The 2008 race for the White House that comes to an end on Tuesday fundamentally upended the way presidential campaigns are fought in this country, a legacy that has almost been lost with all the attention being paid to the battle between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
This story recounts the ways that campaigns have changed, particularly for President. The heavy emphasis is on the extensive use of the intenet for "communication", advertising and fund raising. The article is fair and has a variety of sources. It strikes me, however, as overly enthusiastic. As is noted near the end of the article, at the center of many of the changes was a candidate who excited people. Absent such a phenomenon, the changes may not stick -- or at least not work as well.
Not mentioned in the article is what I think is the strongest driver for renewed and more widespread interest in politics -- the tremendous mess our country is currently in, a mess that has been building for 6 if not 8 years. If the national leaders we elect this cycle are successful in starting to turn many of the negative situations that affect daily life around, I suspect that apathy regarding politics will again increase.