Erin: Welcome to a special edition Webchat from the Republican Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The internet is a key part of the U.S. electoral process and it has driven a lot of research and study around the country. We・re meeting two experts looking at how internet use affects the political scene. We・ll also catch up with New Mexico Delegate Jon Barela as he shares his Convention experiences with us. First, let・s talk with July Germany. She is Director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at George Washington University・s Graduate School of Political Management. Julie has authored several books about the U.S. political process.
Erin:Julie, your books talk a lot about the political process in the US, so you've had experience decoding policy. Do you have recommendations for people who may be unfamiliar with the American political process but nonetheless want to have a deeper understanding of what they read in the news? What advice can you offer for working through the rhetoric of the news?
Julie: I think that in at least the U.S. right now there's a movement that the information presented in the mainstream media doesn't always cover the full story. As hard working and well trained as journalists are, portions of the American public are now looking for information about politics and sometimes about policy through other sources, especially online. This is where many of the online resource sites, not just blogs, can be a huge help. So those who want to gain a broader understanding of policy issues, start by looking up many of the resources that are available online. One caveat, many of those resource sites are actually produced by non-profit and special interest groups who actually do have a stake in the policy outcome. So take everything with a grain of salt, use discernment, try to figure out where the information is coming from.
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Erin: Julie some have expressed faith in Obama's ability to mobilize young voters, and thus increase youth participation in politics. Do you think Obama's younger fan base has shown this potential--as far as truly taking a greater interest in US politics--or is it just a temporary fascination with Obama's appealing image and positive ad campaign?
Julie: It could be a bit of both but what I saw on the ground in Denver last week was a lot of training and equipping of young people, so they were not just trying to instill excitement for Obama, they were trying to give them the skills and tools that they need to be active politically in their communities and universities.
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Erin: Lee the Pew Forum, does a lot of polling and political analysis. Do you think seeing polls and analyses like those on your site causes strategic voting? For example, do you think being immersed in analyses of election data causes some voters to change their minds if they fear their candidate won't have a chance?
Julie: There are always concerns about the impact of polling on voter behavior, for instance,there are concerns that exit poll results affect turnout. If people see their candidate winning by a lot or losing by a lot they might stay home. But there is just as much evidence that news about polling is part of a broad spectrum of political information that ties people more closely to the process -- people who care about polls are generally more politically engaged and that means a host of factors are likely driving their voting behavior rather than just poll results.
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Erin: Lee how is the internet playing into youth involvement in this election? Do you think internet news media has played a role in the amount of young support Obama has received?
Lee: Two big broad trends are intersecting in the youth arena -- the first is that the young adult population seems to be more engaged and more liberal, more progressive than its older brothers and sisters in generation X. The second thing is that they are very enthusiastic about technology. It's hard to disentangle their enthusiasm for technology and their interest in Obama -- both things are affecting generational behavior in this cohort and are probably playing off each other. If a young person is interested in the Obama campaign, that person has plenty of company on social network sites, video sites and general news websites -- so there is a reinforcing effect that helps younger voters, particularly the liberal ones, gravitate towards new technologies.
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Erin: Lee how has the internet shaped the way the national and international communities view US policies?
Lee: Obviously lots of non-American audiences are paying close attention to this campaign and they can access a tremendous amount of political news and information on the internet. This not only applies to American political news and information, but it also applies to foreign coverage of the campaign.
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Erin: Julie what is the goal of your the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet? Who is the target audience for your research?
Julie: We are really trying to improve politics using technology to open up the political process, enable and engage voters and make politics more participatory and transparent.
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Erin: Julie if you could change one thing about the US political process, what would you change and why?
Julie: The government of Singapore uses tech to provide a Ritz Carlton standard of service to every citizen, expat and visitor. I'd like to see the same thing here.
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Erin: Lee do you think the rise of the internet could mean less direct involvement in politics in the future? Does the constantly increasing availability of information risk that politicians will make less of an effort to reach out to constituents on a more personal scale (coming to smaller communities to speak, etc.)?
Lee: We see the opposite occurring. For instance, politicians are customizing and tailoring their messages to constituents, rather than pulling away from interacting with them. The internet also allows both politicians and citizens more opportunities to interact directly with each other, rather than through more distant media communications. It is certainly the case that some citizens perform civic acts that are efficient and relatively painless. They will sign up for a group and maybe donate some funds and be done with their direct involvement with the group. However, it is much more often the case that people's use of the internet enhances their engagement with politicians and other civic actors. They don't just swap emails. They are also using those emails to set up meetings, learn about political events to attend, and forming deeper attachments to civic actors. So, we see the internet enabling more civic engagement and deeper engagement, rather than facilitating a retreat from civic life.
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Erin: Lee what, in your view, are the greatest difficulties facing the internet, with regard to its use as a news source?
Lee: The rise of the internet has created a number of new tensions in political life. First, look at web2.0 These new applications have allowed many more people to bring their voice and thoughts into public political life. At the same time, it means there is a greater chance for bad information or misinformation or slanted information or partial information to be found by other internet users. That means there is a greater burden on all citizens to finding the most relevant and the most high quality political information and facts. Second, the internet is bringing a tremendous new volume of information into people's lives. It is harder for some people now to sort the wheat from the chaff, the spam from the vital emails, and the irrelevant carbon copy information from urgent communications. People are burdened by this and talking about higher levels of stress because of it. Finally, the gadgets themselves present challenges to people. Sometimes they don't work well, sometimes they break, sometimes they can't access the people and information that users would like to access. This also stresses out people. But at the same time, we are hearing more reaction from people who just wish they could go off the grid and take some time off to recharge their batteries, to brood about the world, and just enjoy their leisure.
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Erin: Julie do you think some internet media (i.e. less informative videos such as the 'Yes We Can' video for Barack Obama) can give some people the illusion of being informed without providing any real information? Do you think it makes more people succumb to campaign rhetoric than if they were only looking to TV, radio, or print news sources?
Julie: One of the biggest headlines this election season has been what we call supporter-generated content. Many of the most popular videos online were created by individuals who support a candidate and those videos tend to be the funniest, the best produced, but occasionally the most irrelevant when it comes to informing others about a candidate's platform. All of this is very fun and spirited but it's important not to get too caught up in the funny web videos and spend some time looking at candidate;s platform and the text of their speeches online. We have great data on this. The last Pew report says only eight percent of the public that uses the internet to access political information reads these platform statements and the text of speeches online. Almost 40 percent watch the videos.
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Erin: Now let's talk with New Mexico delegate Jon Barela briefly about his experiences here in St. Paul.
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Erin: What would you like to see at the top of the agenda for the Republican party?
Jon: Focus on energy independence, reduction in taxes and government spending and a continuing commitment to a strong national defense and fight on terrorism.
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Erin: Hurricane Gustav is obviously shaping the focus of the Republican National Convention. In what ways is it changing the nature of what Republicans are choosing to address?
Jon: The first day of the Convention was a somber occasion because of the hurricane, but we are back on track and are looking forward to hearing from Governor Palin and the other speakers tonight/Wednesday night. While the mood was much more upbeat last night / Tuesday night, we continue to think of those impacted by the hurricane.
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Erin: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the US Republican party right now?
Jon: We have to frankly do a better job of reaching out to younger people and those from different ethnic groups and women.
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Erin: One challenge for the McCain campaign is addressing the perception that the Senator's policies would simply be an extension of the Bush administration. How would you respond to this--what do you think John McCain has to offer the US Republican party that will ensure the changes people inside and outside of the US want to see?
Jon: Sen. McCain and Pres. Bush are two different people with two different approaches toward certain issues. Take a look at our chat from Monday where we discussed this same question in detail.
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Erin: Some have said Obama's international heritage will mean US policies are better received by the international community. How has, or how will, in your opinion, John McCain make an effort to reach out beyond the US?
Jon: Sen. McCain is far better traveled than Sen. Obama. Mr. McCain has visited every corner of the world. He has even gone to the length of adopting a child from Bangladesh. He loves and understands foreign cultures and appreciates the various perspectives from around the world.
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Erin: McCain has been called too liberal by more conservative Republicans. Do you think his choice of Sarah Palin as the Vice President will be enough to win over that voting block?
Jon: First I believe that Sen. McCain would have won the conservative vote anyway. But the selection of Gov. Palin has certainly energized the conservative base. The conservative base is now very excited and its delegates will go home from the Convention and not only vote for but actively support McCain.
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Erin: Thank you again Jon. Jon Barela is a delegate from New Mexico. He・ll be back with us Thursday. That wraps today・s special edition webchat from the Republican Convention. Our thanks to Julie Germany of George Washington University. You can learn more about her work at www.ipdi.org Our gratitude to Lee Rainie of The Pew Internet and American Life Project at www.pewinternet.org New Mexico Delegate Jon Barela has our appreciation. The New Mexico Republican Party website is www.gopnm.com. Our Convention coverage concludes Thursday at 1500 utc right here on voanews.com See you then!
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