Dianne Lynch - alt.media
The Web sites of presidential wannabes
No, our former vice president and current presidential candidate hasn’t developed a warped sense of humor. Some cyber-squatter with a long memory and a sophomoric giggle apparently grabbed the domain name before Quayle had the chance.
Nonetheless, just like his 13 rivals for the White House, the real Quayle is out there in cyberspace. His site – located at the more politically correct and technically accurate www.danquayle.org – isn’t as funny as its parody, but it does offer some ironies of its own.
"Left out of the political process?" the headline screams. "SEND A MESSAGE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT INSIDERS. JOIN DAN QUAYLE'S 21st CENTURY CLUB." [Click.]
That click takes you to a page where Quayle -- a guy who spent a decade in Congress but who now finds himself on the (far) outs looking in -- asks you to send him $21 and to round up 10 of your best friends to do the same.
"I have never relied on the polls," he says. "What matters is whether enough committed Americans like you will refuse to let the establishment insiders dictate who will lead our country."
The establishment insiders? This from a guy who once vowed to play Robin to George Bush's Batman?
But all's fair in presidential politics, and Quayle's hardly the only candidate painting himself pure and pretty in cyberspace. From front-runners George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, to little-knowns like Gary Bauer, presidential wannabe's are all over the Web. They're buying banner ads (a new and important ethical dilemma for online news sites), they're clamoring for chat-room gigs, and they're building mega-sites with enough bells and whistles to give MSNBC.com and the Chicago Tribune a run for their digital dollars.
The good news is that campaign Web sites offer voters easy access to the information candidates want them to have. It's not a complete picture, or an objective picture, or even always an accurate picture. But the sites will tell you scads about the candidates, their positions on the issues, and (more revealing) their ideas about who you are and what you want them to be.
The bad news is that most of the sites are chiefly -- and often obnoxiously -- determined to trade that information for your credit card numbers. On every page -- too often in swirling, sweeping, or flashing text -- the campaign sites want your support. Read that cash.
And it's only going to get worse.
Credit card contributions to candidates have been permitted for years. But because of concerns about credit card fraud, the federal government has been reluctant to consider those contributions when it assigns matching funds. No more.
In June, the Federal Elections Commission approved a plan that would allow candidates to receive matching funds for contributions they collect online; if passed by Congress this month, the new regs go into effect Jan. 1, 2000.
That means candidates who adhere to federal campaign spending restrictions will get dollar-for- dollar matches for the first $250 of each individual contribution -- whether that donation comes through the mail or over the Internet.
Before the begging begins in earnest, now’s the time to take a look at Presidential Politics 2000, Internet-style. For the first time in our history, we can log on, compare candidates, and develop perspectives independent of the mainstream press. We have the tools to figure it out for ourselves. And to the degree that we take the time and exert the energy, we move the democracy closer to the ideal we celebrated this month with fireworks and Main Street parades.
In the memorable words of Dan Quayle, “I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy – but that could change.”
Enough said.
The sites: A Candidates Directory
Bill Bradley comes across online like he does everywhere else: big, friendly, and accessible. You don’t have to vote for the guy but it’s hard not to like him.
Al Gore’s site looks like the candidate: straightforward, a bit awkward, and struggling desperately to separate himself from our current President and his failings. Check out the Tipper and Family pages, and take a look at the form contributors are asked to fill out: be sure to check the box that says no, you are not a foreign national who lacks permanent residence in the United States.
Lamar Alexander offers press releases, radio addresses and – perhaps most useful – a full set of links to other government and political sites and resources.
John Ashcroft, the Senator from Missouri has been trading language tips with Mr. Quayle. The opening sentences of his Web page read: “The mission of Spirit of America is to roll back the imposing hand of government and unlock the spirit of the American people. We need a culture that calls America to her highest and best, not accommodate her at her lowest and least.” It gets better after that. Sort of.
Conservative activist Gary Bauer’s site is unique in that it doesn’t even accept credit card contributions; expect that to change with the new regs.
Pat Buchanan is just as boisterous and aggressive online as anywhere else; his site address, www.gopatgo2000.com, gives you an idea of what you're in for. And his checklist of where the candidates stand on issues from English as a national language to NAFTA and appointing pro-life justices to the Supreme Court is effective, pithy and in-your-face.
George W. Bush’s site is current, flashy (who can argue with “Prosperity with a Purpose”?), and bilingual; some press releases are in Spanish only, but most pages are in both languages.
Elizabeth Dole presents wedding pictures and platitudes, platitudes, platitudes.
Steve Forbes (www.forbes2000.com) spent big bucks and it shows; his "personal control panel" suggests political and Web savvy, and deep pockets.
Orrin Hatch: late to join the race, Hatch’s Web site is STK (still to come). John McCain is the only candidate who offers you the opportunity to visit his campaign store online. You can shell out $25 for a biographical video, $15 for a t-shirt, $2 for bumper stickers.