Democras take advantage of Internet

WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Talk radio may belong to Republicans but a former U.S. congressional aide says Democrats are far ahead when it comes to utilizing the World Wide Web.

David All, who served as a Republican congressional aide, tells the Washington Times there is a widening gap between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the Internet.

"For the most part Republicans are stuck in Internet circa 2000," All says.

Recent figures provided by Nielsen/NetRatings indicate the number of hits on Democrat John Edward's site in March exceeded the combined number of visitors to the sites of the top three leading GOP contenders.

Besides lacking the necessary technical skills, political insiders say another reason for the disparity may be that the top GOP candidates aren't exciting voters the way Democratic frontrunners are.

Peter Leyden, who directs a San Francisco-based think tank the New Politics Institute, says the culture of Democrats is a much better fit in the Internet world.