Online Venture Seeks To Elevate the Debate

[DoYouEverWonder]

July 12, 2006

A group of political strategists who have spent years firing heavy artillery at each other came together at the Hay-Adams Hotel yesterday, put aside their weapons, decried the polarized state of debate in America and vowed a new approach to peaceful coexistence.

Toward that end, they are launching a Web site that they hope will eventually reach 30 million opinion leaders, elevate public discussion on matters from politics to sports to culture and, in the process, make them some money.

Mark McKinnon and Matthew Dowd, who were senior advisers in President Bush's last two campaigns, are joining forces with Joe Lockhart, who served as a spokesman for President Bill Clinton, and Carter Eskew, a top strategist in Al Gore's presidential campaign, in creating what they have dubbed HotSoup.com.

<snip>

They envision a high-toned conversation on the site, buttressed by plenty of video and interactive message boards. But they had no ready answer for how to prevent the online debate from turning shrill and partisan. Savarino said users will be able to rank the quality of the postings, much like customer ratings on Amazon.com.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101104.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. I predict...

That within 2 months this will be nothing more than a war board with failed good intentions.

[rosesaylavee]

2. Ditto.

I am not clear how having another forum for discussion will resolve the deep divisions between the 77% and the nutty 23.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. If it's moderated correctly

it could work. But from reading the articles I don't these guys have a clue.

[BeFree]

3. Cool

Lets rock! The exposure of the 23% backwashians will be enlightening. True, it may not last, it may turn into trash, but it will expose them at last.

We can look it over and reply to them from here and we will be read. Its all quite democratic and has been too long in coming. I would suggest they take clues from how DU is operated... Skinner, et al, did invent a new wheel, eh?

[Demit]

5. "There's a gaping need to connect with other people" --???

That wheel has been invented already, guys, and has been in use by numerous websites, including this one, for oh, five years now? What gap do these johnny-come-latelys they think they are filling? Could it be--oops, sorry to sound so cynical, but at least I'm not using profanity--what one of these guys says at the end of the article about the reason for their venture: "People are now turning to each other for guidance on what to buy..." Sounds pretty ungroundbreaking to me.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. The Center-Right and the Right battle it out.

:boring:

[bemildred]

7. Ditto that. nt

[Virginian]

8. Another freeperville launched -- with a twist.

This one will initially have opposing opinions to shout down.

Invite the sacrificial lambs. There will be lambchops for all freepers shortly.