

The Internet as a Force in Politics: “Obama Would Not Have Won Without the Internet” - qhoxie
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/07/the-internet-as-a-force-in-politics-obama-would-not-have-won-without-the-internet/

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jfornear
I disagree that you can give this much credit to the Internet. You can't deny
how important the bad economy and low incumbent approval ratings are.
Historically, with these two variables alone, change is a shoo-in.

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unalone
How do you explain Obama's beating Hillary? She had a powerful team that used
the TV expertly. Her weakness lay in her not using the Internet effectively.

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jfornear
Under this logic, Ron Paul had much more support from the internet during the
primaries than his opponents, and look where that got him.

Hillary had a tough time because of how many people didn't like her when it
came down to it.
[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/11/geff...](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/11/geffen-
on-obama.html)

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unalone
Obama also is a much better speaker than Paul, and he had a reputation behind
him: after 2004, he was a rock star of a celebrity. So he had some advantages.
Paul, meanwhile, was virtually unheard of until after the primaries were
underway. Obama had already begun consolidating his base and planning.

Plus, Obama _used_ the Internet. With Ron Paul, fans would plan things for
him. Obama actively created a platform (my.BO) that let volunteers operate
efficiently.

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centuren
1) Obama's campaign used the Internet as a resource skillfully. 2) Obama
winning is a historic event (demographically). 3) ... techcrunch deadline ...
4) "Obama would not have won without the internet"

No point in discussing validity.

