Washington watch for Oct. 18, 2009

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Washington Correspondent
• Published: Oct 18, 2009

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U.S. Sen. David Vitter recently released a campaign ad that was as polished as any television production. But the Vitter pitch didn’t run on television, it played only on the Web.

The Louisiana Republican’s campaign and that of his opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles “Charlie” Melancon of Napoleonville, are relying more on e-mails and social computer links like Twitter and Facebook to reach supporters.

The early skirmishes are unseen by those without e-mail, but the rise of using computer social networking for campaigning has mushroomed in the past five years.

“It’s night and day compared to my first campaign,” said Vitter, who was elected to the Senate in 2004.

Melancon even announced his candidacy solely on the Web, which gave him an advantage, said his campaign spokesman Jeff Giertz.

“That was kind of a hallmark of Charlie’s campaign,” Giertz said. “In the case of the Web announcement, Charlie was able to talk directly to people.”

Kevin Franck is the spokesman for the Louisiana Democratic Party and daily fires e-mail missiles targeted at Vitter. Franck said e-mail will not replace the candidates need to conduct retail campaigning, such as knocking on doors, sending out direct mail, using phone banks and contacting the media.

“Grassroots campaigning is still the bread and butter of politics,” Franck said. “It’s important to think of e-mail as just one tool in the toolbox.”

That tool has also been helpful in directing recipients to articles or Web sites that can provide information or back up party claims, Frank said.

“It allows people to do their homework,” he said. “People can see the original source of information.”

And the transmissions can help when the media doesn’t cover issues or events, Franck said. People are still going to be more comfortable getting their information from friends and neighbors, but the Web and e-mails can foster the conversations, Franck said.

“We can communicate that directly with our supporters and activists so they can transfer the message without the help of the media,” Franck said.

The masses for the campaigns amount to less than 50,000 people, not much compared to the 2.9 million voters in the state. And the messages are not likely getting to those who may matter most because of their consistent voting, seniors who aren’t as well connected to the Web.