McCainPedia: Boon or Bust for John McCain?

The Democratic National Committee has just released a new website called McCainPedia.org, a website that the Democrats have launched to allow people to upload and share videos, blogs, and flyers about the Arizona senator who is the presumptive Republican nominee.

According to the DNC's website, DNC chair Howard Dean says McCainPedia is being provided as a forum to allow anybody to have their say on McCain and give him more "transparency." However, it is also stated on the DNC's website that McCainPedia will give the public information and insight on McCain to be used and shared as the public chooses.

Will McCainPedia Hurt...or Help...John McCain?

While McCainPedia will certainly be used as an effort to show McCain in an unflattering light, it is also quite possible that McCainPedia may wind up actually doing more good than harm to Senator McCain.

With an open policy and the ability to use McCainPedia anyway users choose, the website may draw many McCain supporters who will upload videos, write blogs, and share information that will support McCain and his campaign. Will the pro-McCain material on McCainPedia actually compete with the anti-McCain material? It is possible.

The question is, how will the DNC monitor McCainPedia? The fact that the DNC says users may submit whatever they like on McCain suggests they will not remove material on McCain which may be deemed as to warm to the Republican. However, this has yet to be seen, and there is no indication on the DNC website to suggest what type of submission policies McCainPedia will have.

McCainPedia will likely draw submissions from thousands of people (many of them under 40) who will slam McCain. However, it is also very possible that McCainPedia will attract many followers among the McCain camp to upload submissions, blogs, and material that will show McCain in a positive light, possibly drowning out much of the content which will more than likely be detrimental to the McCain campaign.