Wednesday, September 16, 2009

If a Tree Falls In the Woods.....

Six Months ago, I had a little rant about the Utah Democratic Party. It was a response to an anonymous comment to another post.

Well, here's another couple of things on use of new media. The first is a video on new media included in a must-read post from JM Bell.



The second is from Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Cherilyn Eagar. While she is near the bottom of my list of candidates to support, she has a point. Ignore the messenger, and pretend that this was coming from 455 S 300 E:

We're running a fast-paced campaign to contact and to get out to meet all the delegates around the state. We're raising money during a time when funding nationally is way down and the dog days of summer are still upon us, but we're doing it.

We are running an assertive media campaign, consistently sending out news releases on important issues such as the Wyden-Bennett health care bill and recently a statement to oppose our incumbent Senator's vote for cloture to appoint animal rights and gun control activist Cass Sunstein. Did you read about it in any of our major papers? Have you heard me on any major local talk radio recently?

Probably not. One major radio station announcer explained on air that the station had made a decision that it would only cover the top two contenders in this race. I emailed the producer and said, "Since I beat our incumbent Senator in a straw poll recently, does that put me in the top two?" :-) No response.

And you most likely will not get any response, at least not for a while. [...]

But there is an answer to a calculated absence of what we call "earned" media. It's called "new media." You will get the story here and online on Twitter and on blogs that you will not get in the mainstream media. We have no option but to surround them, as Glenn Beck says. So tell your friends to get connected to Facebook today. Learn how to use Twitter and to blog. Connect with the right people online that will get the message far and wide. This is a grassroots campaign and we will gather and unite the grassroots!


Yes, much of social media is preaching to the choir. However, the choir is not being preached to now. And, some members of the choir can be influenced by other preachers. Furthermore, many Utahns need the choir (their friends and neighbors) to further emphasize what is coming from the preacher (the State Party and elected officials). It's people's friends and neighbors who are (most likely)) going to convert them, not slick advertising. It works in religion the same as it works for politics.

Yet, what we have in this state is a weekly liberal radio show (Jeff Bell's Left of the Dial, Saturdays 4-5 PM, KSL 1160AM/102.7FM, on hiatus during football season) and a weekly Alternative newspaper (City Weekly) which can't get an interview with Utah's lone Democratic "Representative" or State Party Chair. Even a Republican running against RepINO Matheson will sit down with the CW.

If a Democrat speaks in Utah, will anyone hear it?

-Bob

7 comments:

arc said...

I am just fine with a Sam Granato, Cherilyn Eagar race.

Did you notice that the recent poll on Doug Wright KSL had Shurtleff against Bennett? If he hadn't just been to a picnic where Cherilyn Eagar was on Saturday, you might have thought he just forgot.

What about Granato, Cherilyn Eagar, James Williams, or even Scott Bradley if he is still around.

I understand Tim Bridgewater not being on it, until he bothers to file with the FEC.

Perhaps JM Bell could have a real poll with Granato vs Eagar. (OK, throw in Bennett and Shurtleff just for fun).

arc said...

OK, it was Friday the 11th that picnic where Doug Wright and Cherilyn Eagar was at. Yes, Bennett was there too.

Jesse Harris said...

I'm starved to know more about Sam Granato's position (since it seems we've reached the point of insanity where Senate races start a good 15 months out), but there's nothing to be found. For weeks, his official campaign domain has been parked at GoDaddy. For goodness' sake, go get a cheap-o $5/mo hosting plan, install their canned copy of WordPress, and at least put up a platform. Even Sam's Twitter feed is pretty darn sparse.

This is, unfortunately, a prime example of how the Democratic Party fails to embrace technology. If you don't have, minimally, a website, active Twitter account, and frequently updated FaceBook page, you might as well not be running.

Who will Bob blame for this anonymous comment? said...

Jesse, Bob, JM Bell,

What have you done to help Granato?

Have you sent him a check?

Have you contributed on ActBlue?

Have you volunteered your technological abilities?

It is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but whining without action is just bitching.

Jesse Harris said...

I haven't sent Granato a check, contributed, or volunteered. Because I don't know if I support him. Because there's no website with his positions. What the hell? If you really expect independent voters (or any voters, really) to blindly throw their support behind a candidate they know nothing about based solely upon party affiliation, maybe Democratic candidates deserve to lose a few more.

Bob said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob said...

I deleted my own comment to add something.

I agree with Jesse, except with one other qualification: Have we been asked for our help? Maybe an email/facebook post/tweet asking for help with technological things.

Heck, since the domain is parked at GoDaddy, forwarding the domain to a blogspot address (as bobaagard.com is) is really simple and free.

But, "anonymous," this goes beyond the Granato campaign and is not a personal attack on you.