• About

LIVEdigitally

How the Internet Defeated the McCain Campaign

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Jeremy Toeman

My wording here is very deliberate, and I want to explain briefly why.  Back in 2000, as a Canadian citizen (with US Green Card), I watched the elections, but didn’t pay all that much attention.  At the time, I hoped for Gore to win, but I really liked John McCain and became forever resentful to GWB for his tactics in the primaries.  Now, as an American citizen (dual), I paid more attention, but it wasn’t until the announcement of Sarah Palin as running mate that I actually became engaged with politics.  As I began my research, both backward into the history of the candidates and in “real-time” dealing with timely issues, I quickly noticed a separation of John McCain, the man who ran for president in 2000 and 2008, and the McCain Campaign.

The McCain Campaign could be described as Rovian, full of attacks, negativity, and hate.  It selected Sarah Palin, an ambitious woman who appeals to a segment of America who somehow believe that education, success, and facts are less important than “being gutsy”.  Beyond Palin, the McCain Campaign ran ads proclaiming that Obama might be a terrorist, and if he’s not, he certainly pals around with them.  Other ads tried to scare Americans into believing Obama wanted to teach our children sex education in kindergarten, has questionable friends and allegiances, and might not be a US citizen.  It did more “spin” than a dreidel on the streets of Tel Aviv (is that a metaphor?  if not, it should be).  For as honorable a man as John McCain appeared to be, it was truly a shameful campaign.

And 8 or 12 years ago, they would’ve got away with it, if not for those meddling kids.  Thanks to the Internet, our ability to research and fact-check audacious claims was stronger than ever.  In fact, I’d argue that the Internet truly thwarted the McCain Campaign, which was clearly unprepared for the power of blogs (here’s my favorite), twitters, Google and youtube, digg, and social networks.

With the Internet at our hands, we as a nation of individuals were able to rapidly tear through the cleverly woven web of lies.  For every claim of “Obama had dinner with Khalidi”, the Internet had an answer, “McCain gave the guy $500K a few years earlier.”  And when these claimed attacks were revealed, they affected others by getting them more involved, more engaged, more active.

But the true defeat of the McCain Campaign by the Internet was the simple lack of a campaign.  When an attack ad was thwarted, or a debate claim debunked, McCain was rarely found making pro-active remarks.  As voters, we were being educated on what Obama was about (or more importantly, not about), but at no point were we given insight into McCain’s positions.

We heard words like maverick, but the Internet gave us voting records.

We were pitched on Palin as a reformed, but the Internet showed us her dubious use of finances in Alaska.

It took less than 20 hours for the Internet to reveal that a woman used a mirror to poorly scratch a backwards B in her face, despite other claims.

The Internet provided us with the information, and the people shared it across countless sites and services.  Now don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of lies spread as well (yes, Obama really is a citizen).  And I’m not saying Obama’s campaign was completely innocent either, plenty of attacks were made as well.  But for the most part Obama’s campaign represented Obama’s positions and politics.  Unfortunately for Mr. McCain, the McCain Campaign did not do the same.

Tonight, the senator gave an excellent concession speech.  I hope we remember him for his great services and the man he is, not the man his campaign made him out to be.

I also hope our politicians take warning from these results.  The era of politicians being able to say one thing while do another is at an end.  We the people are tired of the negativity, the fear, and the lies that politicians have perpetrated over the years.  The Internet was a major part of this election, and this is only the beginning.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Reddit

Related

Posted in Web/Internet | Tags: politics | 2 Comments
« There and back again: a Geek's holiday – iPhone vs. Google Phone G1
Can the Government Please Hire Tony Fadell to Build Voting Machines? »

2 thoughts on “How the Internet Defeated the McCain Campaign”

  1. Mark Evans says:
    November 5, 2008 at 9:45 am

    Perhaps this election really demonstrates the emergence of politics 2.0. The ability for the people to participate in ways other than just voting is an amazing development.

    Reply
  2. Pingback: Barack Obama the first social media president | Internet Life | A View from the Isle

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About

Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

Recent Posts

  • Back on the wagon/horse?
  • 11 Tips for Startups Pitching Big Companies
  • CES 2016: A New Role
  • Everything I Learned (So Far) Working For a Huge Company
  • And I’m Back…

Archives

Pages

  • About

Archives

  • January 2019
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • June 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004

Categories

  • Convergence (81)
  • Gadgets (144)
  • Gaming (19)
  • General (999)
  • Guides (35)
  • LD Approved (72)
  • Marketing (23)
  • Mobile Technology (111)
  • Networking (22)
  • No/Low-tech (64)
  • Product Announcements (85)
  • Product Reviews (109)
  • That's Janky (93)
  • Travel (29)
  • Video/Music/Media (115)
  • Web/Internet (103)

WordPress

  • Log in
  • WordPress

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© LIVEdigitally
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.