Candidates' Supporters Connect Online
W A S H I N G T O N, April 17 -- How did former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who just months ago was expected to raise well under $1 million during the first quarter of 2003, manage to find enough donors to amass a war chest of more than $2.6 million?
Part of the answer is simple: They Metup for him.
And the eight other Democratic presidential campaigns are watching closely.
Dean's staff took advantage of a new Web site, Meetup.com, which allows users to collaborate about fund-raising, appearances and grass-roots campaigning for the candidate of their choice. With a few clicks, visitors can sign up for information about their candidates and invite themselves to campaign parties in any of more than 480 cities.
Its founder, Myles Weissleder, sees the site's launch as an epochal event.
"Meetup.com is turning democracy and politics on its head, providing a platform for people with similar interests to meet and a fantastic way to mobilize people," he said.
Reaching Out to Younger Voters
The campaigns aren't that effusive, but Dean's, for one, has benefited tangibly. Campaign spokeswoman Dorie Clark says $750,000 was raised through the Internet — at least a quarter of which was routed through Meetup events.
Weissleder says he's talked to representatives from all the major Democratic candidates. North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is among the candidates who have made use of the site.
"There was an event in Chapel Hill recently where some of our staff went and were able to sign up volunteers to help the campaign," said Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri. "This is a great, effective tool in reaching out to younger voters."
Palmieri said the campaign will collaborate in the future with the Meetup site.
Simplicity may be one reason for the Web site's success. Users search for the candidate and the city of their choice. The next step is providing an e-mail address to officially join and "Meetup."
And in more than 100 cities, Dean supporters did — getting together in bars, bowling alleys and bookstores.
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