Joe Trippi Talks to Us About Joining the Edwards Campaign
| Thu Apr. 19, 2007 7:27 PM PDT
Joe Trippi, the manager of Howard Dean's 2004 presidential race, who revolutionized political campaigning by embracing the internet, joined the campaign of Senator John Edwards today. He will serve as a media advisor to a campaign that is already distinguishing itself as one of the most tech savvy in the field: the Edwards website features an interactive blog and 23 different social networking tools; Edwards sends text messages to supporters via the geek-chic site Twitter; and he maintains (an occasionally raucous) virtual campaign office in Second Life. Trippi told me the Dean campaign is already looking like ancient history. Since 2004, the number of blogs on the Internet has grown by a factor of 50 and the launch of Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube has popularized social networking and Web video. "By the end of 2008, I think people will look back at the Dean campaign and say, 'Wow, it was so primitive, it was so yesterday,'" Trippi said. "I still think any of these campaigns are capable of just blowing the doors off and transforming our politics, and that's really likely to happen in 2008."
The campaign landscape on the Web has become much more competitive since 2004, when Dean had the virtual space mostly to himself, but also more volatile in ways that dark horse candidates can harness for quick and dramatic gain, Trippi asserted. "I really believe this: I think we are in a situation where one of these candidates could say something in a debate, or in a major address, or in a response to something that President Bush says, and all of a sudden, on that day, a million Americans decide, 'I'm going to sign up for him.'" He added: "That never would have happened in 2004; (the Web) wasn't mature enough."
Trippi said he's working for Edwards because he likes his stances on poverty, his work on global warming issues, and his position on the war, though, he noted, "it would be maybe a tough call between Obama and him on that issue, but they are both closer to where I am." He's also impressed by Edwards' effort to build a community of voters that would offer policy feedback and support well after Edwards is elected—something Dean was also interested in, he said, but never got to implement.
Abidingly speaking from a commuter train this afternoon, where his cell phone dropped our call probably 20 times and his voice mail quickly filled up, Trippi also pointed out an interesting parallel between his early political life and that of Edwards' wife, Elizabeth. Years ago, Trippi was drawn to the Web through the first bulletin boards on sites such as Prodigy and Motley Fool, and as a lurker and occasional contributor to blogs. "The same with her," he said. "I read her book, and I didn't realize that basically, when her son Wade had died, she was on the Web, and on greeting boards, boards where people came together and talked about what they were going through and the loved one they had lost, kind of consoled and talked to each other, and she had been a part of that community on the web for a long time before Edwards had decided to run for president. And like me, she started hanging out on political boards later in her life, when he was running. And that's why she is doing what she is doing today. But you don't see it in any of the other campaigns"--which Trippi believes have been slow to reach out to the blogs--"It came to her naturally, because of what she's been through."
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Comments
Okay. I'm sorry for sounding angry but what the hell does the price of a haircut and the size of someone's house have to do with their ability to run this country? He grew up in absolute poverty, probably a hell of a lot poorer than any of us could imagine. So only a poor underprivileged person can tackle poverty? Is that it? You have to dine daily on Ramen Noodles or Campbell's tomato soup (if they are on sale) to speak out against the shrinking middle class or worse thousands of children who go to bed starving...and even more who have no access to the healthcare they need to sustain a healthy childhood.
John Edwards may be wealthy, and so he bought a big damn house?but to say because of that he isn't genuine about helping the poor is absurd. John Edwards has also lived what he's preached. A Trial lawyer?yes he was, but he won case after case helping the little man fight the big bureaucratic insurance companies and corporate giants that preyed on the helpless. And his wife spent years dedicating her time and efforts to philanthropic causes. He's financed college education for the underprivileged, birthed an educational cause for poverty at his alma mater, and he's the first candidate on either side of the aisle to lay out any kind of universal healthcare plan.
The reason we're stuck with George Bush for 8 years is because people don't apply a reasonable amount of common sense and effort in truly examining a candidate. Where a candidate lives doesn't make a damn worth of difference in what kind of President he can be. Our current President lives on a farm ranch in Crawford, Texas and has done more to harm the unwealthy than help them. John Kerry had more residences than many candidates combined and his ability to tackle poverty was not questioned to this degree. Politics is negative and nasty because that's what we portray about politics in our comments. If you don't favor a candidate and you don't have a good reason than keep it to yourself. It saves you from the embarrassment of plucking baseless excuses from think air like "his house is too big to care about poverty," "or he's too wealthy to be a populist." It also saves people like me the aggravation of having to absorb these ridiculous attitudes.
Okay. I'm sorry for sounding angry but what the hell does the price of a haircut and the size of someone's house have to do with their ability to run this country? He grew up in absolute poverty, probably a hell of a lot poorer than any of us could imagine. So only a poor underprivileged person can tackle poverty? Is that it? You have to dine daily on Ramen Noodles or Campbell's tomato soup (if they are on sale) to speak out against the shrinking middle class or worse thousands of children who go to bed starving...and even more who have no access to the healthcare they need to sustain a healthy childhood.
John Edwards may be wealthy, and so he bought a big damn house?but to say because of that he isn't genuine about helping the poor is absurd. John Edwards has also lived what he's preached. A Trial lawyer?yes he was, but he won case after case helping the little man fight the big bureaucratic insurance companies and corporate giants that preyed on the helpless. And his wife spent years dedicating her time and efforts to philanthropic causes. He's financed college education for the underprivileged, birthed an educational cause for poverty at his alma mater, and he's the first candidate on either side of the aisle to lay out any kind of universal healthcare plan.
The reason we're stuck with George Bush for 8 years is because people don't apply a reasonable amount of common sense and effort in truly examining a candidate. Where a candidate lives doesn't make a damn worth of difference in what kind of President he can be. Our current President lives on a farm ranch in Crawford, Texas and has done more to harm the unwealthy than help them. John Kerry had more residences than many candidates combined and his ability to tackle poverty was not questioned to this degree. Politics is negative and nasty because that's what we portray about politics in our comments. If you don't favor a candidate and you don't have a good reason than keep it to yourself. It saves you from the embarrassment of plucking baseless excuses from think air like "his house is too big to care about poverty," "or he's too wealthy to be a populist." It also saves people like me the aggravation of having to absorb these ridiculous attitudes.
Submitted by Ozyman (not verified) on Thu Apr. 19, 2007 9:01 PM PDT.
It is a tough call between Edwards and Obama. I hope they share a ticket. It is amazing to think that there's even a possibility that they can win. I gotta pinch myself sometimes. Get out there and work for it, everyone, please. This is the time.
secondlife (dot) com/?u=d4d1b0cb52fb1ba4952e930e3c4d9a5d is where you can check out Second Life. Both Edwards and Obama have a presence, and rallies are held.
It is pretty fun to keep up with the new mediums now available to a new generation to hook into. They are still not much now in terms of real impact on the world, but as voice enters Second Life (next month) and as an increasingly photo-realistic virtual world emerges, the "metaverse" platform will become an increasing force for good and bad.
That's the secret that political campaigns and many others have grasped.
I would recommend that anyone with a fairly new computer and fairly fast connection check it out. Ignore all the crap there and just focus on the many good things. There are many amazing good things.
I like Edwards, too. I think he has it where it counts. Right now I am leaning closer to Hillary, though, just because I think she has the capacity to bring more fire to the pit, as it were.
But if Edwards nabs the primary I'll still be overjoyed. Basically, no matter which Democrat goes head to head, I'll be overjoyed. The top 3 are competent, very much so. Like Ozyman said, sometimes I just have to pinch myself.
I was leaning towards Senator Edwards until I read about his obscene 28,000 square foot new mansion with 11 bathrooms and then about his $400 haircuts. How sincere is he about his concerns for the average American? I am completely disappointed. Sincerely, Jacqueline L. Howell
Okay. I'm sorry for sounding angry but what the hell does the price of a haircut and the size of someone's house have to do with their ability to run this country? He grew up in absolute poverty, probably a hell of a lot poorer than any of us could imagine. So only a poor underprivileged person can tackle poverty? Is that it? You have to dine daily on Ramen Noodles or Campbell's tomato soup (if they are on sale) to speak out against the shrinking middle class or worse thousands of children who go to bed starving...and even more who have no access to the healthcare they need to sustain a healthy childhood.
John Edwards may be wealthy, and so he bought a big damn house but to say because of that he isn't genuine about helping the poor is absurd. John Edwards has also lived what he's preached. A Trial lawyer yes he was, but he won case after case helping the little man fight the big bureaucratic insurance companies and corporate giants that preyed on the helpless. And his wife spent years dedicating her time and efforts to philanthropic causes. He's financed college education for the underprivileged, birthed an educational cause for poverty at his alma mater, and he's the first candidate on either side of the aisle to lay out any kind of universal healthcare plan.
The reason we're stuck with George Bush for 8 years is because people don't apply a reasonable amount of common sense and effort in truly examining a candidate. Where a candidate lives doesn't make a damn worth of difference in what kind of President he can be. Our current President lives on a farm ranch in Crawford, Texas and has done more to harm the unwealthy than help them. John Kerry had more residences than many candidates combined and his ability to tackle poverty was not questioned to this degree. Politics is negative and nasty because that's what we portray about politics in our comments. If you don't favor a candidate and you don't have a good reason than keep it to yourself. It saves you from the embarrassment of plucking baseless excuses from think air like "his house is too big to care about poverty," "or he's too wealthy to be a populist." It also saves people like me the aggravation of having to absorb these ridiculous attitudes.
