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Super Pacs embed their workers and custom firewalls to goog/fbook/tweeter etc.. whoa! $ay $ay what

With the presidential election four months away, the Super Pacs are beginning to turn their attention towards newer digital technologies that allow political campaigns to tightly target their messages to key voters in the swing states.

Facebook, Twitter and Google are all now employing dedicated teams to work directly with the Super Pacs in an attempt to help them build internet presence.

Google has three separate teams of skilled political campaigners working on the 2012 election – one liases with the Democratic campaigns, one with Republicans, and the third works with what it calls "independent expenditure groups", largely the Super Pacs.

They operate a strict firewall, Google says, between the independent expenditure team and the other two, in line with campaign finance laws that bar Super Pacs from co-ordinating directly with political candidates or parties.

Sean Harrison, who runs Google's Super PAC operation, is a former Republican campaign manager who used to work for Citizens United, the organisation that leant its name to the controversial supreme court judgment that unleashed a flood of private money into this year's election cycle.

"When you look at online advertising, one of the fastest growth areas is politics, and within politics one of the fastest growth areas are the independent expenditure groups and Super Pacs," Harrison said.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/29/conservative-super-pacs...

Tags: media, money, social

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on June 30, 2012 at 9:34pm

Hate to say it, but I think this elections is already bought and paid for. Welcome to The United Plutocracy of America.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on July 1, 2012 at 10:30am

I know Sentient. I agree. I think it's sick. I don't think the Founding Fathers intended anyone to BUY the presidency.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on July 1, 2012 at 10:36am

You are right Sentient and booklover - now the corporations buy the presidency using their lobbyists.

It really sick indeed.

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Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on July 1, 2012 at 10:50am

Ditto

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on July 1, 2012 at 12:08pm

What I don't understand is why plutocracy is not a campaign issue. I understand the Democrats not jumping on it too much, because they have rick donors too. But I would still like to see the megacorps and billionaires taken to task for their mind-boggling financial role in the elections.

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Permalink Reply by jay H on July 21, 2012 at 6:48am

So essentially what you have here are organizations* using electronic social media to try to motivate their potential voters to get out and vote. That is a problem? Sounds like democracy to me.

*In many cases these are PACs made up of people who specifically joined to advance the goals of the group (unlike conventional corporations or labor unions who don't necessarily represent the feelings of individual members). They're putting their money where their mouth is.