Maine Politics

In 2003, underdog Presidential hopeful Howard Dean successfully leveraged the internet to raise millions for his fledgling campaign. His ability to harness the enthusiasm of thousands of Americans through online meetup groups and social media resulted in a tectonic shift in Presidential politics. Though Dean eventually screamed his way out of contention, his campaign represented the dawning of what seemed at last to be a truly participatory American democracy. In the years since then, the Internet has created a number of ways for average citizens to join in the political discussion in this country, and the emergence of blogs, social networking, and other digital media has caused a major shakeup in the balance of power between media and government. As the dust settles, though, it seems the traditional dominance of big money in politics had only been on short hiatus, and that the egalitarian promise of online politics is giving way to an even more consolidated form of machine-style democracy.

The run-up to next year's senatorial election in Maine provides some unfortunate examples of the power of big money in internet politics. The so-called 'netroots', a consolidated movement of left-leaning online pundits and their faithful readers, have put their muscle and money behind Maine Congressman Tom Allen and his attempt to unseat Senator Susan Collins. Comprised primarily of the controversial blog DailyKos, which was recently charged with anti-semitism by former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., and MoveOn.org, the 527 group funded by billionaire George Soros, the 'netroots' have made a name for themselves through their ability to direct millions in campaign contributions to the detriment of whoever disagrees with their extreme positions. These positions include their opposition to the invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, and their comparison of President Bush to Adolf Hitler. Despite the over-reaching tendencies of these groups, the money they have commandeered has caused Democratic politicians like Tom Allen to think twice before voicing dissent.

MoveOn.org has reportedly donated $250,000 to the senate campaign of Congressman Allen. This is more than the group has contributed to all of the presidential campaigns combined, and represents almost half of the entire amount contributed by MoveOn this year. The group has been responsible, through affiliate organization such as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, for a multitude of attack ads against Senator Collins, including a recent one that featured children in fatigues forced to crawl under barbed-wire on a military training course. MoveOn was also responsible for circulating a childish picture of Senator Collins with her teeth blacked out earlier this summer. Perhaps most notably, though, was MoveOn's recent full-page ad in the New York Times that characterized the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq as a traitor. The backlash against the group for this attack on General Petraeus has grown to fever-pitch in the American media, but it seems that MoveOn's generosity toward Tom Allen's campaign has allowed them a free pass from the congressman. When the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted 341 to 79 to condemn the MoveOn ad, Tom Allen again sided with the group, choosing to be one of a small minority to vote no. MoveOn Director Eli Pariser's summary of his relationship to Allen and his fellow Democrats casts a clear light on Allen's refusal to stand up to the group: "Now it's our party: We bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back."

Congressman Allen has been equally receptive to the assistance of DailyKos.com, whose publisher Markos Moulitsas sparked national outrage when he condemned murdered U.S. contractors in Iraq as 'mercenaries'. The site has been criticized sharply for the wide use of profane ad hominem attacks against political opponents, and has received scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle after publishing harsh anti-semitic content. In 2006, DailyKos bloggers were outraged over Congressman Allen's proposed legislation that would have forced the website to report its fundraising activity to the Federal Election Commission. Allen made an appearance on the site to announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate earlier this year, and apologized for his transgression, announcing that he would not re-submit the bill for consideration. The site subsequently emerged as a prominent financial vehicle for his campaign, and he began blogging on the site directly. DailyKos now actively solicits campaign contributions for Allen, and the Allen campaign has stated its solidarity with the site as a "way to connect with people who care about the same things as the congressman."

The influence of money in politics has been a problem for ages, but the shadow it is casting over the Internet's promise as an equalizing phenomenon is especially tragic. The fact that a popular political figure like Allen would be compelled to silence in the face of the outrageous behavior of his contributors is a stark example of how potent these groups have become. Thanks to millions of dollars funneled through these online outlets, the Maine electorate is taking a back seat to the distinct minority views of a handful of Internet bosses. This is truly a shame, and we can only hope that politicians like Allen will come to the realization that our democracy is being specifically harmed when they succumb to the financial bullying of billionaires and bloggers.