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Internet influence being felt

By Bob Stuart, News Virginian - October 17, 2008

Former Virginia U.S. Sen. George Allen knows Mark Warner’s pain.

Allen had a safe double-digit lead over Democrat Jim Webb two years ago when his famous “macaca” remark on the Virginia border was captured on video and put on the Internet.

Soon, the mainstream media picked up on Allen’s comment to a 20-year-old volunteer for Webb.

The volunteer, S.R. Sidarth, was of Indian descent. And Allen’s comment could have been interpreted to mean he was referring to a monkey.

Allen’s lead shrank to a dead heat and an eventual loss to the underfunded Webb.

The World Wide Web has changed the dynamics of politics, whether it is vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden’s reference to FDR discussing the Great Depression four years before he actually did, or Senate candidate Warner’s YouTube audio comments from 14 years ago forcing him to backtrack on previous denials of critical remarks about the NRA, homeschoolers and right-to-lifers.

Experts, though, say a political gaffe captured on the Internet is unlikely to sway large blocs of voters.

But they say the political misstep of the day along with the countless political blogs fuel the appetite of political junkies, and inhibit the once freewheeling behavior of politicians.

“Candidates and politicians now watch what they say and they know who the local bloggers are,” said Brian Kirwin, director of media relations for Rourk Public Relations in Virginia Beach and a political consultant who has worked on almost 30 local and state political campaigns.

Kirwin said politicians are more reluctant to make speeches or political appearances out of fear they may be taped making an unflattering remark.

He said there is no such fear with the mainstream media.

“The mainstream media does not target candidates,” he said.

But those with an online appetite will look for political content on the Web, and are likely to watch videos of politicians slipping up.

While Allen’s miscue arguably cost him a safe U.S. Senate seat, such an occurrence is a rarity.

“There are many more failed gotchas than successful ones,” Kirwin said.

He said the perfect storm was one like Allen’s, where the mainstream media followed up and the story got traction.

“If that hadn’t happened, the video might have been something only Allen opponents might have known about,” Kirwin said.

Bridgewater College historian and political scientist David McQuilkin said his observation is that YouTube’s audience is primarily a younger one that is not as politically engaged as older voters.

McQuilkin urges his students to be wary of Web content on politics.

“Here’s my opinion: The facts suffer greatly,” he said.

And the fame one receives for Internet exposure is fleeting.

Witness Joe the Plumber, a man whose visit with Barack Obama was captured on videotape and then subsequently became part of Wednesday night’s presidential debate between Obama and John McCain, when McCain used Joe to criticize Obama’s economic plan.

Joe the Plumber — Joe Wurzelbacher, 34, of Holland, Ohio — confronted Obama, questioning whether the Democrat’s tax plan would squelch his hopes of buying Newell Plumbing and Heating in nearby Toledo.

It turns out Wurzelbacher lacks a plan to buy Newell, and both he and his employer lack a license required to do plumbing work in Lucas County, where they both live, according to a report by The Associated Press. And he owes more than $1,000 in back taxes.

“I don’t think in the long run people will change their vote for or against McCain because of that circumstance and he ended up with egg on his face,” he said.

McQuilkin said the short attention span of the public means they will turn to something else.

Kirwin said that, decades ago, politicians could safely make candid speeches and only worry about a story in the next day’s newspaper.

That’s no longer the case.

“Anybody can record audio of any speech and put it on the Internet,” he said. “Once it’s recorded, it’s there for life.”