I Love Monarch!

When I was reading the Watkins article on Progressives using technology, I had a few reactions. For one, I agree with DelaBlogger’s post about Watkins obsession with Monarch. I am sure that he is very grateful for having such wonderful technology, but someone has to be on the take in order to love their software program that much.

It is also really interesting to see Watkins take on technology compared to what technology really exists today. He talks a great deal about the Clinton and Dole campaigns in 1996 and things have changed vastly since that time. Not only can sites be used for fundraising and informational purposes, sites are now used to bring supporters together and give them more direct ways to get involved in campaigns. Things have changed so much over the last 8 years and it will be exciting to see what technology will bring 8 years from now.

I also think that things have changed in terms of the reach of the progressive movement on the internet since this article was written. The Dean campaign and the popularity of progressive blogs are just two examples of the strength of the progressive movement and how it is now liberals who outpace conservatives in the use of the web.

Watkins certainly has shown us that things have changed. The GOP will certainly catch back up to liberals in their web-savvy, but it is their strict adherence to message discipline and top-down communication that doesn’t allow party leaders to use blogs or other web forums as a means to reach out to voters. While the lack of message control may have hurt Dean’s chances of making it to the White House, it was also the reason that so many people found his candidacy so appealing.