WASHINGTON -- The campaign of 2004 is different from any that came before. The reason is the Internet. For the first time, we have Meetup, MoveOn, Right March, Bloggers, E-Voting and political Spam. Good, bad or indifferent, the Internet is proving to be a major player in the prosecution of the presidential campaign of 2004.

The Internet has made its mark in fundraising. The ill-fated presidential campaign of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean proved that a lot of little contributions collected online can add up to a great deal of money for a campaign. He raised more than $50 million in his effort, and most of it came via the Internet. The techniques that his crew pioneered have been successfully copied by other campaigns, including the one of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. As of June 1, Kerry had raised $57 million on the Internet. During the period the Internet allowed him to rake in more than the money machine of President George W. Bush.

The Internet is providing the campaign with an instantaneous multimedia conduit to supporters. The Bush campaign has more than 6 million e-mail addresses and it uses them constantly. It previews commercials and develops word-of-mouth campaigns through its e-mail program. It also raises money and volunteers, but it is mainly solidifying its base of voters through the Internet.