186 The media and politics
John Kerry’s claims about his Vietnam War service. Kerry served in the Navy
during that war and was decorated with the Purple Heart and other med-
als. He had operated in Swift Boats, or Fast Patrol Craft, small armed boats
designed to operate in shallow waters. After his return from Vietnam he had
played a part in the anti-war movement including joining the organisation
Vietnam Veterans Against the War. In the period leading up to the 2004 elec-
tion campaign Kerry had used his war record to give credibility to his claim
to be able to lead the nation in its ‘war against terror’, and when arriving on
the podium at the national convention to accept the Democratic nomination
he gave a military salute and said ‘Reporting for duty’. The SBVT consisting
of war veterans, including one who had served alongside Kerry, was regis-
tered as an advocacy, or non-partisan 527 group, and during August 2004
placed four advertisements on television denigrating Kerry’s war record and
his later anti-war activities, describing him as dishonest, unreliable and unfit
to lead. Allegations were later made that the Bush campaign had links with
SBVT, and that prominent Republicans had funded the group. The devel-
opment of cable television has again changed the media landscape and its
relevance to politics. To the three great networks of the immediate post-war
period have been added not only further networks but also hundreds of ca-
ble channels. The availability of so many channels makes it very much more
complex for politicians to reach their target audience.
The internet
The increasing popularity of the internet since it became available for use by
the public in the 1990s has inevitably led to its being used for political com-
munication. Its use by candidates for political office was slow to develop, but
the election campaign of 2004 was evidence, in the words of Matthew Kerbel,
‘that the Internet can help to shift the balance of political power in a long
contest by organizing volunteers, boosting morale, influencing the spin in
mainstream media, and of course raising money.’ Kerbel describes the Inter-
net as the most democratic medium in American history and one which can
genuinely engage the voters in the political process:
After decades of being sedated by television, many people have come to
regard politics as a spectator sport. To blog about the accomplishments
of political action, to feel inspired by a politician, or to occasionally do
something to further a campaign is out of step with how politics is por-
trayed on television, but it is a perfectly natural reaction on-line.The politician who made the most use of the internet in 2004 was the Demo-
crat, Howard Dean. He made extensive use of ‘weblogs’, posting his speeches
on Blog for America. He was able to raise large sums of money by soliciting
small contributions from supporters on the web. In the end he did not se-
cure the Democratic nomination, but he set a precedent which few future