by Bob Jagendorf
Blow up the Beltway:
[Via Scripting News]
In US politics they talk about Inside The Beltway the same way the tech industry talks about Silicon Valley.
Now, people may question whether Barack Obama really wants to connect with the power of the whole nation, or if once he gets elected he’ll be an Inside The Beltway guy. I don’t know if he will or he won’t. I’m old enough to know that it’s an important question, because I’ve seen bright young idealistic people get taken over by the systems they proposed to dismantle. But I also believe that it’s the nature of the times to decentralize, so if Obama has the guts, and there’s every reason to believe he does, it should actually work, imho.
Frank Rich, in his column in today’s NY Times, explains that, on Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton and John McCain gave the same speech. Clinton’s was better rehearsed, it’s the same one she’s been giving for months, the “fairy tale” speech that Bill Clinton gave in New Hampshire. The “angels will sing” speech she gave in Ohio and the “shame on you Barack Obama” speech in Pennsylvania. Someone taught McCain how to laugh, but it’s falling apart like a Botox injection, turning into something else, something nasty. Both of them were echoing the same sentiment as the president from the previous century when he ached out loud — “Give me a break.”
Dave Winer has been discussing his world view since before blogs existed. It is very possible that one of the major Web 2.0 tools, RSS, would not enjoy its stature without him. Always fun to listen too, even if he can be exasperating, I think he comes close to getting Obama, not someone who is perfect but someone who is closer to getting it. If he walks from the path, it will not stop the changes.
As John Naisbitt said “Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front.” Obama has done that. More from Winer:
But back to my point. As much as I believe in the idea of Obama, if he doesn’t live up to it, I’ll still believe in the idea, because I always have. I don’t want to be an insider, I don’t want the insiders to rule, I don’t want there to be insiders at all. I want to distribute opportunity and acknowledge intelligence and goodness where ever it appears. I fought against the centralized Inside The Beltway way of doing things in Silicon Valley, and we won. Of course a new aristocracy pops up but their power is as thin as the people whose power got popped in every bubble that came before.
The Internet destabilizes every hierarchy it contacts. It erases every barrier to entry. The only way to win is to point off-site, in every way you can think of. Win by offering better value, not by locking users in. People will become instant refugees to escape your clutches. Think you’re immune? Think again.
Update: Papa Doc approves.
Update: Cross-posted at Huffington.Update: Micah Sifry and Patrick Ruffini agree Obama’s use of the Internet deserves more attention.
Technorati Tags: Knowledge Creation, Social media, Web 2.0
