Are Retail Politics Dead?

This year's Republican race for their nomination has been strange beyond the characters. Candidates hawk books and DVDs in states whcih may or may not become important late in the process. Newt Gingrich previews a movie in Staten Island with less than a month before the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire shortly thereafter. The phenomenon of candidates keeping surprising schedules and attending minor events for self-promotion still unsettles political professionals.

I understand the Republicans having endless debates because they broadcast Repubican views without any cost to the candidates' campaign chests. But the deliberate omisson to organizational detail is still puzzling. There are those, and their numbers are increasing, who argue that the nuts and bolts of campaign organization and mobilization are out of touch with the American reality of a nation of couch potatoes. All you need is the expertise of the New Age Roger Ailes and Roger Ailes himself to run a campaign.

I still favor organization, voter mobilization and the usual tricks of Get Out The Vote but I concede I was woefully wrong in 2010 when in areas of intense Democratic organization tea bag candidates did well. And in the age of Citizens United, how much influence do individual voters have anyway? I have poisted continually the efforts being put in place to restrict the voting of key constituencies, who usually favor Democrats, but I think this is all part of the larger picture of having a type of virtual politics.

Political observers claim this trend was becoming apparent at the end of the 2008 campaign, one which saw Barack Obama revolutionize American political campaigns. We saw the Obama campaign efforts but miss the more distrubing signs on the horizon as more fake political entities were being generated. 2009 brought the heyday of astroturf movements such as the Tea Party. Corporate interests could create their own imitation of authentic popular movements. And it will be interesting to see whether this dominates in 2012. I've written before that Obama can not run his type of campaign while serving as a sitting President. He will have to adopt a hybrid model, while the Republican can use the machinery of the right-wing media and a cluster of astroturf groups to simulate popular support.

Perhaps the most dramatic contrast with this new way of politics is the Occupy Wall Street Movement, a shocking manifestation of popular sentiment with alot of the old techniques used by political movements in the past. The sharp contrast with normal politics should wake us up to the erosion of normal politics in our system.

Let's see what happens in the next few months. Governor Bradstad of Iowa claims that the Caucus right now is a free-for-all. He says that Ron Paul has the best political operation in the state, the most traditional elements like signs and placards and the most motivated voters. Rick Santorum has actually campaigned in all 99 counties and Michelle Bachmann has spent a good deal of her time in the state. This used to be a state where such techniques paid off handsomely. Bradstad said that the real results will be determined by the last two debates and the last minute advertising. In other words, the past techniques will not yield the results they used to.

In New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman has pinned his entire campaign on camping out in the state and working every traditional venue from American Legion halls to diners to pick up votes. Even though Willard Romney lives there now and has fawned over the Repubican politicians in the state, even recruiting their local birthers, he hasn't sealed the deal. Will Huntsman even register among the leaders at the end?

Once we're out of these states, we are into a mixed bag and states with diverse media markets and a more diverse electorate. At that time, the media campaigns will become dominant.

I hope some of the old ways survive. I think we saw this with the labor mobilization against the Ohio state law banishing collective bargaining, the recalls in Wisconsin, and of course the Occupy Movement. Techniques can change;IT and the Social media is used. But organization still demands persuading local people of your point of view and maintaining a dedicated core who will fight for your cause.

I'm not sure we are seeing this at the national level. Perhaps the reason is the lack of faith in our own institutions.