Dean Barnett Forgets One Thing
by Patrick Ruffini :: January 9th, 2007 11:43 amOver at Hugh’s, Dean says the Money Primary and the Media Primary will be important in 2007.
I’ll add a third: The Internet Primary.
The press has traditionally focused on money and media because there’s little else of substance to cover in ‘07. There are no rallies, not a whole lot of watercooler buzz in Middle America, and the closest thing you’ll get to casting ballots is a straw poll. The Money and Media Primaries don’t tell you a lot about the grassroots, except as anecdotes that filter into media stories from time to time.
The Internet changes that. We can get a pretty accurate sense of how people who don’t live in Washington, D.C. see the race in real time. And it’s more than blogs and elite opinion journals. It’s the size of candidate email lists, sites like ABC PAC when they start raising money for actual candidate committees, Facebook groups, and all forms of online activism, the metrics of which will be more transparent (and media-friendly) than ever in 2007. The difference between this primary and the other two? It’s the best proxy for real activism and enthusiasm on the ground.
Right now, it looks like a pretty close race between Rudy, Newt, and Romney, but the situation online can turn on a dime.
Tagged: 2008 
grassroots online politics
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good of you to include Newt. Remember, we gotta DRAFT him.
I’m still officially undecided as to which candidate I’m going to support. I will say I’m leaning between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich (if he can be drafted).
As long as its not McCain I’m happy!!