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Drawn by the imperative to harness the Internet’s almost limitless political potential, dozens of participants spanning the ideological and geographical gamut gathered this week for a real-time, real-place conference designed to confer the latest in tactics, strategies and even, maybe, a little gossip. About 250 participants -- not just academics and consultants, but content providers and Web site designers -- came to the nation’s capital for Monday’s Politics Online conference, sponsored by George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. (I myself co-own a company that provides Web sites and fundraising solutions to candidates.) Time -- or more accurately, the lack of it -- soon emerged as a dominant theme before formal panels and in informal hallway discussions. The rapidly expanding World Wide Web is rapidly becoming the first place to go for the freshest news -- not only text, but video as well. That fact has transformed not only journalism but also political strategy and fundraising. Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley has raised over $1 million and GOP contender John McCain more than $750,000. It’s not only about money, but also about people. As the Dec. 2 issue of the online Slate magazine notes, McCain has successfully used the ‘Net as a tool to recruit signature-gatherers in New York state. That’s no small advantage, given the state’s tough campaign eligibility requirements and the fact that most of its Republican leaders have committed to front-runner George W. Bush. For more information about the conference, call the Graduate School of Political Management at 202-994-6000 or visit www.gwu.edu/~gspm/ on the Web. And for good Campaign 2000 information, check these sites out. (If I’ve missed your favorites, mail me at pnash@campaignadvantage.com and let me know.) My favorite site, and one I visit several times a day, offers links to presidential, federal, state, and other races, as well as to political parties (including lots of third parties). The“Issues and Debates” category contains plenty of links for plenty of hot-button issues, including abortion and affirmative action. This is among my favorite big-daily newspaper sites. Much of their content is still free, though that policy differs widely among the hundreds of newspaper links. In general, the older a story is, the more likely it is to cost you to view it. (Paper-sponsored polls on many issues may be viewed at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/vault.htm.) Print media and their cyberspace descendants aren’t the only game in town, as CNN’s allpolitics.com and Microsoft Network’s slate.com show. Both sites enhance their parent companies by providing deeper dimension to political reporting.
To understand the Electoral College and why it has more power than individual voters to choose presidents, visit the first of the two government sites above. The latter one, sponsored by the Federal Election Commission, details the latest legal requirements for candidates. The major parties’ sites have plenty of national information, as well as ways to contact state and local party chapters. The Library of Congress’ site, like politics1.com, is a good place to go for information on incumbent legislators. The Web site for Campaigns and Elections magazine -- the top trade journal in the business -- is chock full of information, including how to start an online fundraising firm and how to hire consultants.
Visit the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics’ site for more info on the donors bankrolling presidential and Congressional candidates. Such political portal sites can be sources of good gossip. Webwhiteblue.org focuses only on past elections; politicsonline.com has current stuff as well as stuff about overseas campaigns.
Both sites focus on progressive third party candidacies -- the first concentrates more on history, the latter on current issues and events. Visit the progressive Center for Voting and Democracy for more information on how voting systems affect participation, accountablity and representation.
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Real-Time Politics
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