Tonight’s Debates Will Reveal Some Cool Web 2.0 Stuff
It’s election time again and many people will be tuned into the debates. McCain has announced that he will participate, so everything’s a go. From a tech perspective, there are some awesome developments.
Micro-Blogging the Debates with Current and Twitter
Current and Twitter have partnered in what they call the “Hack the Debates” project, which will broadcast as many of debate tweets as possible right over Obama & McCain, in real time, on their live broadcast. Learn more about this and how you can add your “Tweets” at Current’s site.
CAPTION: The Blogging the Debates Project
Another cool online feature comes from Voter Watch, which is sponsoring the Blogging the Debates project. In the days following each debate, Voter Watch will feature expert commentary from Dick Morris, Cynthia McKinney and many others in its special “Voter Watch Media Player.” Voter Watch partnered with Current to air a recap of the Current/Twitter debate footage (complete with Tweets) following each debate — so if you want your opinion and Tweets heard, check it out by visiting Blogging the Debates.
A Bit of Background and Reason’s Live Counter Debate
People who study how presidential debates are conducted over the last several election cycles are aware that ever since Ross Perot, they are now controlled by the Democrat and Republican parties through an organization known as the Commission for Presidential Debates. Previously, they were conducted by the League of Women Voters who became so disgusted with the scripted questions and behind-the-scene games that they threw up their hands in disgust.
After the Perot experience, the bipartisan CPD blocks all legitimate viewpoints other than those presented by their two parties. This has angered many voters who would like all candidates who have achieved significant ballot access to participate.
The way it is now, there is a nebulous polling requirement that a candidate must have a 15% approval in the polls before he or she can participate in the debates. The CPD does not specify who gives these polls, when the polls are to be taken, and does not address the very practical issue that most polls only list the two major parties’ candidates and “undecided.” It is impossible to get 15% in the polls when your name is not in the poll. A more factual and unbiased qualification would be based on ballot access throughout the states.
The strongest third parties having ballot access this year are Ralph Nader and Bob Barr. A recent Zogby poll indicated that 55% of Americans wanted these alternatives to participate in the debates. Given the economic climate today, this only seems fair to the American voter. The third parties offer insight that is very different from the same old routine given by the Democrats and Republicans.
Reason is going to interject live responses in its real-time debate coverage. Here’s how Reason describes its event:
Please join reason, either in person or online, for a live counter-debate on Friday, Sept. 26, with Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, who will respond to John McCain, Barack Obama and moderator Jim Lehrer in real time. We will be live-blogging Barr’s responses at Hit & Run, and videotaping the whole proceedings, which will include a brief post-debate Q&A with reason staffers, bloggers, and other interested parties. The fun begins at 7:00 PM, the debate starts at 8:00 sharp, and the drinks will be provided by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. In a year rich with libertarian politics, the only place you’ll hear a candidate talking libertarian ideas will be in reason’s Washington headquarters.
If you’re interested in hearing more than just the usual rhetoric tonight, be sure to visit Reason.
Injecting another party — live — into the debate should prove to be an Internet technology wonder. If for no other reason, it’s worth watching Reason’s version of the debate to see how this will work.
Whether or not we think the current debate process is fair or biased, the web is quickly becoming an awesome tool for live participation. I know I will have a couple of Firefox windows open tonight so I can see how Web 2.0 will play a role in the debate coverage.
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