Campaigns Dig Digital Dirt

Political parties draw on mass e-mailings and satirical Web sites to campaign in cyberspace.

Mark Fitzgerald, Medill News Service

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Political parties are pelting each other incessantly over the Web with accusations of fraud, spying, and playing both sides of the fence when it comes to issues.

The Internet is perfect for snide political messages, says David Horowitz, whose book The Art of Political War describes the successful battle strategies of the Democratic party.

"It's the ideal medium for flaming," Horowitz says. "You can get away with things that you can't in print."

For example, e-mail boxes around the country were bombarded with messages like, "Once again, the Gore campaign proves it will say anything to get elected" and "Lieberman gets the facts all wrong" the morning after Senator Joe Lieberman spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

Although e-mail messages reach people more quickly, they are no different from campaign responses of the past, says Tucker Eskew, Bush campaign spokesperson.

"What's new is the immediacy and impact of the information, as opposed to a change in content," he says. "But putting together a fake domain name is not how we operate."

Eskew was referring to sites such as MillionairesForBush.com and I Know What You Did in Texas. The spoof of the horror movie I What You Did Last Summer is sponsored by the Democratic National Committee and offers three episodes depicting Bush as the official who would "kill" the success of the Clinton-Gore administration if he were elected.

Spoofs, Satire Sites Surface

The spoof is simply "healthy competition just like any other," says Jenny Backus, a Democratic party spokesperson. Technological advances are fueling a running debate between candidates over the Internet, she notes.

"It's hard to get the message out in such a crowded atmosphere," she says. "In order to break through to people online, you have to be more creative."

The online parodies the Democrats have done are not mudslinging because they "stick to the facts," Backus says. But humor in a campaign, especially online, is necessary to draw people's interest.

"You have to be compelling and to the point to make sure it's read," she says. "The Internet allows us to communicate issues and values to so many people. It really helps us to motivate grassroots voters to come out and vote."

Eskew says the exact opposite, maintaining the Bush campaign avoids using imposter sites because they "run counter to the standards of Web users and the governor." He contends Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush is a different kind of "e-publican," devoid of dirty tricks to get people's attention.

The Republican National Committee home page refers to Al Gore as a "genuine imitation" and calls the Democrats' convention the "reinvention convention." But in no way does that reflect the tactics of the Bush campaign, Eskew says.

"I believe that's our friends over at Victory 2000 (part of the RNC)," he says. "I'm the spokesman for the Bush campaign, not the RNC."

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