The Iranian election fiasco reminds us that all democracies have operational problems in managing fault-free elections. Not to equate our problems with what appears to be massive and systematic fraud on the part of the Iranian government, but we all remember Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004 and Minnesota in 2008. Here in the US, voter fraud and voter suppression constitute major ethical (and legal) problems for political managers who will cross the line in an all-out effort to win at the polls.
The result of their actions systematically undercuts the essential legitimacy of our political institutions. Republicans firmly believe there is rampant voter fraud, as John Fund argues in Stealing Elections. Democrats charge that the "ballot integrity" efforts are nothing short of organized efforts to suppress turnout among loyal Democratic constituencies.
Posted by: Bryce Cullinane in obama, Grassroots on
Jun 24, 2009
When he announced the formation of Organizing For America, President Obama commented that his viewers, the American people, "built the largest grassroots movement in history." In Iowa he proclaimed "you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do." In Grant Park on November 4th: "I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to--it belongs to you." He made it very clear that his campaign was not his, but the American people's. He created an image of an operation in which he was the mouthpiece of millions.
But this image of a "people led" movement was just that, an image. The truth about the Obama campaign, as far as I can see, it was the most effective "top-down" organization that presidential politics has ever seen. The message was tightly controlled, events were well staged and most moves were part of a grand and well executed strategy. Town halls were not used to hear people as much as to get them to vote and volunteer. Large rallies were not debates about issues, they were about supporting a candidate.
If the fax brought down the Soviet Union, could Twitter and citizen journalism be the undoing of the Iranian regime? 50.23% of the nation's population is under the age of 25. This is significant. Armed with cell phones and other concealable recording devices, Iranian youth have single-handedly brought the revolution to millions of Americans whether they like it or not. Last night, I sat in disbelief with a friend as CNN replayed the horrific user-submitted video of "Neda," the young Iranian woman brutally slain Saturday while attending a protest. Out of the silence my friend commented, "This is like Vietnam all over again."
In Farsi, "Neda" means "the call" or "the voice." For Iranians, Neda has become a rallying cry for demonstrators, but what do you do with this information when you are over 7,000 miles away and, unlike Vietnam, the events transpiring in Iran have little to no connection to you?
The most inspiring thing about Washington, D.C. is the passion that people bring to their cause. Every day you meet men and women who work endlessly toward lofty and diverse goals. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, the work ethic and creativity is always awe inspiring. This past week I discovered two organizations that reminded me of this.
One of our professors, Nancy Bocskor, is a founding member of The Online Activism Institute. Its mission is to empower "community leaders who champion liberal values to achieve democratic change in their societies." What is amazing about this mission is that these "community leaders" are women in the Middle East and North Africa. The Institute is charting the course for a more democratic world in which women hold equal control of power. It is a daunting task.
Over the last few days, people at the Campaigns and Elections "The Art of Political Campaigning" conference here in Washington, DC have commented that the profession of politics is not being hit by the recession like other industries are. When I posted this on Twitter, many disagreed. One tweet commented that the profession has been hit hard by the recession. To find an answer to this debate, I interviewed a number of people at the conference and asked them what they thought. In the end, it seems that the recession has had differing affects on the political profession, dependent upon what sector you are in.
Republican Fundraiser of more than 20 years, Nancy Bocskor.
A few weekends ago, a group of GSPM students helped to recruit some new students to the program. In return for their help, Professor Chuck Cushman, the Director of The Political Management Program, invited them to dinner at his house. Over pasta a few of them talked about why they like the program, here is what they said.
Beth Breeding, a first year student, had this to say:
Posted by: Bryce Cullinane in Untagged on
Jun 8, 2009
I was in San Diego over the weekend, and in a small Mexican resturant not far from the beach, my friends and I came up with the Twitter Challenge.
We all know that Twitter is a great way to advertise, to update friends on what you are doing, to find events, and to make friends. But it is also a great way to find information and the people that have information. This led us to ask, "What if someone set out to write a college research paper, using nothing but Twitter as a research guide?" Are there enough people on Twitter? And is there enough information on Twitter, to fuel a research paper?
Posted by: Bryce Cullinane in Untagged on
Jun 3, 2009
This summer in Washington, DC, there is nothing more coveted than an Executive Branch internship.
One GSPM student, Thomas Sanford, was talented enough to get one, specifically, in The Office of Space Commercialization. I asked Tommy to tell us a little bit about his internship:
