奥巴马竞选策略调整不得人心

    我想问奥巴马总统的竞选连任班子一个问题。它关系到今年选举的结果：如何重拾“我们”的支持？

    我们都记得很清楚，奥巴马在上次大选中如何开辟新天地，将社交媒体打造成强大的政治武器。奥巴马的竞选班子创建了一个开放的网络平台MyBarackObama.com，为支持者提供工具进行自我组织，建立社区，筹集资金，引导大众在投票之外，还积极地支持奥巴马的竞选。1,300万支持者通过互联网相互联系，形成一股前所未有的力量，为着共同的目标努力：把奥巴马送上总统宝座。

    当他们高呼“我们做得到”，那不仅仅是对未来的美好期望，更是集体力量的自信宣言。他们从不原地待命，他们积极参与，呼朋唤友，关注热点，群策群力，各尽所能。“我们”的力量令人叹为观止，“我们”不仅仅唤起大众的期望，也为传统的当地竞选活动筹集了前所未有的巨量资金。

    但这一次，奥巴马竞选班子摒弃了“我们做得到”，代之以新的策略“我们了解你”。

    民主党投巨资于所谓的“大数据”，试图了解每个支持者的日常行为。大数据允许公司以及政治运动去探查和分析关于人们的一切：朋友圈子、消费习惯、参与活动的类型和时间、关注的话题。据说他们可以利用这些信息更加精确地发送电子邮件，或者发现吸引参与活动、捐献资金的触发点。

    但是大众的力量何在？“我们”何在？2008年胜选之后“我们”就杳无音讯了。安德鲁•拉希奇是追踪技术与政治交叉领域的组织“个人民主媒体”（Personal Democracy Media）的创始人，他抱怨说：“他们建立了总统竞选历史上最大的在线社区，胜选后却对该社区不闻不问”，直到最近才想起来打电话，但目的也只是为了索取献金。

    奥巴马也曾尝试做第一个互联网总统，他发布Twitter信息，撰写博客，举行网络版的市民大会。他还发起开放政府运动，目的就是为了削减特殊利益团体的影响力，让公众在与其生活息息相关的决定中拥有更大的话语权。和全球其它政府相比，美国政府算是政务公开的标杆了。

    Here's a question for President Barack Obama's re-election team. It could influence the outcome of this year's election: How do they get the "we" back?

    We all remember how Obama broke new ground in the 2008 campaign by using social media as a powerful political tool. Obama's campaign created an expansive Internet platform, MyBarackObama.com, that gave supporters tools to organize themselves, create communities, raise money and induce people to not only to vote but to actively support the Obama campaign. What emerged was an unprecedented force, 13 million supporters connected to one another over the Internet, all driving toward one goal, the election of Obama.

    When they chanted "Yes We Can," it wasn't just a message of hope for the future; it was a confirmation statement of collective power. They weren't waiting to be told what to do; they were actively engaged, calling friends to come to events, to learn what was at stake, contribute ideas, and help out in some way. The power of "we" was awesome to behold. The "we" not only raised hope for people; it raised unprecedented sums of money for the old-fashioned campaign on the ground.

    But this time, "Yes We Can" has been replaced by a new modus operandi for the Obama campaign: "We know you."

    The Democrats are investing heavily in so-called Big Data to give them significant new insights into the everyday behavior of each one of their supporters. Big Data allows companies, or political campaigns, to probe and analyze information about you -- your friends, your shopping habits, what type of events you go to and when, what issues you care about. With this information, they can presumably be more accurate in sending messages out over email, or in identifying the trigger points that send you to events and get you to donate money.

    But whatever happened to power of the people? Whatever happened to the "we"? We haven't heard about it since the 2008 victory. "They built the largest online community in the history of the presidency," says Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Media, which tracks the intersection of technology and politics. "But then they stopped talking to them and engaging them" -- that is, until they called in recently with a pitch for money.

    Obama did make some efforts to be the first Internet president, with a Twitter feed, a blog, and the Internet version of the traditional town hall. He launched an open government initiative with the aim of cutting the influence of special interests and giving the public more influence over decisions that affect their lives. Compared with other governments around the world, the U.S. government sets the gold standard for openness.