As the clock ticks down on the 2004 presidential race, the candidates have increased efforts to stay in touch with supporters and reach out to undecided voters, and the Web remains a primary weapon to do so.
The president's site GeorgeWBush.com (not currently viewable from outside the USA) and his rival's JohnKerry.com have undergone almost daily updates throughout the campaign, underscoring both teams' increased emphasis on the Internet. Coming down to the wire, the sites appear to be taking somewhat different paths in terms of spin, but based on the volume of new content alone, it's clear both candidates have embraced the medium.
With less than one week to go until the 2 November general election, the Bush site offered an array of anti-Kerry content on Tuesday, while the Kerry site remained centred more squarely on the candidate's own message.
Among the features on GeorgeWBush.com was a checklist of accusations against Kerry and his "liberal allies in Congress," along with an essay dubbed "John Kerry: The raw deal," and a gas tax calculator meant to provide financial estimates of how a Kerry win could hit drivers' pockets. The Kerry site took a more positive stance, leading with an essay on Kerry's pulpit issues, titled "A fresh start for America." However, the Democrat didn't completely avoid taking shots at his Republican rivals, posting one piece dubbed "Bush-Cheney -- Wrong for America".
The leaders of both candidates' sites are very happy with how well their respective Web campaigns have evolved, and the level at which their efforts have been tied into the larger campaign push.
"We've been completely integrated with the rest of the campaign all along, and worked very closely with our communications and political strategy shops," says Chuck DeFeo, e-campaign Manager for the Bush-Cheney effort. "As the campaign comes to a finish, we know that our job is only becoming more important by the day."
Josh Ross, director of Internet strategy for the Democratic ticket, voices similar sentiments.
"The buy-in has been tremendous, from having Web strategy people like myself on the senior staff of the campaign from the beginning, to recognizing the importance of the Web site as a tool for building grassroots support," he says. "The 2004 campaign has looked at online strategy more than ever before."
