Why I like the Electoral College:

Why I like the Electoral College:

A national recount would be impossible. In 1960, 1968, 1976, 2000, and maybe 2012, there would have been screams and cries from the losers for a national recount. If we can barely recount Florida today , how could we recount the whole nation? 

The EC has worked fine since 1789, and has always provided a smooth transition of power. Never assume that is a given. 

No major democracy has a full direct election of the Commander-in-Chief, b/c it breeds revolutions .

If it is not broken , do not fix it .

-------------------------------------------------

a Strong Intellectual Democrat with Charisma will most always beat ANY Republican anytime for POTUS. Americans like smart Dems.

Notice how democrat presidents are always smart, well educated and w/fairly stable intellects: FDR, JFK, Carter, Clinton, Obama.

While of GOPs ones,, Nixon , was the very smartest by far - (as opposed to Reagan , and the two Bush-s )- and Nixon went crazy.

A Smart Charismatic Democrat candidate for Potus --those being FDR, JFK, Carter, Clinton Obama - win potus elections 9 to 1. <

Means that a Strong Intellectual Democrat with Charisma will most always beat ANY Republican anytime for POTUS. Americans like smart Dems. (JFK v Nixon: prime example. Maybe the 2 most dynamic politicians of the 20th Cent.)

Wet democrat rags like Kerry, Mondale [and as Carter became in 1980,] loose.

Humphrey & Gore, just barely lost , but again they do not quite fit the mold of being both very smart AND very charismatic, which just strengthens my point.

Obama is not Carter as much as the GOP would like to think he is, and Mitt Romney's rag is soaking up more water everyday, imho.

As LBJ and Truman fell into potus , and were not first elected, i did not count them in here above>> but either way, both won re-elect.

McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry they all lacked the great charisma factor, nor were they at the education / intellect level of FDR, JFK, Carter, Clinton, Obama::: Stevenson was smart had good charisma , but not great charisma , and he was against General DDE a war hero , & after 16 years of a Democrat POTUS>> Stevenson was just doomed. :: As far as Humphrey, had charisma but not a Rhodes scholar or Editor of Harvard Law Review type. And it still took a smart charismatic Nixon to beat HHH, and just barely.

Obama fits the mold of "Smart AND Charismatic Democrat" 110%, while Mitt Romney is a wet GOP rag.  Much like John McCain became in 2008. 

WATCH: FDR 1936 Speech during his 1st re-elect:. Perfect 4 tday, History repeats: via MSNBC:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"Online Data Helping Campaigns Customize Ads"

~~Very TechoPolitical ~ 

By TANZINA VEGA

Published: February 20, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/us/politics/campaigns-use-microtargeting-to-attract-supporters.html?hp
Political campaigns, which have borrowed tricks from Madison Avenue for decades, are now fully engaged on the latest technological frontier in advertising: aiming specific ads at potential supporters based on where they live, the Web sites they visit and their voting records.

#SPOCK2016

Techno Politics in Presidential Campaigning

~~Seems interesting ,,
Click here for my take on this ~
~~ TP

Techno Politics in Presidential Campaigning
New Voices, New Technologies, and New Voters
Edited by John Allen Hendricks, Lynda Lee Kaid

* Price: $49.95
* Binding/Format: Paperback
* ISBN: 978-0-415-87979-8
* Publish Date: November 10th 2010
* Imprint: Routledge
* Pages: 324 pages
* http://routledge-ny.com/books/details/9780415879798/

Control of Cybersecurity Becomes Divisive Issue

~~ "Control of Cybersecurity"
was Not a big Issue during the 2008 elections.
It is now .
Life is full of surprises.
====================================

Control of Cybersecurity Becomes Divisive Issue
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=355988&f=77

By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU

Published: April 17, 2009

WASHINGTON - The National Security Agency has been campaigning to lead the government's rapidly growing cybersecurity programs, raising privacy and civil liberties concerns among some officials who fear that the move could give the spy agency too much control over government computer networks.

The Obama administration is expected to complete an internal cybersecurity review on Friday and may publicly announce its new computer-security strategy as early as next week, White House officials said Thursday. That plan will determine the scope of cybersecurity efforts throughout the federal government, they said, as well as which agencies will take leading roles in protecting the government's computer systems.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=355988&f=77

My Full Resume

EDUCATION:

1998-2003: Yeshiva University, New York, NY. Political Science Major. Writing Arts Minor. B.A., January 2003.

1995-1998: Rabbinical College of America, Morristown, New Jersey. Judaic Studies B.A., August 1998.

WORK HISTORY:

2007: Washington Heights-Inwood Coalition. 652 West 187^th Street, New York, NY 10033

Grant Proposal and General Document Editing. Casework database management Varied administrative duties as needed.

2001-2005: Thomas Publishing Company. 5 Penn Plaza. New York , New York 10001 http://www.thomaspublishing.com/

Marketing of Web Content , E-commerce Programs , and B2B Industrial Advertising.

2000: Nachas Healthnet Incorporated. Brooklyn, NY 11219.

Development Consultant. Thoroughly audited and critically examined all organizational Development, Media, Publicity and Outreach programs. Adapted and implemented restructuring of procedures. Provided relevant re-training to all executive and program staff.

1999: Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center, Bronx, NY

Assistant Chaplain. Conducted assessments of residents in accordance with State and industry standards.

1995-1998: Rabbinical College of America, Morristown, New Jersey. http://www.rca.edu/

‘Special Assistant for Student Affairs’ to President of the College. Student Administrator of Federal Work Study Program. New Student Orientation.

1995: The Brotherhood Synagogue, Gramercy Park South, New York, NY.

Staff Archivist for Rabbi Emeritus and Founder , Rabbi Irving J. Block. Organized and classified all career records. Facilitated research for published memoirs: “A Rabbi and His Dream” (KTAV 1999). http://www.brotherhoodsynagogue.org

1992-1995: New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) / Straphangers Campaign, New York, NY.

Development and Outreach Organizer. NYPIRG Telephone Outreach Project: Ongoing training and orientation all new and novice staff for the mobilizing of NYPIRG’s 70,000 members to participate in various legislative initiatives and/or funding them. Also involved as needed in other NYPIRG campaigns: Voter Registration, Childhood Lead Poisoning, Recycle First. May 1992- June 1993: NYPIRG Fuel Buyers Group: Liaison between members and fuel companies providing Group discount. Securing renewals &. new members www.nypirg.org

1991-1992: Environmental Planning Lobby (EPL), Albany & Westbury, NY.

Development and Outreach Director for Downstate NY. Implemented major expansion of EPL membership base in key legislative districts of New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. General supervision, hiring, and training of all downstate staff. http://www.eany.org/

1986-1991: GREENPEACE U.S.A, New York, NY,

1990-91: Administrative Director and Media Liaison for NYC Metro Area. Site Supervisor and Police & Media Liaison for all Greenpeace demonstrations staged by NYC office. Oversight of Development Programs for NYC Metro Area. General supervision of 40 member fundraising staff. Liaison to various police and town officials and other groups regarding outreach schedule. Hiring & training of all staff. 1986-90: Field Manager for outreach & fundraising crews and NYC Metro Media Liaison. www.greenpeace.org

1983-1986: New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) / Straphangers Campaign, New York, NY.

1985-1986: Front Desk & Continuity. Membership & Circulation Director for NYPIRG’s news bi-monthly. Office Manager for 17-office statewide outreach program. 1983-85: Canvasser in outreach/fundraising program. www.nypirg.org

Community Organizing Experience:

1990-1995: George Washington Tenants Association, 23 Lexington Avenue, Gramercy Park, New York.

Founding Member and Communications Chair. Tenant action was catalyst of a landmark New York State Court of Appeals ruling that placed New York City real estate brokerage firm advertisements under the domain of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. Organized successful rent action of 200 plus tenants.

Political and Campaign Experience:

1992: Democratic National Convention (DNC), New York City. DNC Press Office Staffmember.

1989: Ruth Messinger for Manhattan Borough President. Various campaign activities.

1988: Senator Paul Simon (Dem.-Ill.) for President, New York, NY. Staff member & Office Manager.

1986: Mark Green for United States Senate. Staff member. Front Desk and Continuity.

==================e -------n ----D

Q: "Internet Injects Sweeping Change Into U.S. Politics ? A: " NO !!

~~ Yes the Internet is becoming part of the political campaign arsenals.
But has the internet produced better candidates or any major shifts in power ?

It is still the democrats and republicans.
The medium may be new but the players are the same.
Not only the mega- political players,
but the mega- media players too are the same .
In the end the Internet has re-enforced the status quo. See here for more .

Yes Blogs have some impact, but it is still the mega-media that makes "what is news" , so there too , the Internet has done little to tilt the power center.

The hope of the Digital Age was that people would produce a better, a fairer and more representative government through cyber involvment.

Well the Internet is only really 10 years old, so maybe there is still hope.


~~ technopolitical
-----------------------------------

Internet Injects Sweeping Change Into U.S. Politics - New York Times:
April 2, 2006
Internet Injects Sweeping Change Into U.S. Politics
By ADAM NAGOURNEY

"The percentage of Americans who went online for election news jumped from 13 percent in the 2002 election cycle to 29 percent in 2004, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center after the last presidential election. A Pew survey released earlier this month found that 50 million Americans go to the Internet for news every day, up from 27 million people in March 2002, a reflection of the fact that the Internet is now available to 70 percent of Americans.

This means, aides said, rethinking every assumption about running a campaign: how to reach different segments of voters, how to get voters to the polls, how to raise money, and the best way to have a candidate interact with the public. In 2004, John Edwards, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina and his party's vice presidential candidate, spent much of his time talking to voters in living rooms in New Hampshire and Iowa; now he is putting aside hours every week to videotape responses to videotaped questions, the entire exchange posted on his blog.

'The effect of the Internet on politics will be every bit as transformational as television was,' said Ken Mehlman, the Republican national chairman. 'If you want to get your message out, the old way of paying someone to" {end quote]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/washington/02campaign.html?hp&ex=1143954000&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;en=003299f756f21d88&ei=5094&partner=homepage
-

During the 2004 Election Cycle, Internet & digital became more embedded..... Howard Dean raised $$ , but still lost the nomination to Kerry.

During the 2004 Election Cycle, the Internet & digital tech

toys became more embedded into election campaign

arsenals.

Howard Dean raised $ on the Internet like no one before,

---and certainly helped to set the stage for Team Obama's masterful TechnoPolitical triumph in 2008---

but still,

in 2004 Gov. Dean lost the

Democratic nomination to John Kerry.

~tp

------------------------------------

Friday, June 20, 2003

Democrats vie in Internet 'primary'

Democrats vie in Internet 'primary'

By Tom Curry, MSNBC
Fri, 20 Jun 2003

Some activists smell something fishy about next week's Web-based "primary" to test the early strength of Democratic presidential contenders. While a number of the candidates are urging their supporters to vote in the Moveon.org event, some strategists see it as skewed toward Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who shares the group's antiwar views. "It appears to be rigged," said Erik Smith, a spokesman for Rep. Dick Gephardt's campaign.

"Blogs and text messages spread call to violence - Europe - International Herald Tribune"

~~~ The Internet seems to be perfect place for Anarchists to organize. { Yes, I know if they are "organized", then they can't truely be anarchists. But try to tell them that. }

The Republicans in the USA also use the internet much better than the Democrats in elections , with the GOP having larger email lists , , and more donations via the net.

This led to
a Republican base turn-out in the 2004 Presidental race that trumped the Democrats -- whose urban base failed to turn out .

Maybe the Democrats could hire the guys now running the tech-side of the Paris Ghetto Riots of 2005 .....

..... and put them in the voter-turnout "war-room" for next year's 2006 mid-term Congresional elections.

~~ `~~ TechnoPolitical ~~

------------------------------------

"PARIS The banners and bullhorns of protest are being replaced in volatile French neighborhoods by mobile phone messages and Skyblog, a Web site hosting messages inflammatory enough ..........."

from :
Blogs and text messages spread call to violence
- Europe - International Herald Tribune:
By Thomas Crampton International Herald Tribune

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2005

President Bush's Walkabout - New York Times

~ ~ Pretty heavy words from the NY Times editorial page.

I really do not like agreeing with NYT's editorials. Doing so often leaves me haunted that I may be mis-informed on the issue at hand.

But in this case, there is no mistake -- the Bush Presidency is a ticking time bomb of more disasters.

We are in a war that seems to have been engineered from even before Bush II took office. { I saw Jimmy Carter say that on TV , to promote his new book .}

A very serious change of both staff & policy is needed from the Oval Office before there are more wars & ill-handled natural disasters..

May G-d help America !!~~ ` TP
-----------------------------------------------------------

"After President Bush's disastrous visit to Latin America, it's unnerving to realize that his presidency still has more than three years to run."

"An administration with no agenda and no competence would be hard enough to live with on the domestic front.

But the rest of the world simply can't afford an American government this bad for that long."

========================================

from :

President Bush's Walkabout - New York Times:

"Published: November 8, 2005

Could blogs trump stumping in Iowa? | csmonitor.com

~~ No !!!!

Handshakes, kissing babies ,, and meet face to face with the Big $$$$, will ALWAYS win elections.

Internet is not local . All Politics Are Local .

---------------------------

Could blogs trump stumping in Iowa? | csmonitor.com: "The power of the Internet has led the Pew Center's Michael Cornfield and others to say that we should now speak of a much more visible 'virtual primary.'

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R), Sen. Russ Feingold (D) of Wisconsin, Sen. Evan Bayh (D) of Indiana, and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) of New York all blog or occasionally post on prominent blogs.

Senate majority leader Bill Frist just started a blog. Last week House Republicans initiated a 'Capitol Hill Blog Row,' inviting a number of bloggers to meetings and briefings."

CNN.com - Pataki calls for federal probe over audiotapes - Aug 23, 2005

~~~ Just a hunch,, but I think this will torpedo any chance Pataki
had for the 2008 GOP Presidential nod.
{Not that he stood a chance anyway.] ~~ TP

CNN.com - Pataki calls for federal probe over audiotapes - Aug 23, 2005

"Even if these tapes were illegally made -- and we don't know yet that they were -- we believe the Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed our right to publish the contents of the tapes," Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, said in a statement." ~~~ Interesting Point ~~ TP

ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Gov. George Pataki called Monday for a federal investigation after transcripts of taped telephone conversations he had with an aide appeared in a newspaper.

The New York Post reported that the conversations appear to have taken place during Pataki's first term, probably in 1996 and possibly in 1997.

The newspaper said it anonymously received a tape recording of the telephone conversations, which include a former Pataki aide complaining about administration commissioners not hiring the patronage appointees he had recommended to them quickly enough.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Knowing Their Politics by the Software They Us

Mon, 5 Jul 2004

Knowing Their Politics by the Software They Use

By STEVE LOHR

In a campaign season of polarization, when Republicans and Democrats seem far apart on issues like Iraq, the economy and leadership style, it is perhaps not surprising that the parties find themselves on different sides in the politics of software as well.

The Web sites of Senator John Kerry and the Democratic National Committee run mainly on the technology of the computing counterculture: open-source software that is distributed free, and improved and debugged by far-flung networks of programmers.

In the other corner, the Web sites of President Bush and the Republican National Committee run on software supplied by the corporate embodiment of big business - Microsoft.

The two sides are defined largely by their approach to intellectual property. Fans of open-source computing regard its software as a model for the future of business, saying that its underlying principle of collaboration will eventually be used in pharmaceuticals, entertainment and other industries whose products are tightly protected by patents or copyrights.

Many of them propose rewriting intellectual property laws worldwide to limit their scope and duration. The open-source path, they insist, should accelerate the pace of innovation and promote long-term economic growth. Theirs is an argument of efficiency, but also of a reshuffling of corporate wealth.

Microsoft and other American companies, by contrast, have long argued that intellectual property is responsible for any edge the United States has in an increasingly competitive global economy. Craig Mundie, chief technical officer and a senior strategist at Microsoft, observed, "Whether copyrights, patents or trade secrets, it was this foundation in law that made it possible for companies to raise capital, take risks, focus on the long term and create sustainable business models."

The dispute can take on a political flavor at times. David Brunton, who is a founder of Plus Three, a technology and marketing consulting company that has done much of the work on the Democratic and Kerry Web sites, regards open-source software as a technological _expression of his political beliefs. Mr. Brunton, 28, a Harvard graduate, describes himself as a "very left-leaning Democrat." He met his wife, Lina, through politics; she is a staff member at the Democratic National Committee.

His company's client list includes state Democratic parties in Ohio and Missouri, and union groups including the United Federation of Teachers and the parent A.F.L.-C.I.O. "The ethic of open source has pervaded progressive organizations," Mr. Brunton said.

The corporate proponents of strong intellectual property rights say, in essence, that what is good for Microsoft, Merck and Disney is good for America. But they argue as well that the laws that protect them also protect the ideas of upstart innovators. They have made their case forcefully in Washington and before international groups, notably the World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations specialized agency.

"This is a huge ideological debate and it goes way beyond software," said James Love, director of the Consumer Project on Technology, a nonprofit group affiliated with Ralph Nader that advocates less restrictive intellectual property rules.

But the politics surrounding open-source software do not always fit neatly into party categories. The people who work on software like the Linux operating system, the Apache Web server and others are an eclectic bunch of technologists. "You'll find gun nuts along with total lefties," Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, said in an e-mail message.

Still, those who find the cooperative, open-source ethos appealing tend most often to be libertarians, populists and progressives. Not surprisingly, open-source software was well represented in Howard Dean's Democratic presidential primary campaign, which so effectively used the Internet and Web logs in grass-roots organizing.

Those open-source advocates will presumably find Senator Kerry more appealing than President Bush, according to Daniel Weitzner, technology and society director at the World Wide Web Consortium, an Internet standards-setting organization.

"It may be that the populist-versus-establishment dynamic plays out as Democrat versus Republican in this election," Mr. Weitzner said. "But the open-source movement is a populist phenomenon, enabled by the Internet, and not a partisan force in any traditional sense of politics."

The lone trait common to open-source supporters, according to Mr. Torvalds, is individualism. Politically, he said, that can manifest itself as independence from either political party. "But it also shows up as a distrust of big companies," Mr. Torvalds wrote, "so it's not like the individualism is just about politics."

Eric Raymond, a leading open-source advocate, writing in his online "Jargon File," described the politics of the archetypal open-source programmer, whom he calls J. Random Hacker, as "vaguely liberal-moderate, except for the strong libertarian contingent, which rejects conventional left-right politics entirely."

Mr. Raymond, for one, shoots pistols for relaxation (a favorite is "the classic 1911 pattern .45 semiautomatic") and he supported the invasion of Iraq.

So was the software for the Republican and Democratic Web sites selected according to politics?

Microsoft, to be sure, has fared far better under the Bush administration than under the administration of President Bill Clinton. The Clinton Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust suit against Microsoft, and asked that the big software company be broken up. The Bush administration later settled the case and left Microsoft intact.

Referring to the software selection process, Steve Ellis, director of network and online services for the Republican National Committee, said: "There was no pressure. We were free to use whatever software we thought worked best."

The principal consideration, Mr. Ellis said, was computer security and protecting the privacy of personal data on the Web site. The programming tools, procedures and the larger pool of workers skilled in using Microsoft software, he said, prompted the Republicans to opt for Microsoft's Web server, called Internet Information Services, running on the Windows 2000 operating system.

Both the Microsoft Web site software and the open-source alternative, the Apache server running on Linux, have had security problems, said Richard M. Smith, a computer security expert. But the Microsoft software, he said, "clearly is the least secure of the two Web serving solutions," given its susceptibility to infection by malicious computer worms like Code Red and Nimba.

For technology experts, like Mr. Brunton, software may have a political cast. But there is little evidence that it has become an issue for front-office political operatives. Told that the Democratic National Committee Web site runs on open-source software, Tony Welch, the national committee's press secretary, replied, "Oh, thanks for telling me." Later, after checking with his technical staff, Mr. Welch called back to say that open-source software was "the right technology at the right price."

Both the Democratic and Republican sites have done pretty well. Mr. Kerry has raised more than $56 million over the Internet this year, including $3 million last Wednesday, setting a single-day record for online fund-raising. The Republican Web site won an award in March from George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet for the best online campaign by a political party.

"The Web site is a great grass-roots organizing tool, and we've probably just scratched the surface," said Christine Iverson, press secretary for the Republican National Committee.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

"if campaign blogs and meetups and Internet fundraising is so important, how come Howard Dean is sitting on his couch right now?"

QUESTION: The question that's been on our minds recently: if campaign blogs and meetups and Internet fundraising is so important, how come Howard Dean is sitting on his couch right now?"

---------------

MY ANSWER:

That Stupid Shouting incident in IOWA !!! ~~tp

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Howard_Dean:_U.S._presidential_election,_2004

---------

March 04, 2004

NYU Technology & Politics Panel

Gothamist: NYU Technology & Politics Panel

"NYU Business and Law Schools are sponsoring a panel about the impact of technology on the current election cycle. The speakers on the panel include Scott Heiferman, representing meetup.com, and bloggers from the Dean and Clark campaigns, including Nicco Mele and Cam Barrett. If you were a Deaniac (was that ever considered an acceptable term?), you might want to come by, because there are rumors that Zephyr Teachout may make an appearance.

Political parties: In Web we trust

Political parties: In Web we trust
By Lisa M. Bowman
Staff Writer CNET News.com
October 11, 2002, 10:43 AM PT
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-961768.html

Political parties are using the Web more aggressively to reach voters and gather personal information such as e-mail during this election season, an indication of the Internet's growing importance on the campaign scene.

A new study by political consultants PoliticsOnline and RightClick Strategies praised the major political parties for their continuing embracement of the Web as a vehicle for getting their message out. The report examined how official sites of the Republican and Democratic parties are communicating, fund raising and organizing this campaign season.

Researchers found that the Democratic National Committee did a better job of collecting e-mail addresses of voters, but the Republican National Committee excelled in selectively targeting and sending more information to people whose e-mails it had.

However, the study criticized the parties' sites overall for several shortcomings, including not providing search features, being difficult to navigate, and failing to keep their sites fresh.

"With the election approaching, and the political arena a hotbed for news in general, it is not for lack of material that the committees do not provide daily updates to their respective sites," researchers wrote. "It was not uncommon during the course of this study for material on home pages to be more than two weeks old."

The Web has been slowly encroaching upon the political scene since it became a mass medium.

Back in 1996, even the presidential candidates posted little more than political pamphlets on their sites. Things, and fortunes, changed by the 2000 election--which took place amid the backdrop of the go-go dot-com era. Much ballyhooed sites such as Pseudo.com exploded onto the scene, taking their place in political convention skyboxes next to the networks, offering voters features and access only possible via the Web. Citizens could chat with candidates online, get a behind-the-scenes 3D view of political events, and organize real-time get-out-the-vote efforts.

However, many of the sites' political ambitions flamed out soon after they appeared on the scene, their fortunes declining as the dot-com bubble burst. Some even shut their doors before voting day.

Now, with sites such as Pseudo.com little more than a footnote in campaign history books, political consultants are looking back at the era--and examining how the Web has evolved since then--to try to figure out what works.

Campaigns are finding that the Internet provides a more efficient tool to narrowly target voters than television, and the Web can make fund-raising efforts cheaper and easier.

The PoliticsOnline study offered a lengthy list of methods to improve campaign sites. Many of them draw upon the latest Web marketing techniques from the corporate world.

Researchers suggest making it extremely easy for voters to submit their e-mail and other personal information by providing them with sign-in boxes as often as possible. The sites also need to inform voters about the frequency and content of any e-mails they will receive. In addition, the study suggests capturing e-mail address through two tried-and-true features in the corporate word: sweepstakes and the "e-mail to a friend." The study praised the Web as a fund-raising platform, proposing that parties take advantage of the feature by asking for donations on every page.

Researchers also suggest that campaigns personalize communications as much as possible with individually tailored greetings (such as "dear Mrs. Smith") and by letting people sign up for e-mails based on their interests in topics such as the economy or education.

On the content front, the report makes several suggestions for a robust campaign site, including offering television and radio ads for downloads, updating the site frequently, providing links to archival material, and options that make it easy to find personalized information about a candidate such as a calendar of events and a search-by-zip-code feature.

Related News
• Elections group to tackle Net political ads August 27, 2002
  http://news.com.com/2100-1023-955597.html
• A politician in every cell phone August 22, 2002
  http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954903.html
• Free speech or campaign spam? March 4, 2002
  http://news.com.com/2100-1023-851126.html
• Democrats race to catch up to GOP online February 1, 2002
  http://news.com.com/2100-1023-828063.html
• Get this story's "Big Picture"
  http://news.com.com/2104-1023-961768.html

Copyright ©1995-2002 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

During the 2000 Presidential primary season, Senator John McCain's campaign scored a fund-raising coup online

During the 2000 Presidential primary season, Senator John McCain's campaign scored a fund-raising coup online in the wake of his victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary. Team McCain raised about 2 million via his campaign website in the week after his NH primary win.[93] [94] But Senator McCain still lost the nomination to now President George W. Bush.

The Internet and the Future of Presidential Politics

====================

The Digital Tea Leaves of Election 2000:
The Internet and the Future of Presidential Politics

by Don Lewicki and Tim Ziaukas
First Monday, volume 5, number 12 (December 2000),
URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_12/lewicki/index.html

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/818/727

Abstract

While the Internet may not have played the transformational role in the election of the U.S. President in 2000 that some predicted, this new medium of political communications suggested what an Internet-driven transformation in political communications might look like. After setting the stage by discussing the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by Sen. John McCain in the primary campaign, the researchers evaluate the Web sites of four major candidates for President of the United States over the course of the general election. Additionally, this article serves as a digital archive of Web pages caught at what many believe is the nascent stage of what might come to be the dominant medium for political communications in the decades to come.

===========================

e-advocates/Juno Post-Election Review Finds Net Savvy Challengers Defeat Incumbents

~Technopolitical editor's note:~~
~~ In the 2000 Congressional races the Internet played a debatable role in overall election strategies. E-Advocates (a firm that manages online campaigns) and Juno Online Services (hosts of many campaign websites @ www.juno.com ) ---- and who are by no means unbiased observers---- did a post-2000 election study of Congressional candidates and their websites. I want to quote from their finding summary first and then highlight what I see to be the holes in their arguments.

“In Campaign 2000, challengers who won tight congressional races against incumbents also won the battle of the Web, according to a post-election review of congressional candidate Web sites by e-advocates.com and Juno Online Services, Inc. The study found that in the 8 toss-up U.S. House and Senate races where a challenger won, an overwhelming majority – 75 percent – employed a superior Web strategy, as defined by online voters in a February 2000 e-advocates/Juno survey and candidate rankings on top search engines. Additionally, in seven out of the eight races, the winning challenger raised less money than the losing incumbent – an anomaly in the results of all congressional races nationwide”.

It is my firm believe based on experience as a political professional, that core organization of any campaign's staffing and activist base is the most important factor –--even over money--- in any successful election run or lobby-issue crusade. The fact that the less-funded challengers with effective websites fared better than those without effective websites, more than likely means that these campaigns were simply more energetic and better organized to turn out their voting supporters. It is not so much that their website helped them win, but that producing a solid website was reflective of good core organization. Richard Davis correctly asserts that "the Web plainly is less useful than, say, direct mail or newsletters" [102] in getting out information about a campaign and/or candidate. And until the digital divide is completely closed in the USA it will most certainly remain that way.

The message that the Internet can only play a small supporting role in winning election campaigns seems to have registered with Congressional candidates in the upcoming 2002 elections. A study by the Bivings Group shows that as of March 2002 “only 29 percent of Senators and Representatives up for election in 2002, have clearly marked campaign websites.” [103] The same study put Republicans as better equipped in using the Internet to energize their bases, and for adding to those numbers. So as of now the GOP is winning this Cyber-Electioneering arms race and only a post-mortum of the 2002 race will tell if it will also translate into electoral victories.

I do plan to do a follow up when that scorecard is in. For there are on the horizon in this year's 2002 elections several trials of voter-peer-to-peer Cyber-Electioneering [sort of like phone-tress but in cyber-space], and the experimentation with techno-real-time monitoring of voter turnout on election day, possibly enabling elections campaigns to better target election day voter pulls as the day progresses. As we have seen in the 2000 American Presidential elections every vote can count (---unless the Supreme Court says no---) so any cyber-tools that may get you additional votes will eventually find their way into the permanent arsenals of election campaigns. (We will see if any of the above mentioned cyber-electioneering "experiments" become worth writing about after the 2002 election.)

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http://www.findarticles.com/cf_natrvw/m4PRN/2000_Nov_20/67456681/p1/article.jhtml?term=cyberpolitics
Nov 20, 2000

e-advocates/Juno Post-Election Review Finds Net Savvy Challengers Defeat Incumbents.

In Toss-Up Races, Congressional Challengers

Used the Web to Advantage

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ --

In Campaign 2000, challengers who won tight congressional races against incumbents also won the battle of the Web, according to a post-election review of congressional candidate Web sites by e- advocates and Juno Online Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: JWEB).

The study found that in the 8 toss-up U.S. House and Senate races where a challenger won, an overwhelming majority -- 75 percent -- employed a superior Web strategy, as defined by online voters in a February 2000 e-advocates/Juno survey and candidate rankings on top search engines. Additionally, in seven out of the eight races, the winning challenger raised less money than the losing incumbent -- an anomaly in the results of all congressional races nationwide.

Among winning challengers in toss-up House and Senate races, all had Web sites that provided information and features desired by voters online, including issue statements, campaign e-mail addresses, volunteer and online contribution opportunities, and online voter registration capabilities.

. Eighty-eight percent of winning challengers provided issue statements that could provide the basis for voters to compare candidates, a feature desired by 79 percent of Internet users. Sixty-three percent of winning challengers provided campaign e-mail addresses, a feature of interest to 73 percent of Internet users.

All victorious challengers provided Internet users with the ability to volunteer with their campaigns online, a feature identified as important by 13 percent of Internet users, and 88 percent of winning challengers gave Internet users the ability to make campaign contributions online, a feature of interest to 7 percent of Internet users

. Thirty-eight percent of winning challengers offered online voters the ability to register to vote online, a feature of interest to 42 percent of Internet users.

"Today's savvy candidates aren't just going door-to-door, they're connecting with voters desktop to desktop," said Pam Fielding, principal, e- advocates. "With 59 percent of U.S. adults now online, no candidate in a tight race can afford to ignore the Web -- or the needs of e-voters," said Nicole Duritz, also a principal, e-advocates.

The firms also tested the ranking of candidate sites with top search engines -- an important strategy for campaigns to connect with online voters.
The search engine test found that 75 percent of winning challengers in tight races achieved a first-page, search-engine ranking with at least three of the four major engines as identified by Media Metrix -- Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and Lycos. Reviewers gave candidates a successful rating with a search engine if, after entering their first and last names into the search field, the search engine provided a link to the candidates' official campaign Web sites on the first page of the search results.

In seven out of the eight races analyzed by e-advocates and Juno, the winning challenger raised less money than the losing incumbent.

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data analyzed by U.S. PIRG and reported in an unrelated study, only seven percent of winning congressional candidates nationwide raised less money than their opponents. Michael Cornfield, George Washington University Associate Research Professor and Research Director of George Washington University's Democracy Online Project, observed that the findings suggest a strong Internet strategy can "help financial underdogs gain better footing."

"Election 2000 will go down in history as the first presidential cycle where the Net played a decisive role in political campaigns.

Candidates and elected officials who underestimated the virtual voter were likely to suffer for it," said Roger Stone, Vice President of Juno Online Services and director of the Juno Advocacy Network, Juno's Washington D.C.-based public interest and political advertising division.

To view a chart detailing candidate Internet performance, please visit http://www.e-advocates.com/survey .

The U.S. Senate race for Washington State remains undecided and, for this reason, is not included in the analysis.

About e-advocates

e-advocates, based in Washington, DC, is a full-service Internet advocacy consulting firm dedicated to helping public affairs and advocacy organizations harness the power of the Internet to achieve legislative and political priorities.

Principals Pam Fielding and Nicole Duritz are leading experts in the field of cyberpolitics. Fielding is coauthor of the recently published book, The Net Effect: How Cyberadvocacy is Changing the Political Landscape, which highlights how the Internet is reconnecting citizens with government. e-advocates is a subsidiary of Capitol Advantage, the premier innovator of Internet-based political tools and services.

Through the use of its products, hundreds of organizations have promoted their agenda and influenced the political process by engaging individuals in political dialogue. Survey results can be viewed at http://www.e-advocates.com/survey . To reach Pam Fielding and Nicole Duritz for comment, please call 202/955-3001.

About Juno

Juno Online Services, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet access to millions of computer users throughout the United States

Founded in 1996, the company provides multiple levels of service, including free basic Internet access, billable premium dial-up service, and (in certain markets) high-speed broadband access. Juno's revenues are derived primarily from the subscription fees charged for its billable premium services, from the sale of advertising, and from various forms of electronic commerce.

Based on its total of 3.7 million active subscribers during the month of September 2000, Juno is currently the nation's third largest provider of dial- up Internet services, after AOL and EarthLink. As of September 30, 2000, Juno had approximately 12.77 million total registered subscriber accounts.

For more information about Juno, visit http://www.juno.com/corp . To get a copy of the Juno software, go to http://www.juno.com or call 1-800-TRY-JUNO.

COPYRIGHT 2000 PR

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_natrvw/m4PRN/2000_Nov_20/67456681/p1/article.jhtml?term=cyberpolitics

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