WP on the Deanathon

Washington Post Tuesday:

Thanks to a wide-open field and the power of the Internet, Dean has gone from dark horse to serious contender at a time when many Americans are only vaguely aware that a nomination battle is underway.
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Dean's online gold mine -- he also has signed up 45,000 supporters to attend "meet-ups" across the country Wednesday night -- stunned his rivals.

An adviser to another candidate said: "Ever since 1996, people have been talking about the potential of the Internet to organize and raise money, but no one figured out how to do it. Not even Al Gore. The thing about Dean is, not only is he using it, he is building an organization through it and he is raising money through that organization."

The last hours of Dean's effort bore a faint resemblance to the woozy end of a Jerry Lewis telethon. Dean's Web site -- DeanforAmerica.com -- featured a running total of contributions received. Every half-hour, the number rolled a little closer to $7 million. Online donors were offered the chance to chat on the phone with the candidate himself -- normally a privilege reserved for the rich. Dean said he would call five contributors chosen at random from the virtual pool.

"What this campaign and the Internet is about is putting the grass roots and the community back into politics," said Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi. "It puts back what television took out."