Retail Politics for the Masses

by: Mike Caulfield

Wed Aug 22, 2007 at 20:58:21 PM EDT

But in a way I don't mind, because in my boredom I've been going through some old posts and thinking about where we've succeeded as a blog, and where we haven't really made much of a difference.

How many here remember the early days, back in November and December, when we were first invited to talk directly to the candidates? It was heady times. Evan Bayh spoke to Dean, and both Dean and I went to the small regional bloggers forum Edwards invited us to for his launch in December.

At the time, before these events, we solicited questions from you, and came up with our own -- questions that weren't being asked by the mainstream media. Questions on the bankruptcy bill, use of purse strings in Iraq withdrawal, on NCLB and predatory lending, on the use of force in Iran, etc.

Questions George Stephanopolous wasn't asking on his Sunday show back then.

And since then, our access has only grown, whether it's a discussion with Elizabeth Edwards or a twenty minute long interview with Governor Richardson. And we keep asking those questions.

And looking back on the last nine months, I can say that the access we got to ask those questions didn't matter one bit.

Not because they weren't good questions. They were. And months later the Sunday morning talk shows got around to asking them.

But the access didn't matter, because I've seen every question we care about here asked by ordinary citizens in backyards, and school gyms, and Democratic HQs. And I've seen the questions posed more articulately and forcefully than any TV interviewer could manage. Better, in fact, than I could manage.

I'm referring, of course, to the true heroes of the New Hampshire primary -- the ordinary people that turn up at candidate events.

They have nothing to lose. They don't have to worry about their access being cut off. They don't have to generate ratings via Couric-like theater. They come with a question on their mind and they ask it. They are often an expert in the issue -- with police officers asking about gun control, and teachers asking about No Child Left Behind.

Retail politics works. You can maybe improve on that system, but not by much. No matter how much access anyone here on the site has, you can make a difference just by covering these events. You can ask a question, and tell us the response.

So I want to say we of the front page will continue to go to these candidate events, to write up snippets of the stump speeches and summaries of the answers. And we'll also writing up general impressions of the candidates and the demographics of the audience, etc.

But we hope you will too. It doesn't have to be fancy or comprehensive. Whatever strikes you about it. Is Obama better or worse since you last saw him? Are Dodd's crowds growing or shrinking? What was said of substance, and what was the demeanor of the candidate?

And most importantly -- what did you think?

In short, despite our access, I want us to continue to do the most important thing, which is bring retail politics to the masses.

I know a lot of you, having found your candidate at this point, are going to fewer events. We've certainly had less posts from our members lately on candidate appearances (Pericles and mbair, where art thou?). But if you can write up a snippet -- an exchange that moved you or showed a different side of the candidate, please do. As more candidates get to Cheshire County (which had been somewhat dry on weekends of late) I'll do the same.

Contrary to what the press may think, this election is still very fluid, and while the rest of the country may have settled on a big media campaign, we know better. My big hope is that before the primary schedule goes to hell we can show the nation what retail politics looks like, and no matter what state may end up first in the future, show people why this process is worth saving.

Oh, and we'll also find the best President while we're at it. But we were going to do that already, right?