Posted on 01/19/2004 9:56:57 PM PST by dpflanagan
I hate to say, I told you so, to doubters, but it's beginning to look increasingly like the Internet will not translate to victory for Dean, or any other candidate for that matter, in this election. As I pointed out in a January 11 post on my site, the Internet-as-secret-campaign-weapon theory is looking more each day like a myth on par with the dot com, you-can't-lose-with-the-Internet myth of the late 90's.
Certainly, its a great new way to raise campaign funds, especially for Democrats. In recent elections, Democratic candidates have become far too dependent on campaign donations from a small group of wealthy patrons, as opposed to Republicans, who typically gain their funds through a much larger group donating smaller amounts.
The Center For Responsive Politics, a non-profit and independent watchdog organization which keeps close track of donations for each election cycle, offered these findings from a recent study of the 2002 mid-term elections:
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The study also found that Republicans raised more than Democrats from individuals who contributed small and medium amounts of money during the 2002 election cycle, but Democrats far outpaced Republicans among deep-pocketed givers.
Republican candidates and parties topped their Democratic counterparts, $68 million to $44 million, in fundraising from individuals who contributed under $1,000 in itemized contributions for the 2002 elections. Among donors giving $1,000 or more, Republicans again beat out Democrats, $317 million to $307 million.
But the trend was reversed among individuals at higher giving levels, from whom Democrats raised far more money than Republicans. Among donors of $10,000 or more, Democrats out-raised Republicans, $140 million to $111 million. Among donors of $100,000 or more, Democrats raised $72 million to the Republicans' $34 million. And among the most generous givers - those contributing $1 million or more - Democrats far outdistanced Republicans, $36 million to just over $3 million. (emphasis mine)
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So, anything that helps Democrats reach new sources of campaign funds is a great thing, but with one big caveat. The Internet is an alternate way to campaign, not the way to campaign. You can't rely on the Internet as the end-all solution to a campaign. Not that I believe the DNC will make this mistake in general, but some candidates may.
Hopefully, Dean and others who host campaign blogs will now listen to suggestions I make in the same article regarding whether or not to allow visitors to post comments to blog entries. Here is a hint; Dean is making a big mistake!
Nuff said for now.
David Flanagan Viewpointjournal.com
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