea of your candidacy online, is now a prerequisite for casting a candidate as a “rebel.” Hagel isn’t liked by the Bush administration and one would expect that his outspoken criticism of the war would have garnered him a committed following online. But the Republican base – particularly Republican bloggers – hate Hagel and still love Bush. Were Hagel a Democrat, he would have a strong following now, but he’s a hardcore conservative Republican and his would-be supporters do not value those who speak ill of the President.

Mostly, though, Hagel’s absence of an internet support is in line with the general paucity of movements supporting Republican presidential candidates. Hagel might have less online support than others, no one in the Republican field is really leveraging online support for their campaigns.

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Posted by Matt Browner Hamlin
Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 5:50 pm

3 Responses to “It’s Not A Movement”

As a central player in the Hagel movement/not a movement I can say that we’re really trying.

We are primarily not experienced bloggers or remarkably internet savvy. The average age of Republicans is older than that of Democrats and I think it shows to some degree in the lack of utilization of the web and the new networking sites.

Of course, part of it is just media exposure as well. My blog has had more visitors in the last two weeks than in it did in the first seven months it was up and running. Likewise membership in the online forums has jumped as well. In part, a grassroots movement is facilitated by media coverage of a candidate.

Left by Charlie
January 28, 2007 at 11:55pm

Oh absolutely Charlie. Neither I nor Melber is saying that there isn’t some support out there for Hagel online – in fact, you’re the biggest iteration of it.

But framed in the context of online draft movements like Draft Clark in 2004, there isn’t a Draft Hagel movement that merits attention in the NY Times. Hell, until a couple weeks ago (long after it was clear Obama was running) the Draft Obama movement was both a joke and superfluous. Now at least they’re leveraging massive Facebook support.

I’d say that a Draft movement exists long before there is media coverage of a potential candidate. Who thought of Wes Clark as a presidential candidate before there was a movement to draft him? No one. That’s a movement.

I don’t mean to discourage your work. But while you’re working hard to get Hagel in the race, my guess is that he will end up in the race of his own volition and not an online trumpet call put forth by the Draft Hagel efforts.

The average age of Republicans is older than that of Democrats and I think it shows to some degree in the lack of utilization of the web and the new networking sites.

Sorry, I don’t buy that. Show me evidence that Republicans are older than Democrats. How does that relate to the fact that before and during the 2004 election Republican blogs wielded far greater influence than Democratic blogs?

Left by Matt Browner Hamlin
January 29, 2007 at 7:31am

Were Hagel a Democrat he’d have a following now? Just because he’s opposed to the escalation? Anti-abortion to the Nth degree, anti-minimum wage Hagel? Nope, sorry. Neeeext… One issue does not a president make.

Left by Gnasher
February 7, 2007 at 1:19am

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