Thursday, 4:30 PM
Patrick grassroots website a double-edged sword
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe staff
Governor Deval Patrick's new website was designed to transport his Internet-based grassroots campaign network into the realm of governing, helping activists from across the state engage in a dialogue with one another, and the governor himself, on important Massachusetts issues.
But since the website's debut last weekend, the lofty public discourse on issues such as gay marriage, renewable energy, and education funding has at times dissolved into a caustic and unfocused public shouting match -- about the Sept. 11 attacks, Christianity and the website itself -- highlighting the political pitfalls of a medium that served Patrick so well during the campaign.
Liz Morningstar, executive director of Patrick's political committee, said the website, despite some distractions, has delivered on the governor's promise to govern as he campaigned -- from the grassroots.
But the cacophony in cyberspace underscores the inherent challenge any politician faces in opening up a public forum on the Internet: focusing the discussion without censoring opinion, particularly in a medium where posters are less restrained than they might be in person.
"It's definitely a double-edged sword," said John Horrigan, associate director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Interactivity on the one hand is certainly a smart strategy for elected officials to use to try to reach out to their constituents... What you also give up when you rely on interactivity is control."
