Daily Digest: Bursting Bayh's Balloon

A campaign to sink the possible VP nomination of Indiana senator Evan Bayh might be putting some holes in that particular trial balloon; the reviews from technologists on McCain's tech policy proposals continue to pour in; some on the online left debate the merits of party platforms; and a great deal more.

Daily Digest: Abridged Mid-Holiday Edition

While students show up to caucus in Iowa? Maybe, if Facebook can help it; CNET laments the lack of attention paid to tech policy in 2007; the Ron Paul blimp flies while John Edwards is denied funds. Fair?; Garrett Graff gets Slashdotted; and thousands of Ron Paul supporters tell NPR just who they are.

Daily Digest: 6/13/07

The Web on the Candidates

John Edwards advisor Joe Trippi is in the U.K., telling British politicians that "Internet activism is spelling the end for the age of spin." In an interview with the Guardian, Trippi talked about the always-on nature of online campaigning. "Before TV, what mattered was how your voice sounded. Then with TV it matters what your candidate looks like ... We are now moving to a medium where authenticity is king, from what things look like to what's real ... You have to be 'on' 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Trippi said. He describes the new world of politics in the "peer-to-peer social network world," in which the opinion of peers is worth more than a top-down campaign message. While no candidates in the U.S. - including Edwards -- are completely running this kind of campaign, David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party in the U.K., continues his engaged web presence with multiple videos a week and an active community blog.

The FEC has produced a very cool map showing most campaign contributions to presidential candidates (PAC money and contributions under $200 aren't represented). A bunch of bubbles are overlaid over a map of the U.S., and when you click on the name of a candidate (listed to the left) you'll see the areas that have donated to them; click on the bubbles and you'll get a close-up view of that region; click on them again and you'll see a list of individual donors and the amount they contributed. (hat tip: Hotline)