Time was, a politician could act in a manner unbecoming a public official in the presence of an average (non-journalist) citizen, and chances were it would never become a story. Even if it did, it could take years to become common knowledge. And I’m not even talking about the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley — I’m talking about road safety in Texas. Just a few hours ago, a contributor to the Forumopolis message boards shared this charming story:
I was at work today, riding my bike toward some building on Lavaca and 15th. I had just made a delivery at Austin city hall, so I just rode Lavaca up north. Now, the Governor’s mansion is on Lavaca, and as I rode past, this limo parked on the side of the road opened it’s door right in front of me. So, I doored the limo, flew off the bike and skidded for a small bit (that God I wore a helmet today). I then got up, grabbed the bike and went to tell the guy, that I’m fine, don’t worry about it, and just please be more careful. Then Rick Perry got out of the limo, “hey, watch where you’re going!”
This story may or may not be true, and it may or may not get wider attention, but it does illustrate how average individuals can leverage the Internet to get back at politicians who previously might’ve been untouchable.
Among many possible examples, one is John Kerry. As far as I know, nobody has ever nailed down an instance of him pulling a DYKWIA on the people of Massachusetts, though the rumors have circulated for years. He’s probably lucky the blogosphere has only been around for a fraction of his political career, although unfortunately for him, when it really counted, it was.