Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the San Joaquin Valley today to sign an executive order to continue a crucial partnership between the state and the region. That's a good thing, of course, but this post is about the way the governor used the latest technology to get his message out about the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.
Schwarzenegger used traditional means -- a news conference and a very public signing of the executive order at Fresno City College. But he also appeared on a Webcast. Anyone can go to a computer at anytime and watch the events live. It's on the governor's Web site. Here's the link. It's like being able to TIVO the news conference. There'a also a photo gallery of the events and a PDF file of the actual executive order. It's all you need if you're a political junkie or policy wonk -- or just a big fan of the governor.
The governor and his staff clearly know how to use the media -- all the media -- to put him in the most favorable light.
If I were teaching a class on politicians using the media, this event would be part of the first lecture.
But this is only part of a booming trend. A Los Angeles Times story says the 2008 election will have most politicians sending podcasts to potential voters, text messaging selected supporters, and raising money with the latest technology.
Democrat Howard Dean stunned other presidential candidates in the 2004 election by raising millions of dollars through the Internet. That opened the possibilities that technolgy had for reaching millions of people in campaigns. Now every candidate wants to be a tech geek.
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