    
  Subscribe in a reader
Have conventions outlived their usefulness?August 21st, 2008By Julie Next week, IPDI and its department at GWU, the Graduate School of Political Management, are releasing the inaugural issue of our monthly Polity & Pragmatics survey panel. The first edition asks our panel of faculty and Council on American Politics members if conventions have outlived their usefulness. Here’s a advance look at what we will publish next week.
Event: Test Your Polling Prowess with Battleground Poll ResultsAugust 15th, 2008By Julie It’s hard to avoid looking at poll results when you’re inside the Beltway. Next week, GW and the Graduate School of Political Management are releasing the results of the latest Battleground Poll. Nothing goes better with a cup of coffee than a discussion about what American voters are thinking and how that will affect the upcoming election.
Details: Battleground Poll Results August 20, 2008, 9:30-11 a.m. National Press Club, Lisagor Room 529 14th St., NW, 13th Floor Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, and Brian Nienaber, vice president of the Tarrance Group, will share their analyses of this public opinion poll. Ron Faucheaux, associate professorial lecturer at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, will serve as moderator. RSVP: Please R.S.V.P. to David Leeds at (202) 994-6467. This event is open to media. On site media check in begins at 8:30 a.m. To participate one-way via teleconference, please call (800) 331-7072 and dial 322237 when prompted. A copy of both firms’ presentation will be posted at http://www.gwu.edu/~newsctr/battleground.cfm. More information online. Event: Best and Worst Online Media at the DNCCAugust 15th, 2008By Julie IPDI (and the Graduate School of Political Management) are thrilled to partner with the OUTBURST! Forum this election season. The kickoff event will be held in Denver on Sunday, August 24th (we’ll post about future events before they occur). Details: FTW or FTL? The best of the best (and worst of the worst) online tactics of the Democratic Presidential Candidates — and how you can use them to be politically active Hosted by the OUTBURST! Forum Sunday, August 24 Panel - 5:30 - 7:00 pm Reception - 7:00 – 9:00 pm Sturm Hall, University of Denver, 2000 E Asbury Avenue, Denver, CO 80210 Google Map Which Democratic candidates (and their supporters) made the most of multimedia and social tools during the election season? What were your favorite political web videos and how successful were they at moving poll numbers and donations? Join the GSPM and IPDI for an interactive, light-hearted OUTBURST! Forum event that allows the audience to vote on their favorite web tactics – and allows the pundits to discuss how useful those web tactics actually were at achieving campaign goals. The panel will be part of the OUTBURST! Forum, a multi-city interactive lecture series and forum that will address some of the most pressing political and public policy topics and issues impacting youth voters (ages 18-24); its primary demographic. For more information and to look at additional OUTBURST! Forum events, visit www.outbursttour.com. Meet the panelists: Julie Barko Germany (moderator) serves as the director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at and the interim director of marketing for the Graduate School of Political Management. She is an alumna of the GSPM. Lee Brenner is Executive Producer of Political Programming and Director of IMPACT (Public Affairs) at MySpace. Charles Ellison serves as Senior Advisor to the Center for African American Policy at the University of Denver (CAAP-DU) and is a CAAP Senior Fellow in Public Policy and Chief Editor of the center’s popular flagship website Blackpolicy.org. Ian Koski joined Blue State Digital in February 2008 after three years as the founder and creative director of On Deck Communication Studio, where he crafted communications strategy and developed web sites for a variety of Democratic campaigns and causes. He is an alumnus of the GSPM. Mike Disharoon is a consultant with Blackrock Associates, a leader in online marketing for progressive candidate and issue campaigns. He is an alumnus of the GSPM. State of the U.S. Internet is poorAugust 12th, 2008By Alex Kellner This post is guest blogged by Alex Kellner, a former IPDI Research Assistant. Speedmatters.org is a client of Blue State Digital, where Alex is currently employed. Wondering how your Internet speed compares to other people in your town? State? Or the rest of the country? Well, a new report published by speedmatters.org, a project of the Communication Workers of America, can answer that question for you. The second annual report, shows that the United States has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to Internet download speeds. The average U.S. Internet speed was 2.3 megabits per second (mbps), an increase of only 0.4 mbps from last year’s average speed. In comparison, Japan’s average speed is estimated at 63 mbps. Our fastest state - Rhode Island with a 6.8 mbps average - is still slower than the average speed in Canada (7.6 mbps). CWA President Larry Cohen explains why America’s lagging speeds represent a major concern for our place in the global economy:
This report is more evidence for the necessity of a national broadband policy. The fact that the United States is ranked 15th in Internet connection speeds despite being the country that invented the Internet is unforgivable. When signing ePetitions gets you in troubleAugust 7th, 2008By Julie Chris Boyles is a world-class decathlete. He and I went to college together, and we both advised a non-profit called Young Champions that encourages young people to make good, healthy life choices. Awhile ago, Chris signed an online petition for Team Darfur, an organization trying to rally athletes around the crisis in Darfur. Like many people who sign e-petitions on political and human rights issues, Chris didn’t really think much about it at the time, until he and other athletes, including Olympic speedskater Joey Cheeks, had their visas revoked by the Chinese government for signing the petition. From aspiring (but injured - Chris has to sit the games out, but is their helping his team members train) athlete to political dissident? Read Chris’s interview on ESPN. Emmy AnnihilatorJuly 28th, 2008By Julie We loved James Kotecki’s Playbook TV last Thursday - particularly since James proudly displays his 2008 Golden Dot Award for best vlog (which we awarded James at our 2008 Politics Online Conference). And, of course, he calls it his “Emmy Annihilator.” In the Trenches with State Legislators and TechiesJuly 28th, 2008By Julie The Council of State Governments-WEST gave me a unique opportunity this year – the chance to work with state legislators to develop a white paper on adapting CRM philosophies and practices for state legislatures. The result of our collaboration, E-Constituent Relationship Management for State Legislators, is now online. I spent a lot of time talking to legislators and legislative IT staff about handling constituent requests and emails – and the technology they use to do so. My interviewees included Lee Harris, who developed the California Legislator’s first-rate CRM platform. Representative Janice Arnold-Jones from New Mexico, who is emphatic about responding to constituent requests, in spite of the fact that she has no staff or technology (other than a person email address) to help the process. Kevin Hayes, who runs the session information office for the Montana State legislature. His office handles all the email requests for its members. Representative Mike Doogan from Alaska, a state which hosts a network of 22 regional “legislative Information Offices” that allow citizens with Internet access to send messages to their representatives. Paul Mouritsen, whose Nevada State Constituent Services Office developed its constituent request log. Bud Richmond, an IT analyst at the Oregon State Legislature whose office looking into building a more comprehensive constituent tracking system. Ric Cantrell, the Chief Deputy of the Utah State Senate, who uses the Internet to communicate with constituents about policy issues. I came away from those conversation with a newfound respect for the amount of dedication many state legislators have to their constituents – and the obstacles (including lack of staffing, technical support, and funding) they overcome in order to serve them. Incidentally, members of the CRM community and the inside-the-Beltway technology crowd offered strategic advice and functioned as “virtual consultants” for some of the scenarios discussed in the white paper. They included
You can read a PDF of E-Constituent Relationship Management for State Legislatures on our site. UPDATE: Check out the coverage on Capitol Comment. Bring us your interns!July 25th, 2008By Julie The cool thing about being at GWU is being connected to so many cool groups. Case in point: IPDI is located within GW’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM). The very fact that we’re in such an innovative department allows us to do what I consider to be cool, relevant, applicable research. The GSPM is holding an Open House on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, August 6th. If you’re a intern or staffer, come and join IPDI and the GSPM for drinks and networking. If interns and young staffers work for you, bring them or send them along — just be sure to RSVP and let the GSPM know you’re coming! Here are the details:
Politics, Government and the GSPM Open House – Wednesday, August 6 Join alumni, current students, staffers, interns and faculty for an evening of drinks, networking, and conversation about careers in politics, political communications, and legislative affairs with a special guest David Rehr, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. Wednesday, August 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Gold Room Rayburn House Office Building Washington DC 20515 Address: Southwest of the Capitol, bounded by Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street, and C Street, S.W. Directions from Capitol South Metro (Blue and Orange Lines): When you exit the Metro, walk to C St SE and turn left. Walk to South Capitol Street and turn right.
RSVP at http://register.applyyourself.com/?id=gwugrad&pid=1031&eID=17611&rid=1
About David Rehr David Rehr is President and CEO of NAB. Prior to the NAB, he was president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA). Under his leadership, NBWA was ranked as one of the top most influential lobbying organizations by Fortune magazine. With more than 25 years of experience on Capitol Hill and in the lobbying community, Rehr has been an outspoken advocate for entrepreneurs and small business before the federal government. Rehr, who has a doctorate in economics from George Mason University, has been named to Washington Life magazine’s “Power 100” list, and is annually listed as a “Top Association Lobbyist” by The Hill. He has also been featured in Beachum’s Guide to Key Lobbyists, and was recently named one of the top 20 most influential people in radio by Radio Ink magazine.
About GW’s Graduate School of Political Management The Graduate School of Political Management offers graduate programs in political management, legislative affairs, public relations, and PAC management, as well as international programs in Latin America and Europe. The school seeks to improve politics by educating its students and professionals about the tools, principles, and values of participatory democracy; preparing them for careers as ethical and effective advocates and leaders at the international, national, and local levels. Two IPDI Book Discussions – Blogwars on August 11 and Online Politics 101 on August 13July 25th, 2008By Julie In August IPDI will host two of its Ideas Series Book Discussions — an evening wine and cheese discussion with David Perlmutter, author of Blogwars, on Monday, August 11 and a brown bag lunch discussion with Colin Delany, author of Online Politics 101 on Wednesday, August 13. Hear the top notes from Blogwars and Online Politics 101, and discuss them with the authors. Each event is strictly limited to the first 20 people who RSVP to julie@ipdi.org in order to encourage as much discussion as possible with the authors. Here are the details: IPDI Book Discussion on Blogwars with David Perlmutter - Monday, August 11 David Perlmutter is a professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, University of Kansas. He received his BA and MA from the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. He writes a regular column, “P&T Confidential,” for the Chronicle of Higher Education. He is editor of the blog of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas (http://www.doleinstituteblog.org/ ) and his own blog about online politics, http://policybyblog.squarespace.com/. Blogwars: The New Political Battleground
IPDI Book Discussion on Online Politics 101 with Colin Delany - Wednesday, August 13 Wednesday, August 11 Noon-1:30pm The library of the Graduate School of Political Management 4th Floor GWU’s Media and Public Affairs Building 805 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 RSVP REQUIRED to julie@ipdi.org Colin Delany is founder and editor of Epolitics.com, a site that focuses on the tools and tactics of Internet politics and online advocacy. Launched in July of 2006, Epolitics.com received the Golden Dot Award as “Best Blog - National Politics” at the 2007 Politics Online Conference. The site also features the “Online Politics 101″ e-book. About Online Politics 101 “Online Politics 101: The Tools and Tactics of Online Advocacy,” looks comprehensively at the Internet political organizing methods that work today, with new sections including tools such as Facebook, Twitter and online advertising. Other chapters explore topics including online video, viral marketing and online fundraising. The 52-page, free handbook also discusses topics ranging from the essentials of building an effective campaign website to the use of blogs to promote candidates and issues. “Online Politics 101″ promotes an integrated approach to online campaigning at all levels, from individual activists to national campaigns. 2012: The Amazonian CandidatesJuly 25th, 2008By Julie This post is guest-blogged by Justine Adelizzi, an incoming student at GWU’s Graduate School of Political Management. If Howard Dean tapped into the potential of the internet in 2004, Barack Obama’s team mastered the medium by combining social networking, online fundraising, and customized e-mail and text communications into a revolutionary presidential bid. The excitement generated by the Obama candidacy can be found in the numbers: $350 million in fundraising since the beginning of the primary season, almost 2 million individual donors, over 1 million committed volunteers. Yet, despite the national chorus demanding change in Washington, Obamania has not quite reached the rest of the Democratic Party. The DNC’s fundraising efforts on behalf of the party’s gubernatorial, House, and Senate candidates have lagged far behind Obama’s own monthly fundraising totals, even trailing that of the RNC. It is clear that the political evolution of the internet is by no means complete, and it is never too early to look towards the next generation of internet strategies in 2012 and beyond. A recent article by Mike Madden at Salon detailed the corporate communication and targeting techniques utilized by the Obama camp in its efforts to mobilize online supporters. The scope and breadth of voter information being collected is unprecedented in presidential politics, even dwarfing the successful Bush/Cheney operation from 2004. However, the presumptive Democratic nominee is very much operating within his own silo; while Obama has collected unprecedented information on Democratic-leaning voters in all 50 states, there is little direct benefit of his success to down-ballot candidates. There is a missed opportunity to turn the campaign’s most fervent supporters into not only grassroots organizers for the presidential race, but involved activists at every level of the Democratic Party apparatus. The future points to party-based web synergy – a completely integrated and immersive Democratic web presence, an Amazon-esque one-stop shop for all things donkey. Interested in this year’s Democratic presidential nominee? You’ll be directed to his or her website, a hub of the main Democratic Party portal. After completing a registration form detailing your interest in environmental conservation, you’ll start getting e-mails from the party’s nominee on the campaign’s energy policies. You’ll receive news items about your Senator’s efforts to clean up your state’s polluted waterways. There will be invitations to volunteer for a local House candidate committed to reducing your city’s carbon footprint. It will be a completely customized political experience, carefully tailored with the precision of corporate America’s most cutting-edge marketing techniques to maximize enthusiasm, organization, and, most importantly, donations. An integrated web presence is crucial to the success of the 50-state strategy advocated by Howard Dean in his role as chairman of the DNC. The creation of such a platform will require a substantial infusion of resources and imagination, but the potential rewards are great: increased Democratic influence at the state level and real workable majorities in the House and Senate. |
