When a charismatic, handsome John F. Kennedy beat a glowering, unshaven Richard Nixon during a televised debate in the 1960 presidential campaign, political pundits saw a new beginning. Television was the new king of the campaign trail.

Now, more than 40 years later, television’s role is being usurped by a younger, less expensive, faster newcomer: the Internet. Once again, a charismatic but relatively little-known politician — Howard Dean — is leading the charge.

“We call it post-broadcast politics,” said Lauren Sullivan, director of Lawrence for Dean. “It’s a way to let us get our views known and feel less isolated.”

Dean, the former governor of Vermont, has used the Internet and his Web site, www.deanforamerica.com, to raise millions of dollars and start a grassroots campaign unparalleled in modern political history.

“The closest precedent is probably John McCain in 2000,” said Don Haider-Markel, an associate professor of political science at Kansas University. “Dean is using it much more effectively early on to raise early money.”

It’s been so effective that the candidate, who planned to run as an insurgent on a shoestring, is adjusting his campaign to befit his new lot in life: the well-funded, emerging front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Recent polls show Dean leading the nine-candidate Democratic field in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two stops on the road to the 2004 nomination, running strong in vote-rich California and surging nationally. On Saturday, Dean embarked on his first presidential-style, multistate trip with the national media in tow.

As he begins a more traditional campaign, the massive base Dean built on the Web will continue to support him.

Voters mobilizing

¢Dean For America¢Official Howard Dean blog¢Dean in 2004 Meetup¢MoveOn.org

In Lawrence and across the nation, the virtual campaign becomes reality as supporters meet the first Wednesday of every month. More than 150 people are listed on Dean’s Web site as supporters in Lawrence, and more than 50 of them attended the August gathering.

“It doesn’t really represent how many people are involved,” Sullivan said. “But we only had 17 in June. We’re expecting September to be a pretty large gathering.”

The Internet and its free, unfettered access to information and information distribution is nothing new in politics. Candidates and interest groups have put up Web sites since the early 1990s. But political scientists say the way Dean is turning an Internet community into Dean activism in cities across the United States has been unique.

“It was really a matter of time before it began to be used … for political campaigns,” Haider-Markel said. “It’s being used to mobilize people to donate money, attend parties and later on mobilize those people to vote.”

Mobilizing voters is always a primary goal for politicians, but Dean’s campaign appears to be working on a group not known for political activism: young voters. People who grew up with the Internet now are relying on it for political information.

“If a candidate doesn’t have a good presence on the Internet it’s going to affect the youth’s opinion of them as a viable candidate,” said Madelaine Marchin, a KU Democratic Party activist.

The Web site encourages supporters to attend the “meet-ups” and take the opportunity to discuss the issues of the 2004 campaign. Dean’s literature refers to the campaign as “The Great American Grassroots Movement,” or, alternatively, “The Great American Conversation.”

“Anything that’s bringing people together and educates them about the issues is a great thing,” said Marilyn Greathouse, president of the Douglas County Democratic Party.

Youth movement

Greathouse said her organization wouldn’t endorse a candidate before next year’s convention, but she sees Dean and the Internet campaign emerging as a major player.

Lauren Sullivan, a Howard Dean supporter, is beginning to organize Lawrence support for the Democratic presidential candidate. Sullivan is shown with various Dean campaign items.

“It’s revolutionized politics,” she said. “Especially for the youth, because they’re so up on technology.”

Yet Dean’s popularity with youths — he was recently a featured speaker at a national Young Democrats of America convention in Buffalo, N.Y. — may not translate into electoral success. Young people, as a rule, don’t vote.

“A lot of times they feel like they aren’t affected by politics,” Greathouse said. “But they are, just like everybody.”

Future Internet applications may put an end to youth voter apathy as well. Communities around the country are pushing for online voting, which Haider-Markel said could make the Internet Generation a major political force.

“It’s so simple for them,” Haider-Markel said. He said voting could someday be as simple as buying a book or paying a bill online.

KU’s Marchin said the convenience factor was a big reason why young voters were getting involved with the Dean campaign.

“People don’t have that much time,” Marchin said. “But they have time to go to a Web site and enter their e-mail address.”

Dean’s early fund-raising success would probably give the candidate enough staying power to remain in the presidential race until the Democratic Convention next summer, Haider-Markel said. But regardless of Dean’s electoral success, his success online will likely serve as a blueprint for future campaigns.

“Any candidate who’s going to run for president in the future can see this is an important aspect that can’t be ignored,” Marchin said. “They’re going to have to recognize the power it’s created for him.”