Rove's methodology: MoveOn's evil twin

This WashPost article describes the winning tactics of Bush's team.

A lot has been made of the Internet tactics pioneered by Dean and 527's like MoveOn. This article shows that the Republicans were not without their own effective uses for information technology. The left relied heavily on people's anger over the last election, or dislike of Bush. The RNC's methodology - which relies more on profiling techniques from consumer marketing - seems more likely to produce a stable, robust base with commonalities beyond a single issue.


...the Bush operation sniffed out potential voters with precision-guided accuracy, particularly in fast-growing counties beyond the first ring of suburbs of major cities. The campaign used computer models and demographic files to locate probable GOP voters. "They looked at what they read, what they watch, what they spend money on," a party official said.

Once those people were identified, the RNC sought to register them, and the campaign used phone calls, mail and front-porch visits -- all with a message emphasizing the issues about which they cared most -- to encourage them to turn out for Bush. "We got a homogeneous group of new registered voters and stayed on them like dogs," another official said.