2 Opinion
Clackamas P
Wednesday, Feb.6, 2008
‘E-roots’ evolution revitalizes electio
Online coverage brings voters’ grassroots opinions
Kenton Benfield
The Clackamas Print
Although the freedom of tiie press, and corre
spondingly of speech, are protected by the First
Amendment of the Constitution of tiie United
States, it is a well-informed and non-apathetic
citizenship that is the ultimate defense of liberty.
The politics of a democracy - Greek for ‘ ‘rule of
tiie many poor” - is dependent upon the quality
of tiie information available to the people.
The Internet is more than just the latest form
of media and entertainment; it is a revolution in
democratic information exchange, and it is hav
ing a major impact in politics.
As Matt Ostergren, a philosophy and political
science major, put it, “The Internet gets around
media sources ... it allows for peers to organize
regardless of geography ... lots of grassroots
movements are popping up around ideologies.”
There lies a key distinction between main
stream media and the Internet, specifically in
the democratic exchange of information that is
accessible to historically unprecedented num
bers of people, hi terms of politics, this opens up
the floodgates to a wider range of information
and opinions that originate from the grassroots,
or “e-roots.”
Over time, the temptation by
those in power to usurp the media
for political propaganda and “info
tainment” has undermined legiti
mate reporting.
“It lulls people into a stupor,”
Ostergren explained. “This requires
bright colors to wake them up.”
‘A double-edged sword’
Photo illustration by Kaylà Berge Clackamas Print
The mainstream media “estab
lishment” has undergone heavy
consolidationunder larger and larger
corporate structures, such as Rupert
Murdoch’s News Corporation. This
conglomerate owns FOX News,
The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones
and MySpace, just to list a few.
These organizations are private
enterprise entities, whose primary
interest may be to make money, not
to provideublic awareness.
“It’s no longer about money
[on the Internet],” student Mike
Takeyawe said. “We can get peo
ple’s opinions without them being
paid on TV.”
According to Political Science
Professor Dean Darris, this is a
positive trend.
“In short, the Internet, through
the democratization of information,
has broken down the stranglehold that the corpo
rate media has over political information. I think
that is a very healthy thing,” Darris said.
“... It is a double-edged sword... given the
feet that there is no editing mechanisms o£ say,
editors or fact-checkers, it can also be a vehicle
of disinformation.
“We’ve got to be careful that we maintain
the baby and throw out the bathwater. The baby
is democratized information allowing people to
express themselves absent the control of the cor
porate media. The bathwater is the feet that... so
much on there (the Internet) is simply not worth
the time and attention it takes to read through it.
But that’s true of mainstream media”
The online campaign
The Internet creates a very powerful system
with which to organize people, even those who
fight for ideas that may be under- or misrep
resented in the more traditional media With a
presidential election year in full swing, this has
not gone unnoticed by those who desire the vot
ers’support.
‘Tor example, the Ron Paul movement is
very popular among college students,” Ostergren
added.
Although not the first, the online campaign of
United States Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas,
has been the most successfill in the short history
oflheWeb.
Due to the mediocre media coverage of
his message, the Internet has stepped in as an
interactive source of information that would
otherwise be buried.
The success Ron Paul has enjoyed online
provides an excellent example of what the Web
could do for politics in the future.
For example, the fundraising efforts have
hit record numbers while being completely
organized and promoted by the supporters, or
“e-roots”, not the official campaign. “Web 2.0”
social networking sites, such as YouTube.com
and MySpace.com, have allowed for the mes
sage to spread and the money to flow in, often
through PayPal.com, a Web-based payment
system.
On Nov. 5,2007, a supporter-organized fund-
raising drive that began only a few \va
playing off of tiie Guy Fawks holid
movie “V for Vendetta” as themes,
$4.3 million in a single 24-hour peri«
This “Money Bomb” was the recc
for online fundraising in any Republii
States presidential primary for a s
Supporters paid an average of $1001
accumulating total was reported in j
first, on the campaign homepage, Roi
com, alongside the name and city of
tors.
Due to the unexpected success, I
porters organized another similar eve
on Dec. 16, tiie anniversary of the I
Party in 1773. On this day, the cam
not only their own previous recon
produced the world record single-:
fundraising result, beating John Ki
million in 2004 with a surprising hai
$6 million.
Making it fit
The question remains, and may
ed soon, if Internet-based support c
translate into electoral support in i
votes. The same Ron Paul campaij
pulled in record fundraising online
win a single state in the primaries, all
eight states have been decided so f
exception of Super Tuesday.
“The two entrenched parties (Det
Republicans) are way too adapted
their message fit whatever media,”!
“You will find that those that practici
spin doctoring and stagecraft; they ca
media fit their message.
“At tiie same time, it does all
with dissenting opinions like Ron P;
Hopefully, eventually, this media (ft
will no longer be the tail, but the d
the tail.”
If a “no-name” candidate, as I
the mainstream media pundits, can
Internet and build enough support, the
will have truly shifted in how the i
about political power and those who!
Mitt Romney: fiscally responsible savior or money-hoarding scroog
Education:
Harvard Business School, M.B.A,
1975-
Harvard Law School, JD. 3
Brigham Young University, BA.,
1971
Cranbrook School
Public service:
Governor of Massachusetts, 2003
to 2007
Chairman, Republ ican Governors
Association
Private experience:
Bain Capita 1, founded by Romney
n'19M
Salt Lake Organizing Committee
2002 Winter Olympics
Bain & Co. vice president, 1978
to 1984
Editor's note: This will be
part of a continuing series
featuring all current, viable
presidential canidates.
The
Clackamas Print
The Clackamas Print
19600 S. Molalla Ave.
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503-657-6958, ext. 2309
Book(s):
‘Turnaround: Crisis. Leadership,
and the Olympic Games”
Pros:
Of all the presidential candi
Editor in Chief: Megan Koler
Copy Editor: Colleen Watkins
News Editor: Lydia E. Bashaw
A&C Edjtor: Emily Walters
Sports Editor: Andrea Simpson
Feature Editor: Kyle Steele
Photo Editor: Kayla berge
Photo s^psociate; Mistymarie Wilks-
Salguero
News Associate: Matt Garrison
dates, Romney best exempli
fies the term “self-made man.”
Academic recognition, success in
business and his popularity as a
Massachusetts governor are mere
ly three of the areas where he has
excelled.
Romney scored top grades and
graduated with top honors from
Brigham Young University, was a
Baker Scholar, graduated i n the top
5 percent of his Harvard business
class and graduated cum laude
from Harvard Law.
Within a few years of graduat
ing, he rose to prominence with
management consulting company
Bain & Co. While there, he gained
a reputation as a master of the busi
ness turnaround. He was involved
in the creation or revitalization of
hundreds of national companies
such as Staples. Domino’s Pizza
and the Sports Authority.
Of all the candidates, Romney
is tiie only one who can be said to
have made real, measurable and
definable changes in America. He
A d M anager : Meredith James
S taff W riters / P hotographers :
Dale Balbi, Armondo Borboa,
Kenton Benfield, Helen Conley,
John Hurlburt, Nick Komafel,
Genyva Laubach, Riley
Lundgren, Christina Maggio,
John Shufelt
is responsible for the creation of
millions of dollars of wealth and
the long-term creation of jobs and
businesses.
In addition to his time as the
Massachusetts governor, he is
well-known for his turnaround of
tiie 2002 Winter Olympics. Nearly
bankrupted and scandalized by a
corrupt steering committee, the
Winter Games were saved by his
efforts.
Romney’s other endeavors
include many charitable organiza
tions. He has served as a bish
op and a stake president for his
church, and has been involved in
other civic organizations such as
tiie Boy Scouts of America.
Cons:
Unfairly or not, Romney’s
Mormon faith is seen as a major
handicap to a wide swath of his
potential conservative electorate.
His personal fortune is also
quickly becoming a point of con
tention from his political rivals,
P roduction A ssistants :
Dusty Ragsdale, Chris Young
D epartment A dviser .-
Melissa Jones
D epartment S ecretary :
Pat Thompson
with accusations that he is a
ing to buy his way into th
Horse. Also, it is very pq
times of economic dowri
the poor and struggling to
their troubles on the rich.
Romney has no exp
in foreign policy arid hat
served in the military, twor
that might hurt him on the i
stage.
Analysis:
Mitt Romney is a
achiever. He has enjoyed
in almost every endeavor
put his mind to and has pet
helped to create thousands:
Due to his innate ability,
glow and overcome no nn
situation, Romney would
shore up the national a
and create prosperity. With
strengths and few weaknes
would make a first-rate pre
Grade: A-
G oals : The Clackamas Prin
to report the news in an ho»
unbiased, professional mam
The opinions expressed do,
necessarily reflect those of 11
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its faculty or The Print. E-m
comments to chiefed@dack
edu.