Lack of Technological Creativity Downfall of GOP?

Earlier this month Politico.com, one of my favorite websites for politics and news, ran piece called "Why the GOP fell so far, so fast". It was a hard and honest look at the Republican Party, which, as recently as 1994, was a force to be reckoned with and espoused values that a majority of Americans held. Fast forward to 2008 and the party looks radically different.

Politico listed five reasons why the GOP fell like it did. One of the explanations that really caught my eye (not that they all didn't) was reason number three:

Technology Glitches

One of the biggest reasons that it may take years for Republicans to steady their ship is that they have fallen way behind Democrats when it comes to exploiting new technologies to raise cash, especially online.

It is the Democrats who now are the innovators in this area. First Howard Dean and now Barack Obama have built massive programs for raising money, usually in small chunks, online. They have bigger e-mail lists and many times more donors familiar with sending money over the Web. They also have generally shown more sophistication in their online approach.

ActBlue, a Web hub for Democratic fundraising, has directed more than $60 million to candidates since 2004. Republicans don’t even have an equivalent.

The technology gap transcends fundraising, however. Democrats, in general, are embracing the Web more eagerly as a way to communicate — and gather — information. Daily Kos, a popular stop for Democratic officials and activists, has registered more than 1 billion page views in six years. Redstate.com, a similar kind of Web community for Republicans, has recorded fewer than 50 million.

Republicans often seem kind of retro. Talk radio remains a more powerful communications device for conservatives, with Rush Limbaugh maintaining a weekly audience of as many as 20 million. But the talk radio audience has slowed in growth over the past 15 years, and no one thinks it will be the dominant medium of the future.

While ActBlue is a sensational Political Action Committee (PAC) that Democrats developed years ago, the Republicans now also have an option with Slatecard, developed by Tech Republican founder, David All. Is Slatecard raising the coin to match Actblue? Hardly, but it shows that some Republicans are willing to move into a 21st century technology base that can reach potential donors candidate campaigns might not otherwise be able to tap.

Although all is not lost technologically for the Republican Party, there is still a long way to go. After being a grassroots powerhouse for years, the GOP urgently needs to feed and nurture the growing netroots that support their cause. They will find New Media to be a great tool towards candidate recruitment, fund raising and general messaging.

So far, only the messaging seems to be making a difference.