Sarkasmer om en trots allt bra valrörelse

Det finns mycket att säga om gårdagens val till EU-parlamentet: varför går det inte att höja valdeltagandet, varför går de högerextrema framåt och socialisterna bakåt, har parlamentet en permanent högermajoritet, är det svenska Piratpartiet början på en trend som kommer att sprida sig till andra delar av unionen?

I en debattartikel på Expressen.se idag nöjer jag mig med att fälla några ironiska kommentarer om de politiska partiernas problem med att hitta rätt ton i användningen av sociala medier i valkampanjer och förklarar varför: man förstår inte vilken målgrupp man har.

Mitt ursprungliga inlägg var fullt av hyperlänkar, men debattredaktionen valde att ta bort dem. Oklart varför. Kanske för att den lever på 90-talet.

Om valrörelsen i Sverige bör dock sägas att det var den mest intressanta någonsin i svensk EU-valshistoria, med en högre temperatur och mer engagemang från partierna och medierna, vilket ledde till ett ökat valdeltagande. Intressant för nästa års riksdagsval är hur det kommer att gå för Piratpartiet, Feministiskt initiativ och Sverigedemokraterna. Mitt tips: inte alls.

Obama campaign continues in White House

Obama won and the turnout was probably around 64 %, which is the best result in decades, but still a bit low comparing with, you know, like, umm, Scandinavia.

The important part is that 64 % still are historic numbers in a U.S. context, and it's a proof of the energizing power that especially the Obama campaign had on voters. Tens of thousands of pages will be written about this campaign, and I will probably add to them.

For now, I am satisified with learning that Obama apparently will try to use the powerful network that his campaign built in taking over the administration. Via Politics Online and the BBC I learn that Obama is using a new website, change.gov, as a hub for continuing his successful web strategy.

There's a blog with updates, information on policy areas, an invitation to share thoughts with the new administration, and even job application forms. I don't know whether the new Obama administration is going to actually listen or if it's a brilliant illusion, but I do like the look of it.

In order to retain the enormous goodwill he got during his campaign, Obama must show that his talk of change and inclusion was not a campaign phenomenon only. If he wants to be re-elected, an eternal campaign is his best option.

I predict that this new form for e-government (or trick, depending on how cynical you are) will be copied as well as other parts of the campaign in various parts of the world in the years to come.

And speaking of copying, people in the Republican Party are also calling for change.

OK, so he won, but what's the turnout?

Tonight and early tomorrow I team up with a few expat Americans and Amero-manic Swedes to talk politics, drink American beer and wait for the results.

I hope Obama will win, I think he will, but one of the things I'm most interesting in finding out is what effect this long, dollar-drenched, ingeniously organised, media-hyped, social media-driven campaign has on voter turnout.

Young people? Poor people? Minorities? And, depending on what numbers we will see tomorrow - 50 %, 60 %, 70 % - I have a few recommendations for European political parties. Even if turnout is generally higher than in U.S. elections (in the Swedish parliamentary election in 2006 it was 82 %) there is always a danger in letting voters become disinterested.

Especially the Obama campaign, whith its caleidoskopic array of techniques for organising volunteers and contacting voters, will serve as a source of inspiration.

I'll get back to you on that. For now, an interesting way of self-promotion: