Politicking, from Electronic to Digital

Tony Schwartz died last week.  He was a sound archivist who used his intuitive sense to appeal to the emotions of voting Americans; he created more than 2000 political ads and was a thought-leader of media in the electronic age.  Slate has created a thoughtful, neutral piece about a man who changed American politics.

Does the now commonplace mudslinging of presidential politicking downgrade the national debate, or does it force accountability? ### The advent of ubiquitous internet video has changed the way politicians campaign, or it should.  In many ways, it’s been the beacon of democracy we’d hoped.  In others, it’s made brutal process bloodier.  Candidates’ every words are monitored for potential internet broadcast, and the emotional appeals they carefully craft can now quickly backfire.  Take, for example, the now infamous Hillary Clinton phone ad…







I wonder how Mr. Schwartz would have played the game in a world where mashups and video responses can instantly change the effect of a political meme.