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Sarah Palin: Not a 'Maverick' When It Comes to E-Politicking
Matthew Continetti, associate editor of the conservative political rag the Weekly Standard, has an interesting editorial on CNN.com, in which he argues that Sarah Palin is "a pioneer in the political use of new social media." He claims that Palin is leading a quiet revolution based on Facebook and that she hasn't received any credit for it.
Party affiliation aside, there are gaping holes in Continetti's argument that Palin is quietly remaking the face of tech-enhanced politics. His main point is that Palin is using Facebook and Twitter to speak directly to her supporters across the country, resuscitating her political career after the presidential campaign -- during which she painted herself as a bumbling idiot during disastrous interviews with Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.
However, Continetti fails to mention what is so unique about Palin's use of social networking tools, other than the fact that she's using them to rebuild a reputation rather than build one. As he points out, Howard Dean's failed bid for the Democratic nomination in 2004 revolutionized how political campaigns employed the Internet and digital media. He also correctly characterizes Obama as having learned from the Dean campaign, capturing the youth vote through an almost unstoppable blitz of blogging, tweeting, texting, and social networking.
So where is Palin any different? We're not entirely sure, and Continetti fails to specify in his disappointingly short editorial. There is no denying that Palin is remarkably comfortable on the Web, where she can speak directly to people without the "filter of mainstream media." But Obama and others have gone this route before.
If Continetti had specified that Palin represents a revolution within the Republican party (which has been decidedly old-media in focus), we'd take no issue with his claim. But Palin is simply using tools that, at this point, are old hat for the Dems. [From: CNN.com]
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Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsCearralynNov 17th 2009 12:25AM
Palin is a liar who knows how to put a false spin on everything she spouts off on. Why anyone would believe this liar is amazing. No, I am not a Democrat or a liberal. I am a conservative Republican, and it sickens me that so many people have been taken in by this woman.
PookieBadMuffinNov 17th 2009 8:32AM
Speaking of liars, "old hat" is Change We Can Believe In, right? If you're sickened by Palin you must be damn near death from the President. Remember him, Cearralyn? The one with executive power, not the book deal?
Switched is almost averaging 2 comments per post now! Sweet! Maybe you can put some of the social networking principles to work and break 3 by year's end...