Page 201 - Information and American Democracy Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

P1: GYG/IJD/IBA/IJD
18:0
August 14, 2002
CY101-Bimber
CY101-04
0 521 80067 6
Political Organizations
million through the Internet, half of which was steered and half “organic”
Internet funds. 202
Use of information technology by minor-party candidates running
in 2000 had more in common with Bradley and McCain than with
Bush and Gore. The rhetoric of minor candidates is often overly en-
thusiastic about information infrastructure as a means for overcoming
resource disadvantages. A spokesman for Natural Law Party candidate
John Hagelin claimed that “the Internet has been the single most impor-
tant tool that John Hagelin’s campaign has had in getting the word out in
brief, and in depth, about the issues and platforms that he proposes.” 203
His campaign reported receipts of $5,000 to $10,000 per day in dona-
tions through the Internet as of June 2000. Voters can go right to the web
site and get the party platform.” 204 The Green Party also reports that it
“does almost all its business on the Internet,” because it is so modestly
funded. 205
Inside the Ralph Nader organization, the primary objective of the five-
personexternalInternetcampaignwastoraisemoney,andsecondarilyto
sign up volunteers. 206 The Nader staff did not solicit requests for funds by
electronic mail until the end of the campaign, when it sent “four or five”
electronic mail requests and received about $100,000 that it used toward
its final media buys. It also signed up electronically about 40,000 volun-
teers. 207 Nader’s chief web strategist reports that information technology
was the “ultimate means of communication with people” specifically
because the campaign lacked the resources of the major candidates.” 208
ThePatBuchananorganizationmadeevenlessuseofnewinformation
technologies, except for communication and coordination within the
organization. 209 It dedicated only one staff person to managing the web-
based external communication effort. In an interview for this project
immediatelyfollowingthegeneralelectionin2000,Buchanan’scampaign
manager was aware that some funds had come in through the campaign’s
web site, but he did not know the amount or even whether the site

202 Anonymous official, Gore campaign, personal interview with the author, March 1,
2001. Sources for McCain are: Max Fose, Inter@ctive Week.
203 Quoted in Nate Brown, “Seeking a Level Playing Field for Third Parties,” Inter@ctive
Week, July 3, 2000, p. 40.
204 Quoted in David Ross, “The Internet – Kingmaker for Small Parties?” The Standard,
April 6, 2000, http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,13887,00.html.
205 Quoted in ibid.
206
Jonah Baker, webmaster for Ralph Nader, telephone interview by Diane Johnson for
the author, Nov. 17, 2000.
207 208 209
Ibid. Ibid. Braswell interview.
184