Will the real 2020 presidential campaign be waged online? That’s what Thomas Edsall suggests in his most recent New York Times column:
For all his negative poll numbers and impeachment-related liabilities, President Trump has a decisive advantage on one key election battleground: the digital campaign.
Under the management of Brad Parscale, the Trump re-election machine has devoted millions more than any individual Democrat to increasingly sophisticated microtargeting techniques.
The accompanying chart, compiled by the Wesleyan Media Project, describes the partisan gulf in political spending, through September 19, on Facebook and Google by leading presidential candidates: Trump’s $15.9 million is more than the $15.5 million spent by the top three Democratic candidates combined.
But these figures substantially understate how far Democrats are behind.
Trump’s operatives have been working since 2016 to develop and test techniques to identify voters, determine message effectiveness and develop tools of electronic communication.
The irony of this is that Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign had this figured out. If the Democrats fail in their digital strategy it’s a token of how thoroughly they have repudiated him. There is a tremendous weakness in a president’s not leaving a viable party structure. That’s visible in the tremendous age gap among the Democratic presidential aspirants. Candidates older than 50 but younger than 70 are very thin.
Trump actually has operatives besides Gulliani? Would that be the RNC?
I would lay it a bit more at the feet of the Clintons. They didnt like Obama and he didnt like them. The Clintons controlled a lot of the machinery of the Democrats even when Obama was POTUS and then took it all over when he wasn’t running again. They rejected what Obama did and were way too cocky about winning. In short, as I said many times, Hillary is a lousy campaigner. Of the two, Bill was the gifted politician. I find it hard to think he would have been so inept if he had been running.
Steve
I think the article makes some very good points about the ability to get votes via these data collection and analytical techniques. It seems reasonable that they could be dispositive to the outcome.
I agree with Steve about the Clintons since we now know they essentially owned the DNC through much of Obama’s Presidency.
Once in a blue moon event – I agree with both Steve and Andy’s comments about the Clinton’s negative effect on the democrat party. Also, seconded, is that Bill Clinton was a “brilliant campaigner,†over anything demonstrated by his wife.
Brad Parscale, Man to watch.