Clinton's Campaign Embraces 'Social Networking'

Aug. 21, 2007 (KGO) (KGO) -- Hillary Clinton's campaign is going "social". A senior advisor says social networks will be at the heart of the campaigns' organization.

Clinton's campaign says it's something new to organize support through friends. Everybody has a list of friends, and if you can bring them into the campaign, they can bring their list to friends into the fold, and on the cycle goes.

In 2004, John Kerry supporters did it the old fashioned way by mapping out precincts and calling on likely voters that were registered Democrats.

This time around Senior Clinton Advisor Ann Lewis says it's going to be different.

"When you talk to people who already know you, they're going to listen harder, they're going to respect what you have to say, and you know what they care about," said Lewis.

Lewis says social networking is going to be at the center of Clinton's organizing effort.

"What we're saying is that's your list. Those are the people we want you to reach out to talk to about what's at stake in this election, and about why Hillary is your candidate," said Lewis.

Lewis says the goal in California is a thousand volunteers each willing to manage 20 more.

"They will have all the information, all the tools they can use to make sure those conversations are really meaningful and result in votes being cast," said Lewis.

Lewis probably wouldn't care for the comparison, but the program she's outlined is right out of Karl Rove's playbook.

"We were able to create groups for example 'Fly Fishermen for Bush.' 'Sports Enthusiasts for Bush'," said Hector Barajas with the California Republican Party.

Hector Barajas, spokesman for the California Republican Party, says Mr. Bush and Karl Rove were very successful with church groups, particularly in the swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The votes in those states were especially close.

"Elections are sometimes won or lost on the margins and one or two percentage points can make one election go one way versus another way," said Barajas.

In Iowa and New Hampshire, we are watching the candidates themselves making those one on one connections, hoping to mobilize their base. It is a good strategy for a primary, but tactics change for a general election.

"The typical definition of a swing vote is a guy who is not necessarily not all that interested in politics, and he's certainly not going to be talking to his friends and neighbors about political issues," Shanto Iyengar, Ph.D, Professor of Political Communication at Stanford University.

Iyengar says television is still the most basic platform for reaching voters, particularly in the big states. The impact is greatest during the general election, when those swing voters will be in play.

The country is so evenly divided, the person who occupies the most powerful position on Earth, will be decided by folks who don't really care that much.

Clinton's senior advisor, Ann Lewis has some interesting connections not only to the Clintons' but to a sometimes controversial member of Congress.

For more on Lewis, check out Mark's Back Story.

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