The political playing field has been leveled and we have the Internet to thank

Could a more responsive and interactive form of media such as the internet really alter the political outcome of America? I happen to think it can. We live in a world where politicians treat politics as some sort of strategical power game instead of a device to uphold what is best for America it seems. The pollution from the tailpipes of our cars is killing us through wars and natural disasters, so why can't better legislation be passed to efficiently mitigate the problem? Unfortunately the companies that are staying afloat by holding on to the likes of the Dodge Ram and GMC Yukon were the ones who gave a boost to the the politicians who are standing in the way of progress for emissions and fuel efficiency.
If these politicians were truly savvy, they would realize that the internet holds a dear spot in the hearts of modern American media users and that it is not outrageously expensive to use it as a pillar of platform conveyance for their campaign. Take one look at this country's national debt or its crumbling Social Security plan and consider how bad the younger generations will have it in the future. Does it really make sense that 80 year olds are demanding and then getting the newest and most expensive health services and products and that the younger generation gets footed with the bill for it? Well, it would if they got all of the same benefits when they become senior citizens.
Somewhere along the line politicians allowed the current situation to happen, the situation where young people pay for social security but will never get to benefit from it. The politicians allowed this to happen for what it is in my opinion a selfish but perhaps necessary reason; old people vote while young people tend not to. Just imagine how much more attentive politicians would be to younger people if they all voted and imagine if these young people were excited to vote through the internet.
Yochai Benkler criticizes the one-sided dynamics of mass media. I feel that his ideas about news shows and newspapers being too un-diversified in opinion and too reluctant to showcase less sexy, yet important stories is spot on. The depth of internet content isn't restrained to the "lowest common denominator" nor does it all have to fit on a single page or into a half an hour TV slot. Because mass media does have to be centralized to accommodate all of these things while also worrying about the reputation and popularity of the news carrier, it will never be able to go into detail about both sides of a story or the complicated macro and micro implications of certain stories. The ability for the voting public to be able to easily juxtapose contrasting views about relevant political stories and then to analyze them in great detail if they wish is critical to a fair voting process. Fox news a classic example of a very biased news program that aims its sights at what Benkler calls the lowest common denominator. When the political mud-flinging starts it is unfair that Fox news, the public's vehicle of insight into the political workings of our government, backs one candidate or party more than the other. This is the reason why people vote for the wrong reasons, it is because the wrong reasons are fed to them over biased news networks. The internet tends to level the playing fields as was recently proven with the Mark Foley sex/E-mail scandal. The internet allows people to decide for themselves the important reasons to vote a certain way instead of having to wait for a centralized and often governmentally associated network to tell them.
The internet gives the public the means to make vastly more informed political decisions if they choose to exploit it to its full potential. Hopefully this will result in the getting the most competent leaders making decisions that affect us all fairly. All of the special interest groups that have learned to magnetize political decisions away from what is right and good for America had better watch out. The internet is here and the truths about our government, the economy, and our international endeavors are available for all to see. -John