First I would like to apology for the length of this assignment however there was a lot of material that needed covering.
The two political party web sites which I decided to visit were the GOP and the Democrats. I opt for these particular parties primarily because they are the two rivals from which the majority of our population frequently supports and are assumed to be the major contenders in the 2012 presidential race.
When you first arrive at the GOP web site you encounter several columns of data explaining how to obtain additional information as well as defining their major goals and the issues at large.
My immediate reaction to the topics presented is the vast use being made by the GOP in the area of social networking. As in our last election social networks such as MySpace and YouTube will once again present a significant impact upon the progression of the political campaign however now we are likely to see an increase in other sites as well such as Facebook and various blogs.
The use of social networks by the political parties and their candidates allow the populace to get a closer feel for the people who are running for public offices. The sites are especially effective in stretching the political dollar when you compare the cost of broadcast time with that of social network page management. Sites such as blogs tend to give the people the impression of being closer to the candidates.
To fully understand how many these internet activities effect the politicians you must first realize the number of potential voters that are available. MySpace alone boasts over 108 million personal profiles and over 7,000 different discussion groups.
On the GOP site we encounter another column labeled "Current Trends". This area brings up topics such as President Obama's 50 birthday or issues concerning Medicare all with a slant towards the perceived mistakes their opponent has been making and how they would handle the issues differently.
With each turnover of personnel within the White House we see a drastic change in the principles supported and the commitments and core political values promoted. These trends often times provide that shift of party identification from that of the previous tenants. Naturally, these comments are another method of rising public support for the party while brought to light as well as for many of the current trends of the party in power.
The final column which we see on the main page of the web site is the current news column. Here we can obtain an update on the recent "goings-on" around the political circles. Once again we must weigh in very carefully the information we read as it is intended to sway our thoughts in the direction of the party hosting the web site rather than to be unbiased.
The home page of the site brings forward the major concerns and issues of the party in a straightforward manner. All the information is immediately seen and readily at our fingertips to review while the site encourages the visitors to take an active role in the party's actions. Finally, there are state links which will transport you, the web surfer, to your state GOP site. Here is where you can obtain further information on any of your part representatives.
Examples of links for actively participating on the site would be the donate button. If one were to click on the button they would be transported to a page where they fill out a form donating as much as 5000 dollars to the party. There is also a GOP store where a visitor can purchase products and a portion of the profits from the sale would benefit the campaign chest of the Republican Party.
In attempting to interpret the political consensus of the GOP site we see a broad outline of their immediate and long-range goals as well as their objections towards the policies of the opposing party. A visit to the site is actually an important educational experience as you are afforded an opportunity to investigate the background of the party, the individuals involved in its activities and the leaders who are currently in the news.
As mentioned in my opening statement my second selection is the Democratic Party. Upon entering the democrat site one gets an overbearing feeling of negative vibrations. You are immediately greeted with a banner stating "Duck, Dodge and Dismantle" as the fine print on it states that they will be reporting on the Republican candidates at this location. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the 18th century witch hunts.
It appears that when reviewing the various offerings on their site we see more anti-republican talk than actual informative facts. They openly display and brag of the various campaign victories which in itself is not totally bad, however I see a gross lack of issues being presented here.
As with their Republican counterpart we encounter links to the parties stated URL's. Additionally, we can see participation by the party in the social networking field as they display a brief advertisement stating that the party has 263,000 members on their Facebook page along with a box link on the lower section for obtaining party answers to questions via Twitter. On left of the page we can view news as it related to the Democratic Party.
I find the democratic web site to be less user-friendly and it appears to lack the necessary areas for visitors to offer their services to participate in the process at least not to the extent that the Republican site has done. My first reaction is that it is a closed-door, private concern that has done all but post a "No trespassing" sign at its entrance.
There is little offered to the guest in the way of political data. Most of the entries are of a boastful nature revealing how they won in various campaigns or who won a specific race. The actual "meat" of the political arena seems to be lacking greatly. They use the space and time to reserve one section to help in clarifying the new health care measures. As a casual visitor and reader of the daily news, I would immediately contend that perhaps the party planners themselves might be displaying some doubts as to the value of the recently passed health care bill thus the need for justification or possibly trying to distance themselves from the issue.
As a whole from my visit to the two web sites I feel there was more intrinsic value placed upon the composition of the Republican site as opposed to the Democrat sponsored location. My initial reaction was that I had landed in the center of an extremely boastful entrepreneur who roost upon the laurels of their past exploits. There was more general nature information obtained from the GOP site then the second selected site.
I will now like to briefly discuss two special interest groups. I have chosen the Christian Coalition and the National Rifle Association as those groups. My rationale behind these selections was as follows. The Christian Coalition has been extremely influential in a number of previous elections. They have traditionally provided a strong, persuasive sway for the presidential nominee which they decide to support. I selected the NRA simply because I am in complete agreement with preserving our second amendment rights.
Before we can evaluate any sort of special interest group we must have an understanding of what the group's ultimate objectives are and their immediate goals. The Christian Coalition is the largest of the grassroots organizations in America. Its founder Pat Robertson has several times tossed his hat in the presidential ring all to no avail. This political organization has completely overlooked the separation of state and religion philosophy and actively campaigns for those candidates who support their specific Christian ideals. The web site uses one's religious values as a means of gathering support from the masses.
The web site is fairly simple to navigate within and it provides a mass of useful political information. It imparts several major sections usefully packed with political updates, activities of our Washington representatives as well as general news items. It is easy to sign up and participate in the groups scheduled events as you are greeted on the home page with a link to getting involved. Membership banners and links are distributed at various locations on every page. Ways in which the visitor can participate is via donations or by becoming active in one of their current campaigns.
Although the political information presented on the site is more in tune to the middle of the road when compared to our political parties discussed above, it still is slanted towards the religious point of view. On these pages you will find entries proclaiming the negative aspects of government funding of abortions, anti-health care articles, along with support of traditional marriage unions.
As with our familiar political parties the special interest groups are reverting to social networking in their efforts towards recruiting and soliciting donations. Their message is being relayed via the major arteries such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace as well as by information feeds sent to cell phones. Of all the sites so far I would have to rate this one highest with general information. We can find data relating to both parties which would supply us with a somewhat accurate picture of what is going on when compared with other news items.
Lastly, we come to the second special interest group. The National Rifle association dates back to the late 1800s. The original intent was not to promote our second amendment rights but to improve the marksmanship of the America public. As the group aged it began publishing its monthly magazine entitled "American Rifleman". It was through their magazine that members learned of new bills being introduced in congress relating to weapons and firearms. As groups and lobbyists began attacking the second amendment the NRA formed its own lobby.
Today the NRA provides training and education in all aspects of firearms as well as protecting our constitutional right too bear arms. The National Rifle Association today is considered a major political factor towards our nation's second amendment defender.
The NRA website is easy to maneuver about and it offers a vast menu of selections to choose from ranging from joining the organization to expanding upon selected bills being presented before congress. The main two opportunities noticed on the home page are the membership page where visitors can sign up to join the organization and the programs section where you can view what activities are currently taking place under their name.
Politics on this web site are generally centered upon those issues which pertain to weapons or possession of firearms. It is unlikely you will discover discussions of articles relating to the health care problems or Medicare issues. I noticed some extremely interesting articles on this high quality web site, one relating to how firearms were confiscated from the citizens during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There is a lot of value in the political commentary as it reflects upon the actions of the NRA.
The NRA provides a specialized service bringing out the issues as they relate to the second amendment. Don't visit the site and expect a general overview of the political parties running for any specific office unless they directly reference something pertaining to firearms control.
Copyright @2012 Joseph Parish
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