The Guardian There is an atmosphere of crisis. In the darkness telephones can be heard ringing and anxious voices clamour for attention until one cooler, harder-edged voice takes charge, issuing orders, arranging press conferences, limiting damage. Aristotle Publishing, one of a new breed of political hired guns in US politics, is currently running TV advertisements in Washington offering mastery of the world wide web to aspiring presidential candidates. It is just one way in which the 2000 elections will mark a leap forward in the evolution of politics in the information age. In another telling development, Arizona Democrats will be allowed to cast their votes online in the party primary, in what is thought to be the first legally binding public election ever held on the internet.
Most analysts expect the practice to spread.
There are about 30 significant companies now specialising in online politics, but Aristotle has emerged at the front of the pack, and is now running internet advertising campaigns for Republicans George W Bush and John McCain. For Mr Bush, the party's frontrunner, Aristotle has developed an interactive banner advertisement, which appears across the top of hundreds of strategically chosen websites. Click here now. Clicking on the rectangle leads the would-be voter to a computerised form asking for information on earnings, marital status, number of children and so on. It instantly produces the savings the household would allegedly make by voting for the Texas governor.