Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
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July 23, 2000, Sunday, Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A05
LENGTH: 729 words
HEADLINE:
POLITICS; Bush Web Site Hit for Lack of Privacy
BYLINE:
Ben White
BODY:
Does George W. Bush's new
campaign Web site have privacy problems? Vice President Gore's campaign
certainly thinks so.
The Gore camp's contention, echoed in a statement
released last week by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), is that to volunteer to
help the Bush campaign through www.georgewbush.com, visitors must enter their
name, address, phone number and e-mail address and cannot "opt out" of having
that information shared with the Republican National Committee, Republican state
parties or other "local Bush leaders."
The Gore camp and Markey also
faulted the site's policy regarding participation in "Daily Trivia" and "Enter
and Win Contests" on the site. Again, the Bush site makes submission of name,
address, telephone number and e-mail address a "condition of participation." The
Bush campaign even goes a step further with this feature, saying that by
supplying personal information, the user agrees to let the Bush campaign share
it with any Republican committee and any "other organizations."
University of Pennsylvania research fellow Steven M. Schneider called
the Bush privacy policy "weak," noting that visitors also cannot customize the
information they receive from the site without pumping in detailed personal
information. "The Bush campaign basically says, 'We are not going to allow you
to use all the features of this wonderful tool unless you give us your name,
phone number and e-mail address.' I hope they are rethinking that."
Bush
spokesman Tucker Eskew at first said of the privacy policy: "The information is
by definition voluntary. You opt out by not entering the information." But he
later called back to say the Bush campaign is working on a new privacy policy,
including "opt-out" provisions.
A Sunshiny Bush Woos Florida
George W. Bush is heading into the Republican National
Convention on July 31 with a round of "Morning in America"-type television ads,
filled with babies and senior citizens, designed to paint an uplifting portrait
of his leadership style.
Perhaps as interesting as the warm and fuzzy
tone and talk of "the American dream" is the targeting of Florida in a
multimillion-dollar buy that also includes Pennsylvania, Ohio and Washington.
The choice suggests the campaign is worried about the Sunshine State,
despite the advantage of Bush's brother, Jeb Bush, serving as governor. Campaign
spokesman Ari Fleischer acknowledged that the contest will be tougher if Vice
President Gore picks Florida Sen. Bob Graham as his running mate.
The
three 30-second spots, featuring as many multicultural faces as a Benetton ad,
concede the country's prosperity--which might be seen as a selling point for
Gore--but try to spin that into an opportunity for Bush's ideas. Each spot uses
Bush's signature line of being "a uniter, not a divider" and presents him as a
comfortable, reassuring figure.
In one ad, the Texas governor says:
"This is a moment in history when we have a chance to focus on tough problems.
It is not always popular to say, 'Our children can't read, or Social Security
needs improving, or we have a budget surplus and a deficit of values.' But those
are the right things to say."
No Room at the Gores'
The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit Washington group,
issued a study called "Fat Cat Hotel" in 1996 that reported the use of the White
House Lincoln Bedroom by Democratic donors. Now, the center has decided to check
on guests Vice President Gore may have had at his official residence. An
"Investigative Report" issued last week by the center is titled "White House
Refuses to Release List of Gore's Sleepover Guests."
"Gore officials
have insisted that all guests have been merely 'close friends and relatives from
Tennessee,' and that no such list exists," the report said. "They have also
refused to compile such information, citing the White House's exemption from the
Freedom of Information Act."
Relax, scandal hounds. Jim Kennedy, the
vice president's spokesman, called to report that in the past seven years, the
guest list has totaled "less than 10 adults."
"With the exception of
Steven Spielberg, they're all close family and friends," Kennedy said. "There's
no guest room in this house, by the way. When they stay, they stay in one of the
kids' rooms."
Staff writers Howard Kurtz and Mike Allen
contributed to this report.
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