Hillary Clinton announced today that she is loaning her presidential campaign $5 million of her own money. Barack Obama responded with his own campaign – to raise the same $5 million in individual contributions. Looks like he’ll do it in about one day. I pulled this graphic from the email his campaign manager sent this evening asking donors to match her loan.

Now, it may seem like he’s kicking her while she’s down, but the huge headlines declaring that Hillary’s campaign coffers are running dry and that her campaign staff is now searching through trash bins seems a bit a over-the-top. She’ll make the money back quickly in contributions and power through March.

But, it is, as always, a fascinating look at how the Internet has driven these campaigns. Obama raised $32 million in January, taking $28 million of it online. That’s 87% of his fundraising for the month. The reach of his campaign and the number of small donors this online system can engage is staggering. With PayPal, Google Checkout and other ready-made online checkout systems, contributors needn’t even get out their checkbooks.

Astute Wonkette commenters picked up on a recent gem from the Ron Paul forums.

“Does anyone fear that the internet will be attempted to be taken away from us because of the “threat” RP and we have posed? Assuming Paul doesn’t become President, the people “in charge” will have to know that we are all fired up and organizing on the internet for the long haul to make sure the Constitutional candidate in 4 years does win.. I fear they will try to take the internet away, somehow, and then it will be back to hitting the streets, which isn’t bad, but you get my point…”

Yep, I get your point, and think it’s a pretty good idea. Who is it exactly that is “in charge?”

via Wonkette
The Ron Paul Forums 

Microsoft‘s recent bid to acquire Yahoo!, I was looking around to find out where the anti-Microsoft folks from 1998 have ended up. They were witnesses, journalists, economists, congressmen, etc. One was Ed Felten, a professor at Princeton. He has a blog (“Freedom to Tinker“). And he found something interesting recently.

He found two sets of unattended, electronic voting machines at Princeton. It is well documented that these machines can be tinkered with to affect the vote outcome. Proponents of the machines assure they are always well-protected to prevent this from happening. Apparently, not so much.

All night I’ve been looking for the best place to watch results from Super Tuesday roll in. I want a map. A simple map. I want it to update the results automatically and let me roll over the states to see the little data pop up. I want to know how many delegates each state has and where they’re going. I want to see a full list of all the states, too. It’s not too much to ask.

Well, the New York Times got it right with their “Democratic Results Map” (or Republicans, if you prefer). It’s simple, it gives me all the information I want without any flashy spinny things or talking heads. Thank you, NYT. Way to keep it classy.

Chris Matthews just said on MSNBC that “it is inspiring to see that the young people are leading much of the vote in this election, influencing their parents and others that they should get up and support their candidate.  How wonderful it is to see the youth so involved.”  I wonder how much of that was a result of their use of the Internet to bolster their own feelings of support for a candidate enough so much to convey that message to their elders?

The default choice for immediate election results is usually CNN, the ever-flashy FOX News, or a website with real-time data. But, who knew the guys over Google Maps have been making their own mashup?

Google Maps has created live primary results by county for Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida! How much more exciting can your election headquarters experience be? Screw Wolf’s New TeeVee. Make your own at home.

Very cool technology that also works in Google Earth. When overlayed with census or GIS data, you can draw some interesting (and valuable!) information about how the election was won.

Word on the street is that Yahoo! will launch its own lifecasting service next month. Yahoo! Live will be the first lifecasting service from a major Internet company, to join the small group of niche sites, Ustream.tv, Justin.tv, etc.

A posting on Yahoo’s intranet explained the concept:

Yahoo! Live is social TV, where you’re the star! Create your own social broadcasting experience. Start by broadcasting yourself from your webcam, invite your friends to chat with you, they’ll go live with you, and you’re all on candid camera!

Can you imagine the candidates signing up for this? BO’s Life, Billary Unplugged, Walnuts.tv Ah, the hilarity.

via Valleywag