ABSTRACT
In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, American federal elections underwent a competitive transformation. Congressional elections, usually considered local contests focusing on local issues, became nationalized. Probably the most concerted effort to nationalize these campaigns was the 1994 Contract with America drive of the Republican Party, with Republican candidates throughout the country pledging to support a common conservative policy agenda. The number and intensity of issue advocacy and other forms of campaign involvement by outside voices has only intensified during the past decade. The creation of MoveOn.org in September 1998 marks a turning point in political activism. Wes Boyd and Joan Blades, frustrated by the attempt by congressional Republicans to impeach President Bill Clinton, created a website and an online petition, inviting their friends and like-minded citizens to pressure Congress to censure the president, not impeach him: Censure President Clinton and Move On to Pressing Issues Facing the Nation.
