Netroots Rising: How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists Is Changing American Politics [Hardcover]

Lowell Feld (Author), Nate Wilcox (Author), Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313346607 | ISBN-13: 978-0313346606 | Publication Date: June 30, 2008 | Edition: First Edition

The 2006 elections will be remembered as the year when the center of power in American politics shifted from traditional top-down central broadcasters to new bottom-up decentralized activists in the blogosphere and netroots. The authors give firsthand accounts of the burgeoning power of the netroots to determine the outcome of political contests, most notably as when the national balance of power was tipped by Jim Webb's rag-tag army of bloggers and netroots activists. They assess the prospects for Netroots 2.0: whether the netroots hordes will crash the party or work out an uneasy cohabitation with the traditional party power elite.

The 2006 elections will be remembered as the year when the center of power in American politics shifted from traditional top-down central broadcasters to new bottom-up decentralized activists in the blogosphere and netroots. The authors give firsthand accounts of the burgeoning power of the netroots to determine the outcome of political contests, most notably as when the national balance of power was tipped by Jim Webb's rag-tag army of bloggers and netroots activists who provoked and exposed the gaffe that proved fatal to George Allen's senatorial bid.

Veteran online campaigners Feld and Wilcox recount and analyze many other political campaigns in which netroots activism was decisive or instructive, including:* U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's downfall. *Tim Kaine's election as Virginia govenor. *Howard Dean's and Wes Clark's presidential campaigns. *Ned Lamont's primary victory over Joe Lieberman. The authors conclude with an assessment of the prospects for Netroots 2.0: Will the netroots hordes crash the party or will they work out an uneasy cohabitation with the traditional party power elite? The foreword is written by Markos (Kos) Moulitsas Zuniga, founding editor of the world's biggest political blog, Daily Kos.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Netroots Rising examines a small window of time when a few young guys with basic computer skills stumbled upon a new way to communicate and organize. The Internet is no longer the home of amateurs, and the Netroots have not yet settled upon a new cause or a new candidate. Netroots Rising provides an account not only of the rise of the Netroots, but, perhaps, also their fall."

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Political Communication

"These two Democratic political consultants offer a rich, even gripping narrative, well sourced, of our century's transformation in political engagement by means of netroots. The Deaniacs, the draft Clark effort, the campaign against Tom DeLay, and Jim Webb's unlikely victory (Feld coordinated Webb's online fundraising) are among the stories told here. Feld and Wilcox are not sure what the future holds for the netroots phenomenon, but their book has long-term value for large public and undergraduate libraries."

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Library Journal, Starred Review

"When Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox speak, political activists everywhere should listen. And luckily for us, they've come together to share their vast online organizing experience….in the splendid Netroots Rising, a chronicle of war stories and lessons learned from the trenches of the nascent online movement. Make no mistake: This book is simply the best account of the origin and mission of the netroots out there, bar none, in any medium….What pushes the book into must read territory for the practical progressive is their interviewing prowess with all manner of people associated with both the netroots and traditional campaigns….The diverse opinions and experience the authors sought out really lend a richness to this book……..Netroots Rising is a tour de force--comprehensive and interesting, full of character, personality, passion and commitment….a concrete resistance to mass media passivity that cannot be more strongly recommended."

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American Nonsense/Daily Kos (http://americannonsense.com) (http://www.dailykos.

"Their survey offers insider and first-hand accounts of the power of the netroots to determine political outcomes and also offers chapters covering how activists build movements and insiders kill them and how the passage of time affects political and internet movements. A must for not only computer libraries, but any collection strong in social sciences."

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Midwest Book Review/The Bookwatch

"…it does an excellent job of explaining how the bloggers and other online activists came to play an increasingly important role in American politics…Democrats will love this book, but there is much here for everyone interested in political communications…Netroots Rising is a fascinating book written in an easy-to-read journalistic style. This would be an engaging book to assign in a political communication class. Just as interesting as the information this book provides, however, are the questions it raises but leaves for others to answer."

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Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

Review

"Blogs have changed the dynamics of campaigns forever in just a few short years, and they've opened up politics to a whole new wave of grassroots activists. Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox take us behind the scenes of this new phenomenon, revealing the virtues and, yes, the vices of the blogosphere in some of the hottest contests in recent elections. One thing's for sure: politics will never be the same, and people who don't have a handle on blogs won't understand the campaigns of the future."

(

Larry J. Sabato, Director, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

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See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; First Edition edition (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313346607
• ISBN-13: 978-0313346606
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,448,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating window into new media politics--penned by two of the best, July 13, 2008

By 

Jeffrey Feldman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netroots Rising: How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists Is Changing American Politics (Hardcover)

For people involved in the tsunami of online political activism over the past five years (a.k.a. 'The Netroots'), Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox are household names, and reading through their fascinating new book, *Netroots Rising*, reveals exactly why that is. Part social history, part activist manual, part political biography, *Netroots Rising* is--at its core--a first-hand description of the 2006 Virginia Senate race, wherein the Democratic Party candidate Jim Webb out hustled and out smarted the incumbent Republican George Allen, thereby giving delivering a new Democratic majority in the Senate. If ever there was an election tale that could make even the most disengaged reader jump out of their chair and shout, the 2006 Virginia Senate race was it. *Netroots Rising* is a perfect case study for college courses and field trainers alike. But what makes the book so rewarding to read, however, is more than just the tale from the trail. It is the masterful way Feld and Wilcox put their experiences in Virginia in the big-picture context of a shifting reality in American electoral politics. Insiders will relish the chance to read Feld and Wilcox' version of 'L'Affaire Macaca'--wherein George Allen insulted a Webb field staffer with an obscure, but well-documented, racial slur. Newcomers to the netroots will devour the brilliant genealogy of online politics that Feld and Wilcox lay out starting from the presidential bid of Gov. Howard Dean. In the end, Feld and Wilcox walk their reader from an election culture of flipping pancakes and soulless media buys purchased by shadowy consultants, to a brave new world of open-source campaigning, tech-savvy staffers, and engaged citizen journalists who take on the most powerful politicians with little more than a hand-held video camera, a laptop computer, and a fearless turn-of-phrase. Want to know how U.S. politics changed over the past five years, who changed it, and how you can join the fun? Stop listening to the pundit-rubes who litter the 24/7 network and cable shows and pick up a copy of *Netroots Rising*. And while you're at it: buy a few copies for your friends and family, too.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Progressive Blogs Transform Political Landscape!, July 7, 2008

By 

Peter F. Rousselot (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Netroots Rising: How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists Is Changing American Politics (Hardcover)

The American political landscape has been irrevocably altered by the rise of progressive bloggers and online activists. In Netroots Rising, Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox have provided a gripping insiders account of this phenomenon. Every campaign manager and Party Chair in America needs to read this book.
Peter Rousselot ,Chair, Arlington County Virginia Democratic Committee

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sign me up, August 16, 2008

By 

Andrew R. Wright (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Netroots Rising: How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists Is Changing American Politics (Hardcover)

This book analyzes, through narrative, anecdote and commentary, the convergence of grassroots organizing/activism with the decentralized power of mass communication available through the internet. The stories are great and provide a unique perspective on recent political events. More significant perhaps is the identification of this emerging reality for political campaigns at all levels -- the reality of a newly democratic process, of citizen activism making a difference. The issues involved are reminiscent of the growth in community organizing in recent years through organizations such as the IAF.

By the end of the book, I had a renewed sense of possibility, if not hope, for local political activism. Perhaps citizens can influence candidates, campaigns, and, ultimately, policy. Now that sounds interesting; sign me up.