Do politicians really get the Internet? Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt doesn't think so. Although they understand that it is an important vehicle for getting the message out and mobilizing voters, he believes that's where it ends. "Many of the politicians don't actually understand the phenomenon of the Internet very well," Schmidt told the Financial Times.

Google's CEO sees the Internet as an important tool in empowering voters by giving them unprecedented power to check up on politicians. Within five years, Schmidt believes, Google or someone else will come out with "truth predictor" software that would give voters insight into whether statements made by politicians were accurate by comparing their statements to historical data. "One of my messages [to UK Conservative Party members] is to think about having every one of your voters online all the time, inputting 'is this true or false?'" said Schmidt.

Having wireless fact-checking hardware at a press conference buzzing loudly when a politician starts slinging mud or is cutting loose with the hyperbole sounds fantastic. It would definitely cause politicians to be more careful about what they say, but would it really make that much of a difference?

The Internet already plays a role in politics. Late last year, the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California released a study focused on the Internet and politics. Almost 40 percent of the respondents felt that the Internet provided them with more influence in the poliltical arena. 61.7 percent believed that the Internet is a big part of campaigns.

Anyone wanting to do some fact-checking on what a politician says or has said need only head to his or her favorite search engine or to sites like FactCheck.org. In the study mentioned above, Jeffery I. Cole, director of the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future, noted that the Internet "can be used just as easily for responsible campaiging or as a platform for political mischief and miscommunication." That is the case today, and there are also a large number of blogs and other sites devoted to tracking political utterances and pointing out mistakes and outright liesusually those uttered by members of another party.

The larger issue is the degree to which the electorate really cares about facts. Sometimes the truth is unpleasant and makes us uncomfortable, and voters don't want to be reminded of it. Instead, they would rather hear half-truths, spin, and grand visions for how things could be one day if they just voted for Candidate X.

When the true Parliament of Whores is the entire electorate, "truth predictors" may not be much help to anyone.

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