The Web on the Candidates

• MySpace and Mark Burnett (producer of TV shows like Rock Star: INXS) are working together on a new reality show that will search for an independent presidential candidate. "Contestants in the show, set to launch in early 2008, will meet the public and interact with supporters, protesters and others. An interactive 'town hall' will give MySpace users and TV viewers a chance to rate their performance." The show is still looking to partner with a network, though something -- I don't know, intuition maybe -- tells me that Rupert Murdoch-owned MySpace will ultimately find a partnership with Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox...
• A bipartisan alliance has signed a petition asking the Republican and Democratic National Committees "To Ensure All Presidential Debate Video Can Be Legally Put On Sites Like YouTube." The petition was started by Stanford professor and copyright activist Lawrence Lessig, and it seeks to make certain that all debate footage (which would be officially owned by the networks on which the debates appear) be put into the public domain or licensed as "Creative Commons," Lessig's alternative copyright vision. It was signed by the who's who of tech/politics, including techPresident's own Micah Sifry. See the post for the complete list.

The Candidates on the Web

• Hillary Clinton had an appearance in the comments thread of firedoglake to discuss equal pay issues in honor of Equal Pay Day. She stuck to her talking points about equal pay, abortion, Alberto Gonzales, and the strength of the Democratic Party, and none of the commenters asked her for hard answers ("I found it discouraging that the questions here turned into the softballs we rip on the Press Pool for asking," one commenter wrote). Nonetheless it was a positive gesture toward the netroots from Clinton.
• Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore is formally entering the race for President today, entering a crowded Republican field and a race that promises a steep uphill climb. According the Richmond Times-Dispatch, while other GOP candidates raised millions in the first quarter, Gilmore raised $175,000. He'll make the announcement at 1 p.m. today in Des Moines, Iowa, and the event will be webcast. I'd link to his web site but he doesn't appear to have one. Oh boy.
• To coincide with his "announcement" that he is running for president (didn't we know that already?), John McCain has redesigned his web site, thankfully doing away with some of the dark grays and blacks that were earning Darth Vader references across the web, though the site retains a generally funereal feel. Todd Zeigler at the Bivings Report gives it a quick look and decides that, while the new use of color and the use of more text is good, it's too cluttered. And while McCain's picture used to be all over the place on his site, it's "strangely absent from the top half of the site. We’ve gone from having too many pictures of the candidate to having none at all 'above the fold.'" McCain has also launched an official campaign blog, written by Christian Ferry.

In Case You Missed It…

Online Prez Debate Could Breathe New Relevancy into Tired Format
by Jack McEnany
Will new technology fuel a new kind of presidential debate?

John McCain launches official blog
by David All
John McCain launched his official blog this morning.

How Can Public Broadcasting Make a Real Difference in Election 2008
by Steve Garfield

Andy Carvin wrote from the NPR annual membership meeting about the role of public broadcasting in the 2008 election.