...for decades, presidential campaigns have been the exclusive province of a small bevy of ad makers and strategists who profited from the illusion that they, and only they, could foresee the electorate’s every reaction to everything. The results of that period are now in: a marked decline in voter participation, an uptick in cynicism toward public service and a heap of critical policy challenges that have gone unaddressed.
The print edition continues this thought:
So you're running for president? That's terrific. As you know, the New York Times Editorial Board is involved in a project along with the nonpartisan group techPresident to use the Internet to expand voter participation in the 2008 presidential campaign. In the last two months, citizens posted video questions aimed directly at all the candidates. Then they voted to select the best questions (see www.10questions.com). And now the candidates have begun posting their video answers. We hope those candidates who haven't responded can find time before Dec. 15 to take this opportunity to a) listen to citizens asking unmoderated questions and b) speak directly to those citizens. To join in, please visit techPresident.com or 10Questions.com.
