Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal

Page 1

EDITORIAL BOARD ENDORSEMENTS Vote for the electable Democrat and the practical Republican OPINION

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Complete campus coverage since 1892

l

l

Bud Selig talks steroids at UW-Madison press conference SPORTS

PAGE 4

dailycardinal.com

l

PAGE 8

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Clinton ends Wis. campaign in Madison By Ashley Ojala THE DAILY CARDINAL

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB ELA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

ISABEL ALVAREZ, CHRISTOPHER GUESS, BRANDON LAUFENBERG, JACOB ELA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

As presidential hopefuls fight for Wisconsin in today’s primary, their political messages reach youth voters through new media.

Political messages going digital Youth voters more engaged in 2008 as new media emerges By Frances Provine THE DAILY CARDINAL

With the late Wisconsin primary gaining more importance in recent weeks, the state has become an arena for the kind of intense campaigning political junkies dream about. Campaigning and political dialogue this election season are taking place on a frontier beyond the basics of years past, when candidate visits, posters and flyers made up the majority of public relations. Voters today are now using Internet outlets like YouTube and Facebook for their political information, according to Cameron Marston, a UW-Madison senior and UW-Madison Students for Barack Obama new media chair. “The reason that I think that electronic media is so important for our generation is that, especially at this age, we don’t have a set schedule,” Marston said. “We can’t assemble everybody and talk to everybody

… [the Internet] is just massively easier to get people involved.” According to UW-Madison journalism professor Dhavan Shah, the shift toward electronic dialogue in politics may produce an interesting set of consequences: the establishment of a more democratic form of political discourse. “There’s a kind of political dialogue and political information being exchanged laterally and horizontally rather than topdown,” Shah said. “Conventional media … is much more, ‘I’m going to give this pool of reporters access to me and I’m going to interview with Fox News, and I’m going to only appear to debates on CNN with journalists I like.’ There they have much more control. With the Internet, they have much less.” Sue Robinson, another journalism professor, said she felt the changes in the political process brought on by new media were

Wisconsin Voters Researched by: SurveyUSA

McCain / Obama 35% 42% 58% 52% McCain / Huckabee 48%

WISC-TV Public Policy Polling American Research Group, Inc.

52%

American Research Group, Inc.

53%

32%

46%

42%

42%

47%

37%

39% 49%

57%

50% 43%

Cameron Marston new media chair UW-Madison Students for Obama

Katie Harbath, deputy e-campaign director for former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, disputes the idea of a significant change in the distribution of political information. “Even before the Internet you

key Percentage by age

18-29 All Ages

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

had no control … and you have no control with the Internet either,” Harbath said. The question of control becomes even more interesting when one considers the impact of user-created content on campaign’s strategic communication, such as the heavily viewed “I’ve got a crush … on Obama” YouTube video. “The things about that kind of technology that make young people so interested in it are exactly the ones that make future campaigners a little bit nervous,” UWMadison communication arts professor Michael Xenos said. Marston said the fact that “the campaign has massively more resources by which to work to control their own image” helps campaigners keep a strong handle on their political messaging. Another debate is emerging over the Internet’s possible effects campaigns page 3

clinton page 3

ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., stressed action over rhetoric in her campaign rally in Madison.

Michelle Obama speaks on national struggles THE DAILY CARDINAL

32%

15%

“[The Internet] is just massively easier to get people involved.”

By Christian Von Preysing-Barry

Clinton / Obama

WISC-TV Public Policy Polling

18-29

less significant. “I think that it’s forced the campaigns to operate on a bit more of a grassroots level than they might otherwise have,” she said. “[But] I feel that a lot of these new media outlets are becoming normalized within traditional structures.”

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, DN.Y., spoke to a crowd of nearly 4,000 supporters at the Monona Terrace Monday on the eve of the Wisconsin primary. In her “Solutions for America” rally, Clinton emphasized the need for action rather than rhetoric. “There is a difference between speeches and solutions, between rhetoric and results,” Clinton said. “And part of what this campaign is coming down to is a recognition that we need to know, as specifically as possible, what our next president intends to do.” Clinton highlighted her ability to fix the problems of the past administration. “It’s imperative that we have a president who is ready on day one, because the damage that will be waiting from the years of the misrule of George W. Bush deserves immediate action,” she said. Madison was Clinton’s third and final stop of her Wisconsin tour on Monday, and she used the opportunity to offer her ideas for “rebuilding America,” which focused on

Michelle Obama appeared at the Overture Center Monday in a final attempt to convince Madison residents to vote for her husband, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in today’s primary elections. “For the first time in my adult lifetime I’m really proud of my country,” Obama said to a packed audience at the Overture Center’s Capitol Theatre. “And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

Tia Nelson, daughter of Earth Day founder and Wisconsin politician Gaylord Nelson, introduced Obama and applauded Sen. Obama’s dedication to environmental issues. “Wouldn’t it be great if Earth Day 2009, we were celebrating with a president who understands the need address climate change?” Nelson asked. Obama addressed her husband’s focus on poverty and economic stability in his quest for the Democratic presidential candidacy, emphasizing the cur-

rent financial struggles of working class citizens throughout the country. “Blue-collar jobs are dwindling all over this country. And if you’re lucky enough to have a job, 9 times out of ten, your salary’s not keeping up with the cost of living,” Obama said. She urged the audience to overcome political disenchantment that comes from economic frustration and remain active in U.S. politics. “When you’re tired of struggling obama page 3

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.