Translation: Progressives are better at the Web because the Web is all about
hangin' loose, letting your freak flag fly and stickin' it to the Man, and
that's what freedom-loving liberals are all about. "Web 2.0," we are told,
is ushering in a "new politics" of participatory democracy and a new
Progressive age.
Feh. "Web 2.0" is a nothing but a buzz phrase designed to make money for
people who use phrases like "Web 2.0." There's no disputing that liberals
have taken the lead on the Web in recent years. Sites such as Daily Kos and
Moveon.org have become formidable clearinghouses for activism and
fundraising. As a result, every Democratic presidential candidate kowtows to
the netroots crowd. It's also true that the Republican National Committee
and conservative activists are playing catch-up.
But enough with the metaphysical mumbo jumbo about how the Web and
liberalism were made for each other. The real story is much simpler:
Liberalism is having a nice moment - largely because the Republican
president and the Iraq war are very unpopular.
The energy is on liberalism's side - and that translates into success in the
digital world. Conservative media and FreeRepublic-style activists prospered
in the Clinton 1990s because that's when they were on offense. And it's
always more exciting - and easier - to be on offense. In the Bush years,
it's the other way around.
In 2000, John McCain was hailed as a genius for raising a lot of money on
the Web. Four years later, Howard Dean was a revolutionary for the same
reason (before spectacularly losing the Democratic nomination). Today,
Barack Obama is dazzling the pundits by raising huge amounts on the Web.
What do these campaigns have in common? Brilliant Web gurus and shiny Web
2.0 warp drives? No. The secret ingredient is exciting, popular candidates.
Ask yourself: if Sen. Christopher Dodd appropriated Obama's or Hillary
Clinton's Web operation, would we now be talking of the Dodd juggernaut?
Lastly, the netrooters claim that the Web is hostile to established power.
They also claim that we're on the cusp of some grand progressive era in
which the differences between the U.S. and Canada will be some spellings and
the use of "eh." Well, if that turns out to be true (I doubt it), you can be
sure that soon enough we'll be talking about the right's dominance of the
Web. Again.