Is 'Netroots' rather than grassroots campaigning in the political future?

The 2008 Presidential Election was full of firsts in the nation’s history, and the election may have even invented a new Internet term. A CNN article discussing possible approaches which may prove useful to President Obama with regard to persuading Congress to ratify the federal budget. The Republicans are threatening the budget with a filibuster, but according to the article, the best tool for Obama to counter is the use of ’netroots.’ As a play on grassroots campaigning, the way ‘netroots’ would work is through the online communities, such as Facebook. Called ‘Facebook Politics,’ the article said that ’netroots’ would “raise money to campaign against opponents of Obama's budget proposals. They might also encourage volunteers to explain and promote Obama's policies to their neighbors.” In addition, “They could also provide a forum to counteract Republican attacks, and remind senators of the kind of voter turnout they might encounter in the midterm elections if they decide to stand in the way of Obama's program.” The article, however, is mainly speculative, and it asks the question of whether the concepts of ‘netroots’ and ‘Facebook politics’ are even legitimate ways to build support for a campaign. It seems positive and that social media is the way of the political future, but the last line of the article raises doubts. It reads, “On the other hand, when he calls on the netroots to support him against those pesky senators, he might learn that many of his virtual supporters have already clicked onto another page.”

Although it still is speculation, I think it’s likely that ‘Facebook Politics’ and ’netroots’ are the way of the future. Some say that Facebook was one of the ways in which Obama gained support from the young voters and that social media really helped his campaign. Although the article does point out that Obama used grassroots instead of ‘netroots’ campaigning to win support for the stimulus package in the red states, it also points out that he did this after he strongly surmised he had already won support from Congress. In any case, I can also surmise that ’netroots’ will become a commonplace method in the political future. I read another student’s blog post last week that Congressmen and women were using Twitter to update their constituents on the latest activity. Social media is becoming more and more prominent as time goes by, and it’s getting more difficult for people to continue with a traditional way of doing things. The prominence of social media, after all, has changed the way the PR industry works and is the reason why a social media in PR class is offered.