The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Politics

    Ads add heat to health care debate

  • National

    At the Mall of America, it's big business as usual

  • World

    Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia

  • Business

    Health, climate bills seen to stifle hiring

  • Local

    Mayor Fenty's approval in D.C. divided by race

  • Sports

    Terps' Friedgen faces tough road ahead

  • National

    VERSACE: Follow the shopping bags

Home » News » Politics

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

High-tech campaign media race favors Obama

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos
Please stand by, images loading!
  • AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
A woman watches a video-taped message from Barack Obama on his Presidential Exploratory Committee Web site in Washington. Text messaging, social networking and blogging is revolutionizing the way candidates run campaigns, and helped presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama redefine the role of his supporters
  • GETTY IMAGES
Sen. John McCain attends an Exchange Forum in the Millenium Broadway Hotel in New York City. He touched on topics including the war in Iraq and education.

More Politics Stories

  • Mayor Fenty's approval in D.C. divided by race
  • Attorney says couple 'just went to a party'
  • Obama calls service members on holiday
  • Blackwater defense claims misconduct

By Kara Rowland

New media - videos, text messaging, social networking and blogging - is revolutionizing the way candidates run campaigns, and helped presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama redefine the role of a supporter from someone who votes, and perhaps donates, to a virtual campaign employee.

Visitors to BarackObama.com, after creating an account with their e-mail address and ZIP code, can sign up to receive 25 phone numbers of supporters to call, complete with a detailed script.

"They gave their volunteers their contact list, which is a very innovative thing to do because all the conventional wisdom would be that you control your list because you don't want it to get leaked to the other team," said Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland.

The use of technology to advance a campaign is not a new concept - candidates have had Web sites for years - but it has morphed from an afterthought into a cornerstone.

"It's one of the reasons we're watching a guy who's relatively inexperienced called Barack Obama actually on his way to becoming president,"said Peter Leyden, director of the New Politics Institute, a liberal think tank focused on the use of technology in politics. "If you didn't have these new tools, if you didn't have the fundraising tools, the organizational tools or the new media tools, he would not be where he is today. No question about it."

For example, while online video existed during the most recent 2004 presidential campaign, YouTube wasn't even founded until 2005. Now, Mr. Obama's speech on race relations has garnered more than 4.5 million views on the Google Inc.-owned site - and that's only counting the number of times the entire 37-minute clip is played.

Presumptive Republican nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain has his own YouTube channel - as did former Democratic opponent New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton - and, despite some aesthetic differences, the functionality of the two campaigns' official Web sites are virtually identical.

Visitors are greeted by pictures of each man looking confidentially out into the distance.The landing pages on both have an "Action Center" with links to social networking hubs, voter registration information, phone banking instructions and forms recruiting friends. Visitors to both are never more than two clicks away from making a donation.

But the successful use of technology in a campaign is more than just building a good Web site.

"The easiest part is to get the technology working, to get a Web site up or get a way to distribute money through the Web or use video," Mr. Leyden said. "The most difficult thing I've found is changing the mindset of the candidates themselves, the campaign, the consultants that are working with the campaign. Until you actually make the mental shift you really are not going to be able to take advantage of the power of the tools."

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  4. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  5. Top Republican lawmakers not attending State Dinner
More Top Stories »
  1. D.C. sports icon, Wizards owner Pollin dies
  2. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  3. List of W.H. state dinner guests
  4. EDITORIAL: Obama's sacked inspector general
  5. Conservatives seek test for RNC funds

Most Shared

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  3. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  4. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  5. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
More Top Stories »
  1. VAN CLEAVE: A Thanksgiving message from Russia's spy agency
  2. The United Socialist States of America
  3. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  4. EDITORIAL: A call to prayer and repentance
  5. White House logs point to donor access

Most Commented

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  4. Obama to attend Denmark climate summit
  5. Ky. hanging, ruled a suicide, leaves bloggers at loss for words
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  2. Obama taking emissions goal to summit
  3. EDITORIAL: Kennedy vs. Catholicism
  4. EDITORIAL: Obama's sacked inspector general
  5. 9/11 families sharply split on civilian court trials

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Question of the day

Are you planning to go shopping today?

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    RNC: Breast cancer recommendations may lead to 'rationing'

  • Belief Blog

    Evangelicals OK civil disobedience

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • Redskins 360

    Redskins matchup

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.