A Blog Called Hope

There’s an interesting story out of South Carolina’s Times and Democrat newspaper today that looks at how campaigns are reaching a broader and in many cases younger audience by communicating through the Web.

In Rhode Isalnd, few campaigns have gone as far as the major nationals have in hiring full-time staffs dedicated to all things online, from blogging and socoal networking pages to keeping their Websites stocked with fresh pics and video…and maybe even the occasional right tone.

You can bet a large number of local candidates will turn to the Web in both the 2008 and 2010 cycles to reach their constituency. Some innovative Dems, like General Treasurer Frank Caprio went the way of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in starting a site almost exclusively dedicated to streaming video, giving voters the opportunity to view content that never made it to broadcast TV.

“Technology is traveling so fast; now it has transformed American politics. It’s beginning to advance politics by getting ordinary Americans back in the process. Before, there was a one-way campaign where candidates talked to voters; now we have a two-way campaign,” said Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Dean and others who attended last week’s CNN-YouTube debate say the Internet has had a profound effect on politics - changing the way voters get information about candidates, the way campaigns are organized and fund-raising.