What it Takes to Win the Presidency in 2008

Where We're At

I've been spending a lot of time recently reviewing the emerging field for 2008, following numerous news sources, RSS feeds and the like in regard to the major issues of our day (which as you know are many and pressing), and networking with as many of "those in the know" as possible. Here is some of what I have found:

Lessons From The 2006 Election

Clearly the electorate as demonstrated wants problems facing our nation solved. They wanted some checks on this current Administration, but if this country is not "brought together" from a fractured condition in regard to how many (or at least a sizable number) view it, both major parties, many feel, will be held accountable next time....in rapidly approaching 2008

Politics 2.0
My background ( before running for Governor of Maine in 2006, www.hammer2006.politicalgateway.com ) is in business, specifically digital media. I possess considerable expertise (and have had some success) in the content, collaborative, community and citizen media fields so integral to Web 2.0. You know about Web 2.0. We're all becoming more connected, able to seek out (or increasingly, being brought to us) the information and contacts that we want rather than being passive recipients of mass media, ads and commercial media etc. The world, including the world of information, is now more participatory and personalized. We're individuals, and being recognized as such. Our contributions are fueling blogs, video, podcasts, community sites, wikis - politics is of course also in transition from these tidal forces. Now as a politician I have to continually communicate WITH you, not just bombard my message AT you as was a bit easier to get away with in the past (I say "thankfully", this day is long overdue).

2008 Presidential Politics

Check out the candidates' websites and you will see these new media capabilities being leveraged not only for communications (and candidate videos - those on their websites and shared with YouTube and others - blogs and MySpace profiles are only the beginning) but also for fundraising, volunteer management, microtargeting (including message segmentation) and other areas. As a 2008 Presidential candidate, if I am sophisticated I can "deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time, and in the right format". That's how I describe it anyway.

And that is pretty powerful, when you think through some of the implications in regard to what is now possible (and hence increasingly expected).


You and I
How do you profit from these possibilities, and who will some of the winners be?
That is where we all as voters and citizens of this nation are in this - figuring this out - together. And here at Politics 2.0 we enjoy being involved in this role. If you wish to be considered for our growing list of leading blog contributors, if you have a notable political blog of your own that we may be able to include in our blogroll, or if you just have comments, feedback or information in regard to where poltics is headed and the role of web technologies and processes in that capacity then I would love to hear from you. You can email me at hscpub@aol.com.

But Wait!
I know, I didn't say who the 2008 Presidential winner will be. Ok, well here is who it could be. Here's a hint of who, in the most symbolic but meaningful sense it could be and should be. The 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year was........YOU.

Alex Hammer

Sphere: Related Content