Thanks for Noticing

Today's New York Times front page story, "Giuliani's Strategy is All on His Website," can be taken a sign of the fact that print media are finally paying attention to the fact that political websites make rhetorical appeals and that some digital appeals are more successful with audiences than others. Otherwise, it's actually a pretty superficial analysis of the site, which focuses on what's not there (prior scandals, ex-wives, etc.) rather than what is. I find the Giuliani website interesting because, like many political draft sites, it doesn't feature an actual platform for the future but rather looks backwards to the past by focusing on twin appeals to biography ("About Rudy") and prior experience ("Rudy's Record"). Also worth noticing is the absence of the urban context so important for the former Mayor of New York's legacy. To see him symbolized by American flags rather than a specific locale that might alienate Red State voters seems to me an interesting web design decision.