Matt Stoller posted his analysis of three major trends related to blogs that will define the 2008 presidential cycle, one of which he called “Republican Crack-Up.” I thought it would be worthwhile to reproduce his take here.
For a long time, the right has been in control of the media narrative, which has meant that Republican politicians could escape from genuine scrutiny and say different things to different audiences. For instance, George Allen had pictures taken with the Conservative Citizens Council, a white supremacist group, but this did not become an issue until 2006, when the internet left pushed it into a broader media narrative. Similarly, in 2000, George Bush did not face scrutiny of his policies, which meant he could claim to run against nation-building and completely reverse course in office. Dick Cheney could joke that he made no money from government contracts in a debate, which was false.
This will not be the case this year. Republicans are going to encounter a host of issues they cannot respond to without damaging their coalition or their mainstream appeal. Immigration, homosexuality, the war in Iraq, choice, scandal – they will be dragged along in Bush’s wake, and blogs will push the press to examine their contradictory statements. For instance, Giuliani and Romney are being exposed by Youtube as patently dishonest, but there’s nothing remotely similar on the Democratic side. Ann Coulter is damaged goods, and CPAC saw a conference split along all sorts of factional lines.
Giuliani’s record in New York is going to be on full display, and McCain will not be able to pander to the right and sustain his mainstream credibility. Local blogs are going to be in a lot more forums than ever before, leading to increased scrutiny that Republicans are just not used to.
My sense is that blogs are basically part of the political and media landscape at this point, revamping the process and bringing in more public concern and reducing the power of the candidates and various insiders to set the agenda. It’s a big shift, and one that’s going to damage Republicans, damage the mainstream media, and push the Democrats to become increasingly progressive.
What will be most interesting is the extent to which the blog-driven crack-up is a product of separate grassroots actions on the Republican presidential field by people on the Left and the Right. Yes there is clearly pressure on the Republican candidates from liberal blogs — The REAL McCain comes to mind on the large scale, The Right’s Field on a smaller scale — but similar anti-candidate movements are taking place from within the Republican base. Stoller recently pointed out that there is a small movement to stop Giuliani from getting the nomination. Similarly the Resist Rudy McRomney movement merchandising site is indicative of the dissatisfaction that conservatives have towards their front-runners. The pressure the online conservative base puts on the top tier of the Right’s field as it currently stands is going to be intense and has the potential to undercut these presidential candidates. Put in parallel with similar attacks from the Left and the Republicans will be navigating hostile terrain online.
Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential election, Matt Stoller
2 Responses to “Republican Crack-Up”
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http://article.nationalreview......BmYzY5YzQ=
after reading that, please explain to me how any of the 3 leading democrats could possibly out perform the far more qualified giuliani.
Left by matt
March 19, 2007 at 7:52pm