The Media has been mainly clueless about the Internet. But they are starting to catch on. Even if they think people who post to the Dean Bulletin board are "Bloggers."
After Dean's Vociferous Performance, Bloggers Offer an Earful
By Brian Faler
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, January 26, 2004; Page C09
It's been a tough week for Howard Dean. But he certainly hasn't lacked for advice.
"Ask yourself 'If I was selecting a candidate, how would I want that person to speak to me?' " Noelle wrote on the candidate's Web site, not long after Dean's widely criticized speech following his third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. "The answer is probably not 'like [pro wrestling promoter] Vince McMahon.' Be a breath of fresh air, not the blast of a flamethrower."
"You have a splendid voice for public speaking and are a highly effective speaker but -- like many experienced political figures -- you don't know how to use your voice effectively in all situations," wrote Robert Mann. "I am certain this a straightforward technical problem that could be corrected by a few sessions with a professional voice coach."
"THE GOVERNOR MUST GET 6-8 hours of rest every night," wrote Scott Metz. "When he is exhausted he does not do well."
They had gathered on the former Vermont governor's blog, a section of his Web site where most anyone can post and read most anything. These bloggers, some of Dean's most ardent supporters, congregate here -- some daily -- to discuss the day's events, mock his rivals and gush over their candidate.
Along the way, some have offered advice as well, such as one who recommended a wardrobe change for Dean and his campaign manager earlier this month. "No more brown suits. Stark white starched shirts against navy or black based suits!" wrote Thalia. "But definitely fun ties to show we've got personality!"
But Dean's surprisingly weak showing in Iowa, along with the media storm that followed his speech, seemed to bring out the Karl Rove in many of his online supporters, who flooded the campaign with sometimes pointed advice on his next move.
"This campaign, while innovative and effective on many fronts, absolutely SUCKS on media," wrote "irmaly from NC." "I hope by the time someone reads this, if they do, the current Media team will have been fired."
"Please get a smiling, happy, self depricating [sic] Governor Dean all over the airwaves as soon as possible," NH Citizen wrote -- one day before the campaign did just that.
Supporters and non-supporters alike have long advised presidential candidates through focus groups, polling, meetings on the campaign trail, e-mail and letters to the campaign. But their ideas have never been quite so public as in this case, accessible to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection.
Mathew Gross, Dean's director of Internet communications, says the campaign keeps an eye on the steady stream of comments that come in daily.
"Virtually everyone on the campaign reads the blog," he says. " . . . I keep the comments open and hit refresh every couple minutes."
Gross could not name any suggestions from the past week that have been used. But over the course of the campaign, several gems have been incorporated into Dean's playbook. He credits the bloggers with the idea of having supporters write letters to undecided voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. The campaign recently solicited scripts for a possible television commercial from the bloggers and used a proposed slogan -- "The Tea Is in the Harbor" -- on its Web site. Spokeswoman Tricia Enright says campaign officials took the idea of referring to President Bush's tax cuts as the "Bush tax" -- a way of framing the tax debate to include increased state and local taxes -- from their online political advisers.
But even if the campaign doesn't use specific suggestions, the comments still can affect campaign decisions, Enright says. "I think part of it is almost unconscious," she said. "When you're reading a string of comments about something we said or something we did, I think you internalize that as almost a focus group. It may not be that you walk over and go: 'Blogger X said this; let's insert this line.' But I think sometimes it helps in your talking and your framing of things."
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