We could have created a zone of affordable speech. Instead, we let the commercial advertising model drive campaign costs well beyond most people s wildest imagination, and let commercial news motivations reduce our political discourse to drivel. We don t expect much from candidates or news organizations. And we don t get much. We must not repeat our mistake of low expectations again.
Internet campaigning is still new and uncharted territory.
Patterns of behavior are not yet set. First, candidates should clearly present their positions on the full range of issues relevant to their campaigns. Of course, the easiest, cheapest, fairest and most helpful way to provide comparative information is by providing a direct link to their opponent s web site, inviting visitors to see for themselves distinctions among those seeking office. Second, candidates ought to present opportunities for citizens to engage themselves in the electoral process. It should be easy for citizens to follow the campaign by knowing where the candidate is, to whom the candidate is talking, and when the candidate will be within 50 miles of the citizen s home.