Upf ront
Super (Tech) probability outcomes he has returned the favor to sons and daughters of
bought into last year. many of his followers by Clinton supporters. The
Tuesday Obama and Huckabee giving voice to technology Mommy Party is appar-likely have Election 2.0 issues important to his ently quarrelling with its
On Super Tuesday, to thank for their early troops, if not the nation. children, who have for a
Feb. 5, tech was survival and continuing The differences be- generation now known
every where: t wittering viability. tween Clinton and Obama more about the Internet
away on Google, power- The 2008 presidential on technology issues are than their parents.
ing get-out-the-vote SMS m i n i m a l — m o r e A whole lot more, actu-campaigns, leveraging a matter of style ally, if you believe a recent
mobile political apps, than substance. But poll by the Congressional
furiously posting at blog- Obama rolled out Internet Advisory Caucus.
ging parties, ginning up his technology plat- Almost 40 percent of 18-
barrels of money and con- form at a splashy, to 29-year-olds surveyed
tinuing to weave its politi- quotable campaign thought they knew more
cal voice into the 2008 stop at Google’s about the Internet than
national election debate. M o u n t a i n V i e w, the candidates, an entirely
However, at the end of Calif., headquarters, plausible notion.
the historic U.S. electoral announcing, “I will Unlike previous presi-
day, nothing had changed take a back seat to dential campaigns, these
and no knockout punches no one in my com- new, tech-savvy, OMG
delivered—much to the mitment to network political participants plan
delight of the underdog neutrality.” to vote this fall, potentially
campaigns that have been If elected, Obama changing the dynamics of
waging war online for said, he would ap- the campaigns.
more than a year. Driven point the nation’s In November, e Week
by an infusion of young first chief technology ran a story posing the
campaign volunteers and officer and declared question: “Campaigns are
workers armed and com- campaign is the first to his Federal Communica- increasingly relying on
fortable with technology, deploy powerful Web tions Commission chair- digital media to get the
Barack Obama is still 2.0 tools to change the man would be a true messages out, but does
standing against Hillary rules, upsetting tradi- believer in network neu- it translate into more
Clinton. tional political wisdom trality. votes?”
And “Mac” (as in John time after time. It was all enough to After Super Tuesday, the
McCain) may be back, but The early online jump prompt Clinton campaign answer appears to be yes.
Mike Huckabee is still in the 2008 election workers to remind the —Roy Mark
around, awed as his site cycle gave wings, cash media, “Hillary Clinton
“lights up” with money and hope to Obama and has been and continues and support, one improb- Huckabee. to be a strong supporter The greening of IT
able win after another. Those same supporters of net neutrality.” n San Francisco on Mitt Romney, on the are now delivering votes, The detailed tech pitch IFeb. 5, The Green
other hand—who sus- delegates and even more plays well with Obama’s Grid Consortium kicked
PAUL CONNOLLY
pended his campaign on money to carry the cam- legions of supporters off its first Technical
Feb. 7—is probably won- paigns forward. under 30 years of age, Forum and members’
