AP Features, August 4th, 2007
Plunging headlong into the Internet era, Democratic presidential candidates on Saturday fought for the support of powerful and polarizing liberal bloggers by promising universal health care, aggressive government spending and dramatic change from the Bush era.
"Who will be about change? Who is the candidate for change? And how do we bring about change?" asked former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, suggesting his rivals are creatures of the status quo.
Seven of the eight leading candidates attended the second Yearly Kos convention, participating in a candidate forum and conducting individual sessions designed to be more freewheeling.
The convention drew 1,500 bloggers, most of them liberal, who represent the latest advancement in communicating and community.
Gone are the days when candidates and political parties could talk to passive voters through mass media, largely controlling what messages were distributed, how the messages went out and who heard them.
The Internet has help create millions of media outlets and given anyone the power to express an opinion or disseminate information in a global forum, and connect with others who have similar interests.
One way of doing this is through online journals, or blogs, such as those celebrated Saturday.
Other people are getting involved politically through social networking sites such as MySpace.com and via video-sharing sites such as YouTube.com.
The candidates were put on the spot from the start.
The first question went to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was asked why he once cited Justice Byron White, a conservative, as a model Supreme Court justice. "I screwed up on that," he said. "I love John F. Kennedy and figured if Kennedy had supported him ...," Richardson said.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked what three lessons she learned from her failed health care reform effort during the presidency of her husband, Bill Clinton.
"It is not enough to have a plan. You've got to have a political strategy," the New York senator, adding: "In 90 seconds, I don't have the time to tell you all the mistakes I made."
Another leading candidate, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, said he would allow the U.S. to continue running a budget deficit to meet health care and other needs. "We've got to make some investments."
