Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 62)

real politics Money Can’t Buy Votes DICK MORRIS Think money matters most this cycle? Think again. The irony of the current deadly competition for money among the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates is that money probably matters less in this contest than in any other in recent memory. And, in the future, money will matter less and less. Why? Because campaign media is shifting away from costly television advertising to the free or at least verylow-cost Internet. With very limited budgets, media like the Swift Boat ad can change the course of presidential elections almost overnight. Ads that show the Clintons chatting at a diner like the Sopranos draw intense national attention but never appear on paid media. YouTube, candidate Web sites and blogs offer an alternative media that costs little or nothing but has a huge impact. The transition from television to the Internet is fraught with important implications for politics. It can be compared to the transition from silent pictures to talking films, in that the change is fundamental: a. Money will matter less. Since Web ads can be run for free, the only cost is alerting people to their existence. That can be done over talk radio and cable television cheaply and quickly and word can spread virally, from blog to blog, in the Internet’s own inimitable fashion. b. Content will count more. Released from the tyranny of a 30-second stopwatch, Web ads can and should run longer and have more substance than the old television commercial. On television, the sound bite is king. But on the Internet, people like to linger and absorb lots of information. Condensation and summarization are not the desideratum in Internet advertising. Elaboration and articulation are more desirable. Internet makes its impact right away. To avoid repetition, rapid production and quick response are essential. If the currency of a powerful Internet presence is becoming more important than hard cash, why are the presidential candidates still comparing their bank books as if all depends on the bottom line? Because they have no other forum in which to compete before the actual primaries and caucuses are held. Standing in the polls and in one’s bank account become the Paid advertising has rarely impacted a presidential contest. c. Repetition will be deadly. The underlying premise of television advertising is that we are all of sub-normal intelligence and must be exposed to a message repeatedly for us to memorize it involuntarily and spout it back on command. But on the Internet, repetition causes fingers to twitch on their mouse and quickly turns off viewers. d. Quick turn-around is essential. The Internet is a daily phenomenon. While television advertising, with its emphasis on repetition, works over a period of weeks, the status symbols of viability in the year leading up to the actual nominating process itself. But paid advertising has rarely impacted a presidential contest (1996 was an exception) because of the din of free media coverage. The seeming advantage candidates like Sen. Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney derive from their deep pockets is likely to matter less when the time comes to spend the money. They will be surprised at how little they can actually buy once the primaries start— and how dependent they will be on free media, talk radio, cable television, blogs and Web casts. C&E Dick Morris is an author and political commentator. To get his columns for free by e-mail several times each week, sign up at DickMorris.com. 62 CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 http://www.dickmorris.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

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