Internet Changes Everything

Kerry Relies on E-Mail for Edwards Announcement

Yahoo! News - Kerry Relies on E-Mail for Edwards Announcement

By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The hottest political news of the summer arrived on a tide of spam Tuesday morning as Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) sent an e-mail announcing Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites) would be his running mate.

Half an hour after Kerry called Edwards to offer him the vice-presidential slot, one million Kerry supporters received an e-mail explaining that the North Carolina senator "understands and defends the values of America."

"You are the heart and soul of this campaign," Kerry's message said. "Because of your incredible grassroots energy and commitment, I wanted to make the first official announcement of my decision to you."

Minutes later, the Republican National Committee (news - web sites) fired off a response: "Who is John Edwards? A disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal and friend to personal injury trial lawyers."

By the time Kerry announced the news in person at a Pittsburgh rally 45 minutes later, Democratic and Republican Web sites were ready with dueling videos, fact sheets and statements.

But they were all 12 hours behind the air-travel Web site USAviation.com, where on Monday night a visitor wrote that John Edwards decals were being fitted to Kerry's campaign plane in a Pittsburgh hangar.

The Internet has sped up the pace of political campaigns and allowed them to stay in close touch with their most energetic supporters, experts said.

By telling those on his e-mail list first about Edwards' selection, Kerry is trying to build a sense of loyalty among people most likely to knock on doors for him, said Michael Cornfield, an adjunct professor at George Washington University's school of political management.

"They're the opinion leaders," Cornfield said. "They're the focus of this online activity, and they tend to be the ones gobbling up this insider information."

Unlike television and other media, Internet use spikes during the day, when most people are at work. Faithful supporters expect to see a response to any big news before the end of the day, not in the next day's newspapers.

Thus President Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign responded quickly with a video spot charging Kerry had been spurned by his top choice, Republican Sen. John McCain.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) posted a video spot showing McCain criticizing Bush.

"It's gone from being a 24-hour news cycle to a nanosecond news cycle," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a nonprofit organization that studies U.S. Internet use.

July 8, 2004 at 12:28 AM in Politics | Permalink | TrackBack (4) | Top of page | Blog Home