US Presidential Candidates Log on - Net Result

The internet has seen a couple of presidential elections in the US but hardly featured in either the 1996 nor the 2000 elections. However, in the 2004 elections there was a little blip on the radar. It started off with candidate weblogs and fundraising sites but the internet has now come of age as US Presidential Candidates log on.

The power of the web has not finally been recognized and last week on the web there were two of the most eye-catching US presidential campaigns announced. They were not placed on Television, not on the radio and not before a crowd of cheering people. Hilary Clinton posted her formal announcement to her campaign website.
The web is now a powerful election and political tool and it is hard to believe that it took the people-in-power to realize it's potential. It took until 2006 for this concept to sink in and all over the US, a new form of election campaign has begun.

One of the most proven formidable web political forces is www.moveon.org. This was the grassrooms political action website that has galvanized and mobilized the liberal agenda in the US and is significant in politics from it's inception in 1998. www.moveon.org raised $27 million over a two-year election cycle and membership grew from 450,000 to 3.2 million . The web has finally indicated in no undertain terms that it is not just a meaningful force in politics and public life but a key political tool for the most central elections announcement. It is no longer the least important medium for a campaign, but now it is the place from which the most crucial political campaigns in US politics are launched.

The candidates themselves have it easy. No longer do theyhave to stand on a soapbox, less marketing and travelling time cut, they are no longer open to immediate questions from the press and they can lay out the terms of their announcements and supply full details on their sites. Here, a candidate can guage the reaction and see what issues arise that need to be addressed. This is all prior to them having to make their first pubic appearence which allows room for a perfect speech. The internet has now become one of the best strategic tools ever and politicians are using it to its full potential.