February 14, 2004
Mayoral And Council Candidates: Link To Your Opponents
A short and random item on a late-night and rainy Saturday, prompted by something we read elsewhere this evening, which brought back memories of when we used to spend some time pondering the use of the Web by political candidates.
Here's the challenge we're issuing to the current field of candidates running for Mayor and City Council: Link to your opponents.
We're not necessarily speaking of simple links to their websites (although that would be a good place to start). Rather, we're speaking of links which advance the cause of campaign conversation as a service to the voters.
For example: Don't merely post your own platforms, plans, and position statements. Link to those of your opponents -- either simply to offer voters an easy way to find them and compare (you do trust the voters, don't you?) or in a more complex manner by analysizing the plans of your opponents within the context of responding to them on your own site.
As it stands now, you're all entirely at the mercy of two forces: Speaking before small civic groups, and waiting for media coverage.
Why not take an extra step and open up the conversation on your own? And in a form that will remain open and available to the voting public throughout the campaign. In a form that suggests you might, just might, have enough respect for the voters and the electoral process to dare to let them find the views of your opponents in addition to your own?
After all, if your own positions cannot withstand a clear and present comparison to those of those against whom you're running, then perhaps they aren't as convincing as you think.
Comments (4)
Randy Leonard on 14 Feb 2004
B!X-
I would like to have a forum such as you propose. Tell me how I do that technologically and I will be the first to sign up.
Randy Leonard
The One True b!X on 15 Feb 2004
Well, the simplest way to enact what I'm proposing is to find a webmaster for your campaign who can install and maintain, for example, the Movable Type weblog software I run here.
(Actually, for what it's worth, the Phil Busse and Nick Fish campaigns use MT, although Busse's not doing this sort of thing, and Fish is just using MT as a regular content-management system. But anyway.)
In such an environment, it would merely be a matter of you or someone on your campaign staff posting items, for example, talking about the platforms, plans, or position statements of other candidates -- for that matter, in your race or any of the others (I mean, why not?) -- and including links to those relevant opponents' sites/positions, and (likely anyway) commentary upon them.
Functionally, much the same way I link to any manner of thigns here and comment upon them.
To be a little more functionally specific, there could be a category called, say, "Issues - Neighborhoods" within which you or a staffer might pick up on neighborhood-related positions or platform planks of, say, Jim Whittenburg along with relevant commentary based upon your own positions.
Additionally, as is the case here, comments would be active, allowing readers -- or even opponents -- to weigh in on the conversation as well.
But at any rate, it all hinges, mainly, on a webmaster who can install something like MT on your campaign website and set up whatever post categories might be appropriate.
Randy Leonard on 15 Feb 2004
I will look into it this next week...
xian on 15 Feb 2004
Great to see you pushing the boundaries here, b!X. i'm in oakland (near SF), so i'll probably continue focusing my own poltiical involvement locally, but if there's anything I can do to help implement what you're talking about in this post, i'd be happy to be of service.