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| An e-mail from Barack Obama, himself, the day after he was elected 44th president of the United States of America. Well, that's what I'm supposed to think, but I truly appreciate the sincerity. Notice the 'please donate' link? |
Did Barack Obama just e-mail me? I asked myself that a few times my last semester at Florida State University. I would often wake up to check my e-mail to see a message from who was very likely the next president of the United States sitting in my inbox. This was my second election; my first was when I voted for John Kerry in 2004.
I was 18-years old in 2004 and vividly remember posting a John Kerry poster in my dorm window at Florida Atlantic University which overlooked one of the most frequented paths on campus. If anyone was walking to class or to the food court or to the library, they were definitely going to see my John Kerry poster. I was asked to take my poster down by the dorm monitor. I guess we weren't allowed to have anything in the windows. Although perplexed, I obliged. I mean, this is hurricane riddled Florida we are talking about here, and we were in the middle of hurricane season, and a weightless John Kerry poster was going to do nothing but attract 80 mph winds. This was a safety hazard; and one that I didn't want over my head at night, literally.
Other than voting for John Kerry and the story about the poster, I don't really remember anything from the 2004 campaign/election; I don't even really remember why I voted for John Kerry. Wait, who am I kidding? Of course I remember and know why I voted for John Kerry! I voted for John Kerry because I was ultimately voting against George Bush; or so I thought. Bush was the victor, yet again.
Fast-forward four years later to the 2008 campaign/election -- to what became my first campaign/election; my last didn't even compare. I was getting e-mails from everyone. Barack Obama. Michelle Obama. Joe Biden. The Democratic student organization at FSU. Even phone calls from a local organizations asking when I had free time to volunteer. This was new to me. Like I said, I don't remember much about the 2004 campaign/election, but I also don't remember any e-mails from the candidates, and their wife, and their running-mate, and student organizations sitting in my inbox at Florida Atlantic, and I certainly don't remember being asked to volunteer. My inbox at Florida State was flooded, and this had nothing to do with transferring schools; nor did it have anything to do with hurricanes.
This was the very first time a presidential candidate had ever reached out to me, little 'ole me, by sending me an e-mail; although it was a generic e-mail, and one that I couldn't really reply to, it singled me out and it made me feel heard, alive, and valued as a voter. This was rare with presidential candidates, and certainly a first.
The first theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto suggests that markets are conversations; likewise, campaigns are conversations -- very important ones at that. Conversing with voters was taken to an entirely new level with Barack Obama's campaign. Ultimately, his methods to reach out to voters through the internet and mobile devices was something that had never been done before and something Barack Obama and his 2008 campaign mastered, and what left him victorious. As Gina Cooper explained in Infonomics, "Barack Obama's campaign [was] about rewriting the social contract between citizens and government."
In Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody, he offered three "rules" that were critical to any online endeavor: plausible promise, effective tool, and acceptable bargain. Shirky suggested that it would be difficult to have any online endeavor with only two of the three rules; so in order for you to find success all three must be present, active, and fused together within the framework of the endeavor. Much could be said for a political campaign.
Rewriting the social contract between citizens and government, as Cooper pinned in Infonomics, meant talking to citizens to ask them exactly what they wanted in this new social contract for the very first time. Citizens plucked long desires out of their pockets to sling them at the candidates: healthcare reform, education reform, Social Security reform, and so on and so forth. These were areas that citizens had long wanted reformed, but areas that seemed untouched by the existing administration.
Rewriting this social contract and making tremendous effort to reach as many people as possible in order to hear their wants and needs from their government was, in my opinion, Barack Obama's grand promise in the 2008 campaign. Never before had so many people been engaged with a campaign and felt that their voice could be truly heard and their vote actually count. This was mainly because in every campaign before, people felt like their government never really spoke with them or to them. Conversation was missing in a major way, it was pratically nonexistent; therefore, many people felt that their government didn't care about their needs and wants. This sentiment was a major hurdle in the 2008 campaign, and one that Barack Obama made his priority. Igniting conversation and dispelling any idea that the United States government didn't care about its tax-payers and didn't want to hear them out was a major point to be addressed in this new and improved contract; the first step towards fulfilling the promise of rewriting the social contract between citizens and government.
Engaging in conversation was a necessary tactic, and essential, in fulfilling the promise, but this came at a cost. A lofty cost. Barack Obama's purpose in running for president wasn't to lose, it was to win. In order to win, Barack Obama needed to mobilize citizens across the nation to volunteer in numbers unseen before. This was the bargain; in order for Barack Obama to effectively rewrite the social contract between citizens and the government, that so desperately needs to be rewritten, he needed voters to act, work, and vote on his behalf. This bargain meant that Obama supporters were going to go to work for him, so he could ultimately go to work for them.
Two years deep into his presidency, and two years away from the next election, as a Barack Obama supporter, I do feel that he has lost sight of his initial promise to engage with citizens. However, the grand promise was to rewrite this 'social contract' and create 'change,' and I do think he has delivered on that front. With the help of Hilary Clinton -- let's admit it, she's the one who started this healthcare reform movement in the 90's -- and the Democratic party, he was able to push new legislation through congress to reform America's current and failing healthcare system. This was a major accomplishment for his administration, and one that he technically shouldn't get all of the credit for, but nevertheless, one that was championed by him.
Initially, Barack Obama seemed energized and inspired about the prospect of becoming the 44th president. Having a conversation with us, with me, seemed so important to him. He got everyone's attention, left and right, with the help of his astronomical campaign contributions and even enlisted his "friends" to get people excited about politics again. Bono. Oprah. Beyonce. Jay-Z. These are all people who are known by one name around the world! He wanted people to get out and vote, and feel like they were really affecting the outcome of the election. Like we had really helped him win; and we did. Now, I respectfully understand that being the president is a tiresome job, and that the president is a busy man -- he was before he became president and he is probably crying for sleep now -- but I know that it wasn't really him who wrote me that e-mail the day after the he won the election in 2008. The same man who was dropping his name into my inbox at least once a week doesn't seem to be talking to me now. The job isn't over. The conversation should have never stopped.
Barack Obama created a movement and even has a cult-like following, much like Lady Gaga, but the fizzled conversation is what concerns me about his agenda and administration regardless of his prior movement. I feel like the movement is at a standstill. The faded conversation with citizens is what I think will prevent him from being re-elected, but I will recognize that he has recently heightened his level of conversation, but almost solely because of the upcoming election. That doesn't seem as sincere as his e-mail.
As we all witnessed, conversation is important, especially in today's world with the internet being the most powerful and effective tool. We all know Barack Obama mastered the internet, and even has nearly six million followers on Twitter, he also over 15 million "likes" on Facebook; but how will Barack Obama reignite the once fluid and effective conversation that he so masterfully conducted? How will he change his plan of attack now that everyone knows he won the presidency solely because of the internet. Just wait for it! Here Comes Everybody, as in future candidates, who have studied the 2008 blueprint are going to follow suit! Will they be as effective is the question? Only time will tell...
I leave you with this last e-mail. Hey, at least he said "thank you!" ... He even spelled my name correctly! Now that is rare!
I was 18-years old in 2004 and vividly remember posting a John Kerry poster in my dorm window at Florida Atlantic University which overlooked one of the most frequented paths on campus. If anyone was walking to class or to the food court or to the library, they were definitely going to see my John Kerry poster. I was asked to take my poster down by the dorm monitor. I guess we weren't allowed to have anything in the windows. Although perplexed, I obliged. I mean, this is hurricane riddled Florida we are talking about here, and we were in the middle of hurricane season, and a weightless John Kerry poster was going to do nothing but attract 80 mph winds. This was a safety hazard; and one that I didn't want over my head at night, literally.
Other than voting for John Kerry and the story about the poster, I don't really remember anything from the 2004 campaign/election; I don't even really remember why I voted for John Kerry. Wait, who am I kidding? Of course I remember and know why I voted for John Kerry! I voted for John Kerry because I was ultimately voting against George Bush; or so I thought. Bush was the victor, yet again.
Fast-forward four years later to the 2008 campaign/election -- to what became my first campaign/election; my last didn't even compare. I was getting e-mails from everyone. Barack Obama. Michelle Obama. Joe Biden. The Democratic student organization at FSU. Even phone calls from a local organizations asking when I had free time to volunteer. This was new to me. Like I said, I don't remember much about the 2004 campaign/election, but I also don't remember any e-mails from the candidates, and their wife, and their running-mate, and student organizations sitting in my inbox at Florida Atlantic, and I certainly don't remember being asked to volunteer. My inbox at Florida State was flooded, and this had nothing to do with transferring schools; nor did it have anything to do with hurricanes.
This was the very first time a presidential candidate had ever reached out to me, little 'ole me, by sending me an e-mail; although it was a generic e-mail, and one that I couldn't really reply to, it singled me out and it made me feel heard, alive, and valued as a voter. This was rare with presidential candidates, and certainly a first.
The first theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto suggests that markets are conversations; likewise, campaigns are conversations -- very important ones at that. Conversing with voters was taken to an entirely new level with Barack Obama's campaign. Ultimately, his methods to reach out to voters through the internet and mobile devices was something that had never been done before and something Barack Obama and his 2008 campaign mastered, and what left him victorious. As Gina Cooper explained in Infonomics, "Barack Obama's campaign [was] about rewriting the social contract between citizens and government."
In Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody, he offered three "rules" that were critical to any online endeavor: plausible promise, effective tool, and acceptable bargain. Shirky suggested that it would be difficult to have any online endeavor with only two of the three rules; so in order for you to find success all three must be present, active, and fused together within the framework of the endeavor. Much could be said for a political campaign.
Rewriting the social contract between citizens and government, as Cooper pinned in Infonomics, meant talking to citizens to ask them exactly what they wanted in this new social contract for the very first time. Citizens plucked long desires out of their pockets to sling them at the candidates: healthcare reform, education reform, Social Security reform, and so on and so forth. These were areas that citizens had long wanted reformed, but areas that seemed untouched by the existing administration.
Rewriting this social contract and making tremendous effort to reach as many people as possible in order to hear their wants and needs from their government was, in my opinion, Barack Obama's grand promise in the 2008 campaign. Never before had so many people been engaged with a campaign and felt that their voice could be truly heard and their vote actually count. This was mainly because in every campaign before, people felt like their government never really spoke with them or to them. Conversation was missing in a major way, it was pratically nonexistent; therefore, many people felt that their government didn't care about their needs and wants. This sentiment was a major hurdle in the 2008 campaign, and one that Barack Obama made his priority. Igniting conversation and dispelling any idea that the United States government didn't care about its tax-payers and didn't want to hear them out was a major point to be addressed in this new and improved contract; the first step towards fulfilling the promise of rewriting the social contract between citizens and government.
Engaging in conversation was a necessary tactic, and essential, in fulfilling the promise, but this came at a cost. A lofty cost. Barack Obama's purpose in running for president wasn't to lose, it was to win. In order to win, Barack Obama needed to mobilize citizens across the nation to volunteer in numbers unseen before. This was the bargain; in order for Barack Obama to effectively rewrite the social contract between citizens and the government, that so desperately needs to be rewritten, he needed voters to act, work, and vote on his behalf. This bargain meant that Obama supporters were going to go to work for him, so he could ultimately go to work for them.
"To say that Obama won because of the Internet would be an oversimplification; it’s more accurate to say that he couldn’t have won without it." – Garrett GraffThere is no denying that the Internet was the all-important and all-encompassing tool in Barack Obama's campaign, and one that was used incredibly effective. Graff notes that the internet is the only reason Barack Obama won the 2008 election. To say that he would have lost if the internet didn't play a role is a powerful and true statement. The levels at which he engaged with voters on the internet was unprecedented. Never before had a presidential candidate engaged with voters at this capacity, period; and it was the internet that allowed him to do so.
Two years deep into his presidency, and two years away from the next election, as a Barack Obama supporter, I do feel that he has lost sight of his initial promise to engage with citizens. However, the grand promise was to rewrite this 'social contract' and create 'change,' and I do think he has delivered on that front. With the help of Hilary Clinton -- let's admit it, she's the one who started this healthcare reform movement in the 90's -- and the Democratic party, he was able to push new legislation through congress to reform America's current and failing healthcare system. This was a major accomplishment for his administration, and one that he technically shouldn't get all of the credit for, but nevertheless, one that was championed by him.
Initially, Barack Obama seemed energized and inspired about the prospect of becoming the 44th president. Having a conversation with us, with me, seemed so important to him. He got everyone's attention, left and right, with the help of his astronomical campaign contributions and even enlisted his "friends" to get people excited about politics again. Bono. Oprah. Beyonce. Jay-Z. These are all people who are known by one name around the world! He wanted people to get out and vote, and feel like they were really affecting the outcome of the election. Like we had really helped him win; and we did. Now, I respectfully understand that being the president is a tiresome job, and that the president is a busy man -- he was before he became president and he is probably crying for sleep now -- but I know that it wasn't really him who wrote me that e-mail the day after the he won the election in 2008. The same man who was dropping his name into my inbox at least once a week doesn't seem to be talking to me now. The job isn't over. The conversation should have never stopped.
Barack Obama created a movement and even has a cult-like following, much like Lady Gaga, but the fizzled conversation is what concerns me about his agenda and administration regardless of his prior movement. I feel like the movement is at a standstill. The faded conversation with citizens is what I think will prevent him from being re-elected, but I will recognize that he has recently heightened his level of conversation, but almost solely because of the upcoming election. That doesn't seem as sincere as his e-mail.
As we all witnessed, conversation is important, especially in today's world with the internet being the most powerful and effective tool. We all know Barack Obama mastered the internet, and even has nearly six million followers on Twitter, he also over 15 million "likes" on Facebook; but how will Barack Obama reignite the once fluid and effective conversation that he so masterfully conducted? How will he change his plan of attack now that everyone knows he won the presidency solely because of the internet. Just wait for it! Here Comes Everybody, as in future candidates, who have studied the 2008 blueprint are going to follow suit! Will they be as effective is the question? Only time will tell...
I leave you with this last e-mail. Hey, at least he said "thank you!" ... He even spelled my name correctly! Now that is rare!
Erika, I thought this was an interesting comment: "I feel like the movement is at a standstill." This is, I believe, a challenge of how governing is much less sexy or participatory than talking about governing. What would it take from the White House to reinvigorate the movement? Or do you think it's even possible?
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