Los netroots en The Economist

La campaña electoral en USA está en pleno. Los netroots, activistas web del partido Demócrata, realizaron en Chicago su convención con la presencia de todos sus precandidatos (menos Biden). Los netroots han demostrado ser un notable ejercito virtual en las campañas electorales, logrando reconocimiento por primera vez en la de Dean el 2004. Son los responsables de la campaña de destrucción de George Bush en la red y ahora se juntaron para oir a sus líderes, y preparar la próxima ofensiva.
Lección número uno de los netroots para cualquier jefe de campaña: use la red para organizar a sus bases. Permitale a ellos la organización territorial de la campaña. Deles libertad total para desarrollar acciones de todo tipo, incluyendo atacar a sus adversarios (porque lo harán igual, sin su permiso...).

Aquí un artículo del Economist sobre la convención y un video notable: un "perfil" al hombre de los discursos de Bush, elaborado por los netroots para destruir la imagen de su presidente.




Political campaigning
Grown up and buttoned-down

Aug 9th 2007 | CHICAGO
From The Economist print edition
The netroots meet in Chicago

THE bloggers, activists and politicos who attended the second YearlyKos convention in Chicago last week were not too rowdy. They ate crab cakes and carried tote-bags. They attended panels on precinct organising and campaign finance. The air was filled with a soft, rhythmic rattle as dozens of people typed on laptops.

Not quite crazy lefties, in other words. This would have come as a surprise to Bill O'Reilly, the host of a Fox News programme. He recently compared the Daily Kos, the Democratic blog affiliated with the convention, to the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazi party. It is true that some of the site's commentators are vicious, shrill and sanctimonious; their posts can be cherry-picked and broadcast as evidence of left-wing lunacy. But one comment Mr O'Reilly got worked up about was that the pope was “a primate”—which is not so far from the truth, ecclesiastically speaking.

The bloggers, activists and organisers collectively known as the netroots are widely respected in the Democratic Party. The highlight of YearlyKos was a forum for the Democratic presidential candidates. All but Joe Biden, who was on a book tour, were there. It was a shrewd use of their time. As a group, the netroots are well-informed, highly engaged and increasingly influential.

Their pet candidate, Howard Dean, imploded in 2004 to the relief of congressional Democrats. But in 2006 they had some notable victories. A grassroots campaign to unseat Joe Lieberman, a Democratic pro-war senator from Connecticut, seemed less quixotic when Ned Lamont, his multi-millionaire opponent, won the primary. Several House candidates won competitive races after being infused with cash raised in the blogosphere, and netroots money helped Democrats win Senate seats in Virginia and Montana.

In 2008 the netroots will shift the balance of some congressional races. All politics may still be local, but more and more fund-raising takes place at the national level. Two dozen candidates turned up at YearlyKos to seek their fortunes. As far as the Democratic presidential primary is concerned, most of the netroots will be satisfied with whatever nominee the process turns up, even Hillary Clinton, and are directing their energies elsewhere.

It was apparent during the forum that many are suspicious of Mrs Clinton. She was booed for saying that she will continue to accept donations from lobbyists, for example. But it was equally clear that she has their respect. When a moderator misspoke of the need to keep pressure on “President Clinton”, meaning President Bush, the senator beamed and the crowd laughed nervously.

The success of the netroots presents challenges for them. In last year's mid-term elections, merely beating expectations was a triumph. When Mr Lamont ended up with just 40% of the vote in the general election it was hailed as a victory, although it sent Mr Lieberman back to the Senate with even less party loyalty than before. In 2008 candidates approved by the netroots will not seem like underdogs.

And after the next election the netroots will lose one of their greatest resources: George Bush. Anger with Mr Bush and the war in Iraq has kept liberal interest groups united thus far, willing to compromise on some issues in their pursuit of electoral success. With Mr Bush gone, the movement may start to turn against itself.