Moreover, there has been essentially no argument on any of these issues since the nominees emerged six months ago. Gore brings up his plans to wire schools and his concerns about electronic privacy from time to time. But his comments on these topics seldom draw any response from his Republican opponent. If Bush mentions the Internet, it's inevitably in the context of mocking his opponent for claiming to have invented it. One factor is the flow of high-tech money to both parties.
Republicans are willing to offend trial lawyers and Hollywood.
Democrats are prepared to take a financial hit for antagonizing drug, oil, and insurance companies. Silicon Valley cash has created an artificial consensus on such issues as the Internet tax moratorium, which both candidates favor despite the lack of any rational justification. But a more significant factor may be where the 2000 election is being fought. Crucial early primaries took place in Washington, New Hampshire, and California, where a significant proportion of the voting population has a stake in tech issues. As of just over a year ago, New Hampshire ranked first in the share of its workers in computer-related jobs, with 8.2 percent employed in the tech sector.