This actually does mean a lot to me. It speaks to their judgment.

http://www.barackobama.com/

vs.

http://www.johnmccain.com/


Obama's is fantastic. McCain's is freaking busy.

6/6/2008 10:31:34 AM

McCain is starting to use the Obama iconography

6/6/2008 10:35:08 AM

This is a huge development.

6/6/2008 10:36:20 AM

They Frontpage jellybean buttons really kick the iconography up a notch, imho.


(by the way-- what on earth is that navigation to the left?)

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 10:38 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 10:37:16 AM

So is this whole national campaign going to be McCain trying to play catch up and use modified versions of Obama's campaign message?

6/6/2008 10:37:38 AM

Reagan liked jellybeans too

6/6/2008 10:38:44 AM

Moderator: "Let's look at your websites for a moment"


lol

6/6/2008 10:59:16 AM

As President, you need to find the right people for the job.

McCain failed in regards to hiring a design firm.

6/6/2008 11:00:51 AM

hah. no kidding they're copying obama now. mccain's site used to have a black background and look really somber and serious.

ahahah and he has a petition to send obama to iraq

and a whole TAB devoted to "obama and iraq"

the mccain campaign seems very much to just be reactive and not proactive. hell his whole speech the other night could be summed as "change: scary"

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:03 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:01:48 AM

Skankin, quit get your opinions from the talking heads on CNN. John McCain is not "co-opting" Obama's slogan, he's using them to contrast Obama's words with his deeds. John McCain has worked actively to reform America's political institutions for his entire career. He's worked to make the campaign finance system more transparent, to protect our environemnt, to ensure humane treatment of prisoners, and to reform America's immigration policies. John McCain took positions that were at times unpopular because he believed in the changes he was promoting.

By contrast, Barack Obama has led on few issues and has never taken an unpopular position as a candidate or a Senator. Indeed, he has spent a good deal of time holding on to John McCain's coat tails.

When John McCain re-introduced the Climate Stewardship Act with Joe Lieberman to the Senate (the first bill to actually propose capping GHG emissions), what did Obama do? He co-sponsored it.
http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=267559

When John McCain introduced the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act with Ted Kennedy (the most ambitious immigration reform proposal in recent years), what did Obama do? He co-sponsored it.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01033:@@@P

John McCain represents the Change Barack Obama Believes In! So who is really copying whom?

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:04 AM. Reason : ``]

6/6/2008 11:02:38 AM

Moderator: "now Mr. McCain, is it true you opted for a SQL 2005 database to run the backend?"

McCain: "yes. yes sir i did."

Moderator: "excellent decision. now we understand why your server has been more reliable. instead of picking a UI based fruity colors team to do your design wasting 800k on tax money and loans building it, you've provided a reliable site and at 1/16 the cost"

:applause:

6/6/2008 11:04:35 AM

Quote :

"to ensure humane treatment of prisoners"

except his most recent opportunities to do so.

Quote :

"So who is really copying whom?"

in regards to website (as is the topic of this thread) (and campaign message): john mccain is copying obama blatantly

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:07 AM. Reason : dble]

6/6/2008 11:04:35 AM

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:06 AM. Reason : double]

6/6/2008 11:06:46 AM

^ Still letting ThinkProgress do your thinking for you?

6/6/2008 11:07:53 AM

bwhahahahahaaha

the biggest feature on Obamas site is a big ole area to start giving you his money. lol

I guess it's a good place to start getting used to it.

6/6/2008 11:09:11 AM

3/4 of the goddamned page says GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!

lol. wow.

guess he's gotta pay for all that artsy shit somehow. hahaha. sarijoul, why don't start the donations at $5 if you can afford it

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:10 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:09:46 AM

^^^thinkprogress? i've never been there. but i've been to both mccain's and obama's site multiple times in the past 6 months and have seen how mccain's site has transformed to be a weak copy of obama's. hillary's did the same thing.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:10 AM. Reason : .]

^note that Rat has started pointless personal shit to obscure the actual discussion.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:10:23 AM

you don't want to donate to the GIVEMEALLYOURMONEYbarack Obama fund and maybe pay to spruce up his flowery beautiful website?

6/6/2008 11:16:01 AM

I wonder how many threads I can find on Obama's health care plan that I didn't create. Or how many threads on Obama's position on Iraq that I didn't create.

I mean, if we're down to bitching about the candidate's websites we must have exhausted all the relevant issues in this campaign.....

Right???

6/6/2008 11:17:16 AM

^^maybe it's irrelevant to the conversation you're trying to steer off-course

^if the thread isn't needed it will float off the first page quickly enough like many other failed threads. if you don't like it, you can just not click on it.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:19 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:17:45 AM

I wonder how many posts I can find by sarijoul on which of Obama's policies he supports and why (as in longer than one sentence). I'm sure plenty.

And hey, if you don't like my complaining about you obsession with image craft, YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT EITHER!

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:20 AM. Reason : ``]

6/6/2008 11:19:00 AM

Quote :

"the biggest feature on Obamas site is a big ole area to start giving you his money. lol"

That's the intro splash screen.

You're a quick one.

Quote :

"Socks``: blah blah blah..."

Why's it have to be political?

6/6/2008 11:19:42 AM

wow i think the websites speak about the candidtates very well.

McCain has a well laid out description of his political views.
Obama's says "GIVE ME MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

6/6/2008 11:20:40 AM

Quote :

"That's the intro splash screen. You're a quick one."

6/6/2008 11:21:13 AM

obama: GIVE ME YOUR MONEY ON MY SPLASH SCREEN LOLZ

6/6/2008 11:23:08 AM

it's clearly the focus of his website.

6/6/2008 11:24:09 AM

that's all obama seems to think about... how to suck MORE money out of the american public.

6/6/2008 11:24:46 AM

The splash screen is the focus of the website?

Click the link again, and tell me what the focus of the website is.


https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/postmtsdsplash

v.

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

WHICH ONE'S THE WEBPAGE AGAIN?

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:26 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:25:14 AM

Boone, okay...

The color schme of Obama's website put me in mind of another similar website.
http://www.pepsi.com

Funny enough, that website is also concentrated on selling me something too.

6/6/2008 11:25:40 AM

Quote :

"Skankin, quit get your opinions from the talking heads on CNN."

I don't watch TV Socks so there's no way I'm really able to get my opinions from people/places I don't watch. I just did a doubletake when I saw the slogan behind him during his speech (watched on youtube).

You can accuse me of many things, but parroting talking heads isn't one of them - mainly because I don't watch or read them unless someone directly refers me to something done by one of them.

Quote :

"Funny enough, that website is also concentrated on selling me something too."

Politicians, including McCain, are all selling something. They are the product, you have to market yourself just like any other product, it's just a different market. Don't think for a second that McCain doesn't have oodles of marketing guys in his campaign, Obama's just do a better job right now.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:29 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:27:40 AM

Quote :

"The splash screen is the focus of the website?"

it is the VERY first thing that any visitor to the site sees. you have to click your way OUT of the screen in order to find anything else.

YES that is the main focus of his website. Once you get to the main page, and THIRD of it is devoted to the "donate" button.

6/6/2008 11:27:57 AM

BARAK OBAMA: [give me your] CHANGE!!!!

6/6/2008 11:29:26 AM

and one of four main tabs on mccain's site is about buying mccain golf gear. that says a little something

for those that haven't been there, those tabs are:
decision center, general election, obama & iraq and golf gear

those are the most prominent things on the front page.

i see now upon further perusal that there is another smaller set of tabs on the top that is a near carbon copy of obama's site tabs.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:31 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:29:43 AM

and just in case you didn't donate when you first clicked that link, throws in THE BIG RED DONATE BUTTON on the main taskbar so you don't forget


lol

don't worry obama, i'm sure you'll more than make it up when you raise my income taxes next year.

hell, i'll be the biggest donor for your site if you promise not to raise taxes so damn much.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:30 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 11:30:04 AM

Why is McCain's site trying to focus on his uncanny resemblance to a chipmunk?

This is by far his cutest attribute, but by no means his strongest.

6/6/2008 11:30:10 AM

lol @ all you hippy school of design majors. your priorities are in the right place


this thread has monumental possibilities

6/6/2008 11:32:08 AM

Rat: always there to try to derail the thread into something personal instead of having a real discussion.

6/6/2008 11:32:44 AM

This is what I will do to your wallets:

6/6/2008 11:35:51 AM

SkankingMoney

Quote :

"Politicians, including McCain, are all selling something. They are the product, you have to market yourself just like any other product, it's just a different market. Don't think for a second that McCain doesn't have oodles of marketing guys in his campaign, Obama's just do a better job right now. "

My point is that McCain is not a brand. I suggest you check out Naomi Klien's "No Logo". It's a pretty good book that has a good description of the art of branding. Branding goes beyond simply selling you a product, it's about selling you an experience or a lifestyle. Nike is the best example of brands in action. Many Nike ads don't even mention the shoes you're buying, they focus on the selling you the athletic lifestyle or experience. Buy these shoes and be an athlete.

Obama is branding himself in a similar way. He's not selling himself as a candidate, he's selling the experience of being IN A MOMENT OF CHANGE. Buy into this campaign and be part of a moment of history. Never mind the product you're actually buying, focus on the experience we are creating for you.

McCain may also be selling himself, but he is doing so by selling his experience and stance on the issues. It isn't very hip, but it's the approach I prefer.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:48 AM. Reason : ``]

6/6/2008 11:41:24 AM

Quote :

"lol @ all you hippy school of design majors. your priorities are in the right place"

This is why people live in crappy builder houses, and buy junk at WalMart. If you don't see the value in an easily readable well designed website... it all just snowballs from there.

6/6/2008 11:41:55 AM

^ my point exactly. cheers

when you have to make the theme of your website about getting money from people.....

6/6/2008 11:44:26 AM

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
http://www.johnmccain.com/

Try clicking through to the main page... it's still much more readable.

http://www.johnmccain.com/espanol/

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 11:48 AM. Reason : the spanish website is much easier to read]

6/6/2008 11:46:41 AM

you should consider an artistic major at the university of chapel hill

6/6/2008 11:54:10 AM

THIS TOPIC IS SO UNIMPORTANT AND STUPID THAT I WILL KEEP POSTING IN IT RAWWWWR

6/6/2008 11:57:53 AM

Would that be the Masters of Fine Arts or the Undergraduate Program in Studio Art?

6/6/2008 11:59:09 AM

McCain needs to get the word "change" and the phrase "beleive in" out of his campaing message. It looks like he is reacting to Obama too hard and he really should be taking him on via issues not just tearing down his catch phrases.

6/6/2008 12:46:14 PM

I don't want to get into the debate about whether the differences in website design are significant or meaningful. But I'm amused and a little bit saddened that one of the four main, headlining navigation topics on McCain's site is to buy McCain golf merchandise, and the other is a pretty irrelevant, standard politicking attack on Obama. By contrast, I like that Obama's main page only mentions McCain once, in a quote about polling data that makes no attack--no statement about McCain at all, really.

Quote :

"the spanish website is much easier to read"

Clearly because less effort is put into the Spanish version (not that I blame him for that). The design must be from an earlier iteration of the site. Whereas the English version has all of its news items from the last two days, the most recent Spanish news item is from May 20, with only six news items at all since April 10. The six analysis and discussion items go all the way back to October 19. Surely there must be more Spanish-language debate going on. The front page of the Spanish version still prominently features McCain's statement on Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that merits no statement in the first place, given that the day is only sparsely celebrated in Mexico and about a third of the Hispanics in the US aren't even from Mexico.

So yeah, definitely a better design, but the content is pretty lacking; why go through all the trouble of having a Spanish version of your site when all it's doing is promoting the idea that the campaign isn't in touch with the Spanish-speaking population? The least they could do is translate a few more of the campaign's official press releases.

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 12:56 PM. Reason : ]

6/6/2008 12:54:08 PM

^^

[Edited on June 6, 2008 at 12:54 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2008 12:54:09 PM

I think a pretty big difference in their sites is the statistics and reports they use. McCain's site has practically no objective reasoning for why he's doing what he's doing, where as Obama's site commonly references statistics and reports and studies for why his policies would be better, and Obama's site goes in to more detail in PDFs linked on the bottom of his pages.

6/6/2008 2:05:33 PM

Quote :

"When John McCain re-introduced the Climate Stewardship Act with Joe Lieberman to the Senate (the first bill to actually propose capping GHG emissions), what did Obama do? He co-sponsored it. http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=267559 When John McCain introduced the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act with Ted Kennedy (the most ambitious immigration reform proposal in recent years), what did Obama do? He co-sponsored it. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01033:@@@P John McCain represents the Change Barack Obama Believes In! So who is really copying whom? "

Do you mean to tell me that a junior senator doesn't often introduce new bills but instead co-sponsors the bills of more established members until he builds political capital?

HOLY SHIT YOU HAVE BLOWN MY MIND!!!11oneone

6/6/2008 2:11:07 PM