Jan 17, 2007 11:37 pm US/Central
Internet Likely To Play Large Role In '08 Election
After Obama's Online Announcement, How Important Will Web Be For Candidates?
by Rob Johnson
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Sen. Obama made his recent decision to launch an exploratory committee toward a presidential bid on the Internet, rather than making a more traditional announcement.
CBS
Senator Barack Obama used a modern twist when he announced on the Internet that he was taking the first step to become a presidential candidate.
CBS 2'S Rob Johnson reports online campaigning could be a blue print for the future.
Obama isn't the first political candidate to reach out to supporters using the Web. Democrat Howard Dean buoyed his 2004 presidential campaign by mobilizing his faithful on the Internet.
David Zapata runs a Chicago marketing firm. He believes the best candidates are the ones who realize that they aren't just running for office. They're marketing themselves.
"It's the easiest way to reach the core of your base. I think that's where Dean's legacy is," Zapata, owner of Zapwater Communications, said.
"Campaigns fundamentally are reaching out to consumers, and the consumer is doing the voting. And the more creative you get, the easier it is to grab somebody's attention," Zapata said.
Veteran Chicago political consultant and Obama adviser David Axelrod contends that while the senator's use of the Internet could work to his advantage, it will still take more than a snazzy Web site to get elected
"It's not just his campaign, it is their campaign and the Internet certainly helps foster that relationship," Axelrod said.
"Anybody can have a Web site, but the question is whether you stir enthusiasm at the grassroots, whether people feel a sense of investment in your campaign," Axelrod added.
Axelrod also indicated that if Obama does announce his official candidacy, and that's expected next month, the Internet would be a key component of any strategy.
He would not say, however, exactly how, since all of the candidates will be hoping to turn Dean's Internet magic of '04, into a campaign victory in '08.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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