Myspace: The New Campaigning Method for Presidential Hopefuls

Gone are the days of impersonal primary presidential candidates. Primary presidential candidates in the 2008 election are now campaigning on Myspace. Everyday when I log onto my Myspace account, I see new candidates in the primary presidential election who have posted a website on Myspace. Here's a breakdown of the some of the contenders' sites:

Some candidates like Mike Gravel seem to be using Myspace as a way to receive financial support for their campaign. Gravel's Myspace account, (http://www.myspace.com/mikegravelforpresident), primarily consists of ways for supporters to donate money. He also has code so that people can put a very large banner on their website that says, "Gravel for President" along with his website, http://www.gravel08.us.

Other candidates, like Jim Gilmore, seem to be using Myspace the way it was intended. (http://www.myspace.com/gilmoreforpresident) However, his blog primarily consists of press releases and there did not appear to be any comments. When I tried to post a comment, I received a message saying that all comments must be approved to this blog before they would be posted. It seems that Gilmore is not attentive to public input. There was also no where on the front page of his Myspace account that quickly identified him with his party. Gilmore also has a banner people can download and a place where people can donate.

Tom Tancredo's Myspace account (http://www.myspace.com/thomasgtancredo). has two videos you can watch on his viewpoints. He also has a long blurb about himself and a link to his own blog, which is updated several times a day (http://teamtancredo.typepad.com/). This is good because Tom's blog entries on Myspace include only two measly posts. The first blog is dated Dec. 31, 2006 and the title is "Sudan Peace Act". In the blog, he writes a very personal account of his viewpoints about the Sudan Peace Act. He is a candidate who clearly understands the purpose of a Myspace blog. Tancredo's second blog on Myspace is dated Jan. 1 and titled "Please help to save the Dog." In this blog, he links to a news story about Duane "The Dog" Chapman. From his Myspace account, it is unclear what Tancredo's party line is, although, he does state that his hero is Ronald Reagan.

Sam Brownback's Myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/sambrownback) has five blog entries titled "Support Brownback", "William Wilberforce", "Support Our Troops", "My Biography", and "Brownback - On the Issues". These posts clearly indicate what he believes. Brownback has created a Myspace that states the issues he stands for. He isn't hiding anything. If you want to know Brownback's views, you won't have a problem finding them on his Myspace account.

Tommy Thompson's myspace located at http://www.myspace.com/tommythompson08 needs a little straigtening. It is not clear from Thompson front page of his Myspace that he is a Republican. However, he is the former Republican governor of Wisconsin. My uncle worked with Thompson and has only good things to say about him. You can read an article about Thompson here.

Bill Richardson has an account on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/richardsonforpresident). However, you won't be finding much content on his Myspace account. He does not have any blogs posted and although there is a large blurb about him, he is clearly not making the most use of his account on Myspace. It is not clear whether he is Republican or Democrat, but his blurb clearly states that he served under President Bill Clinton.

Senator Chris Dodd also has a Myspace account at www.myspace.com/senatordodd. However, the Myspace background is a dark grey making the entire Myspace content difficult to read.

Rudy Giuliani has made his Myspace account private. You have to add him as a friend to view his Myspace. This is disturbing. How can he be a candidate who believes the US is "ruled for the people" and "by the people" if he doesn't allow people to view his Myspace?

Duncan Hunter is a primary candidate with a Myspace account. (http://www.myspace.com/duncanhunter) On his Myspace account his blurb is titled, "Why Support Duncan Hunter For President?" and he had one blog titled, "Friend Requests Please Read". Hunter has several videos on his Myspace, however, like many of the other candidates, he does not clearly state his political party on his Myspace account. Hunter appears to be using Myspace as more of an advertisement than a way to allow voters to clearly find out his views on the issues. Although, his many Myspace videos do discuss his viewpoints if you have the time and capability to view them.

Mitt Romney's Myspace account looked surprisingly like what I would imagine a good Myspace account to be. Take a look at it at: http://www.myspace.com/mittromney. But it didn't have a lot of content.

Ron Paul's myspace account clearly addresses the issues on his Myspace account and he has several blogs. You can view his Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/RonPaul2008. Once again, I was disappointed by the fact that the party lines was not clearly stated on his Myspace account.

Dennis Kucinch's http://www.myspace.com/denniskucinich . He does not clearly state his party affiliation on his myspace.

The websites of John McCain (http://www.myspace.com/johnmccain), John Edwards (http://www.myspace.com/johnedwards), Joe Biden (http://www.myspace.com/bidenforpresident), Barack Obama (http://www.myspace.com/barackobama) and Hilary Clinton (http://www.myspace.com/hillaryclinton) all have a very impersonal feel to them. The blogs are press releases, and there is very little personal information on any of them. The Myspace websites either have a dark background (as in the case of John McCain) or they have a very impersonal feel to them.

This primary election year, no voter has an excuse for not reading about a candidates views on the issues and then going to the polls to vote accordingly. Protect your freedon, go to the polls and vote!