InfoAnda - Kochs help Republicans catch up on technology |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Cost surge under new Google CEO unnerves Street | | 15 April 2011
OPEC 'optimistic' worst of recession over: president | 10 September 2009
India court overturns ban on gay sex | International | | 3 July 2009

Fires in Spain kill four, Croatia evacuates tourists | | 23 July 2012

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Kochs help Republicans catch up on technology |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (6) Slideshow REUTERS VIDEO Lab mice reveal path to dementia cure Scientists in Australia have discovered a molecule in the brain that may hold the key to preventing or even curing dementia. Video Paralysis patient tastes freedom through thought control Stem cell therapy credited with saving girl's life Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Iran attack decision nears, Israeli elite locks down 11:43am EDT Analysis: Greeks not alone in bank savings exodus 8:15am EDT Plans to strike Iran "ready," says U.S. Israel envoy 6:51am EDT Insight: Greek exit could cost eurozone 100s of billions of euros | 8:29am EDT Several brokerages stop taking Facebook IPO orders | 16 May 2012 Discussed 172 Romney apologizes for bullying incident at school 158 Germany’s Merkel dealt heavy blow in state vote 112 Weary warriors favor Obama Watched A look at the UK’s most beautiful face Thu, May 10 2012 Paralysis patient tastes freedom through thought control Wed, May 16 2012 Surfer rides 78-foot wave to world record Fri, May 11 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Inside Greece An insider's look at the people and places that define Greece. Slideshow Transgendered Indian Seema is transgender, one of hundreds of thousands in India who are ostracised, often abused and forced into prostitution. Slideshow Kochs help Republicans catch up on technology Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Obama places big bet on gay marriage issue Fri, May 11 2012 Insight: Super PACS: Follow the money - if you can Thu, May 10 2012 REFILE-INSIGHT-Super PACS: Follow the money - if you can Thu, May 10 2012 Veteran Republican Senator Lugar soundly defeated Wed, May 9 2012 Veteran Republican Senator Lugar defeated in Indiana Tue, May 8 2012 Analysis & Opinion Candidate-press relations are … about as ‘sour’ as usual JPMorgan, warned earlier over risk governance, highlights oversight challenges Related Topics Politics » Tech » Barack Obama » Election 2012 » 1 of 4. A journalist looks at her Blackberry communication device on Capitol Hill in Washington in this April 18, 2007 file photo. Credit: Reuters/Jim Young/Files By Peter Henderson SAN FRANCISCO | Thu May 17, 2012 7:18am EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In the 2008 presidential race, Barack Obama was famously effective in using new technologies to raise money, mobilize voters and target his message of change. In this year's campaign, his opponents are determined to turn the tables. Republican political operatives, some with deep financial backing from the billionaire Koch brothers and others, are unleashing about a half dozen major projects that take advantage of advanced database technologies to manage campaigns and target voters with personalized messages. Few doubt that political parties and factions that can gain an edge in the data wars will be in a good position on election day - and could potentially build institutional advantages that will pay dividends for years to come. IPhone apps, Web-based campaign management and micro-targeting of voters with personalized messages are a few of the services built around database technology that the left has used to find and motivate voters, most impressively in 2008. People in the increasingly competitive political technology business say the industry is still in an early phase, with the massive data-collection potential of social media and mobile computing only beginning to be tapped. Nevertheless the field is already creating tension between grassroots activists suspicious of big, centralized databases and political professionals who say they are essential. "If you are talking to anybody on the ground, Tea Party activists, they are tired of centralized control," said Steven Kuivenhoven, a Michigan Tea Party organizer who is avoiding Washington-based tech groups. The Republican and Democratic parties have passed the banner of technological leadership back and forth over the past decade. The Republican Party built a massive database of voters for the 2004 election, then Democrats in the last presidential election pulled together an independent database called Catalist that improved cooperation among allied groups. This year outside groups are leading the charge, especially on the conservative side, a nod to the rising power of political action committees and advocacy groups. Shoestring startups are competing with efforts funded by billionaires, which some conservatives embrace as a triumph of laissez-faire. "God bless the free market," said Constantin Querard, an Arizona political consultant who uses one of the startups, rVotes, for managing volunteers and voter data. "We are probably two two-year cycles from weeding out the software that was well done and the software that wasn't as well executed." THE KOCH COUNTERPUNCH In 2008, Catalist helped the left win the technology battle. The database allowed unions and the Obama campaign to manage volunteers without stepping on each other's toes. Meanwhile, analysts could look for patterns in oceans of data that had been held in small pools by separate groups. Now, Charles and David Koch, who have quietly bankrolled libertarian organizations such as the Cato Institute and the influential Mercatus Center at George Mason University, are behind an effort that aims to do for the right what Catalist did for the left. Called Themis, the independent group is the most ambitious of the many conservative political technology projects now in development. People with direct knowledge of the group as well as political technology industry veterans say it is backed by the Koch brothers, although their names do not appear on an annual regulatory filing and Koch Industries spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment. The Kochs own Koch Industries, the Wichita, Kansas-based natural resources conglomerate that refines oil, produces chemicals and owns the paper products company Georgia-Pacific. Chief Executive Officer Charles Koch and his brother David are worth $25 billion each, according to Forbes. Themis staffers in their twenties and thirties, clad in jeans and checked shirts, work out of a suite in a nondescript office building in Alexandria, Virginia. City records indicate that the company expanded recently, and a federal filing shows millions of dollars in the bank. Themis operates like many other Koch projects - in secrecy. A reporter retrieving a federal filing from the company was not allowed inside the unmarked front door, and Themis executives declined or did not respond to requests for comment. Themis raised $7.7 million in its first year, according to its 2010 return to the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt 501 c(4) organization, which it released this year after successfully petitioning for the maximum possible delay. As a 501 c(4), Themis can work with advocacy groups but cannot coordinate with candidates. The federal filing does not list financial backers, but people with direct knowledge of the group say it is backed by the Kochs. Ben Pratt, the chief operating officer, describes himself on LinkedIn as a former Koch Industries executive who is now a management consultant and executive coach teaching the business theories developed by Charles Koch. Themis's ambition to become an analytical powerhouse for the right is clear from its list of business partners, including several heavy hitters in the computer analytics world. Its top contractor in 2010, paid $1.1 million, was voter database company Intell360, which employed former Republican National Committee Network and Online Services Director Steve Ellis at the time, according to LinkedIn. Intell360's website describes services ranging from finding email and phone numbers for voters to "data mining" for voters likely to respond to tailored messages to targeting ads "down to the zip code, census block or individual level." Neither the company nor Koch Industries responded to requests for comment. Pratt declined to speak when reached by phone. Despite the vast resources behind it, Themis may find it difficult to reach its goal this year. One person close to the group predicts it will not catch up to the left in the current campaign cycle; the Obama campaign is engaged in complex modeling and scouring social media data for information, people in the industry say. Another conservative data industry person said there is no sign of high-end modeling by Themis. Themis does not have to catch up to make an impact, though. It is building its database and signing up advocacy groups to use its services and contribute data. The person close to Themis said its work focuses on identifying active supporters - those with a propensity to attend rallies or engage their representatives, for instance - and discovering the "cream of the crop" - persons active in several allied groups. AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE The other major database effort on the right is a for-profit group called Data Trust, which is updating the Republican Party's somewhat dusty national file of voters. Modeled on Catalist, Data Trust hopes to make a profit by selling data to advocacy groups, candidates and business groups, incorporating clients' information into its database when they agree. The party will keep its database, but Data Trust will be able to pay for updating and expanding the data in a way that Republicans have not had the resources to do in recent years, people familiar with the project say. However, it will leave the high-end analysis of data to clients. Themis and Data Trust will be competitors at times. But there may be room for both: Themis caters to a conservative crowd that distrusts what it sees as the politically expedient instincts of the Republican Party. And some groups may want more than one database provider. "Never trust any one source 100 percent," said Gary Marx, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a religious group in Duluth, Georgia, that is planning to find and contact 27 million potential conservative Christian voters in swing states this election cycle. American Crossroads, a Washington D.C.-based conservative advocacy group led by former Republican Party officials and associated with Karl Rove, is not choosing sides, even though its chairman, former Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, helps run Data Trust. "We plan to be a client of Data Trust. We also have a good relationship with Themis," said Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio. GROUND GAMES Themis and Data Trust may have trouble getting some potential allies on board. Plenty of grassroots groups say they don't need the help of a big, Washington-based database outfit and say they have what Republicans need most: real-time data. They are turning to new technology systems that let campaigns and groups manage volunteers and donors. A plethora of new tech tools with names like Gravity, rVotes and NationBuilder can help organize door-to-door campaigns, harvesting the type of information that feeds a successful database. All the companies behind them are for-profit. "If the local county group is knocking on people's doors, and identifying pro-life or anti-immigrant or anti-health-care voters, they could be flagging that information on the database and instead of having that information be in an activists' basement somewhere, it's flagged back on this master file and available to other organizations, which are wanting to organize around those issues," said Ken Strasma, head of data analysis firm Strategic Telemetry, which works for Democrats. "That's what could make this a very powerful tool." Many grassroots activists are wary of big databases, however, especially if they are linked with Washington. Conservatives, like liberals, are not a monolithic group. Some factions would prefer to retain control of their data. "I wish I had the Koch brothers' money, but I don't want to be beholden to them," said Peter Wolf, an Ohio Tea Party organizer. He supports rVotes, a program marketed to the right that intends to offer a national database in which campaigns control data they add. Smaller groups may also be immune to the lure of the big databases because they can get low-cost help from companies such as Aristotle, an unaligned commercial vendor that sells voter records for 3 cents each and offers analytics and social media as well. Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch failed to win his party's endorsement at the recent state caucus after a Tea Party campaign against him. He now faces a run-off primary battle. FreedomWorks, a group that has severed Koch ties, was a major instigator of the anti-Hatch effort. It used commercial database and analytics vendors to find likely caucus delegates. "What it took Orrin Hatch a year to do in terms of preparation for the caucus, we were able to do in a month and a half," said Russ Walker, vice president of political and grassroots campaigns for FreedomWorks for America. "I really do think the commercial world is ahead of us." Whether the Kochs or any other group make a major leap forward will depend on how many allies they find. Querard, the Arizona political consultant, sees the technology race as a question of critical mass. "Whoever's got the most users will probably see the most improvement," he said. (Additional reporting by Alexander Cohen in Washington, DC; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Douglas Royalty) Politics Tech Barack Obama Election 2012 Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (6) cranston wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 17 May 2012
Iran flouts U.N. sanctions, sends arms to Syria: panel |
U.S. to seek G8 support for oil reserve release: Kyodo |
U.S. path out of Afghanistan faces risks |
Police disperse, detain anti-Putin protesters |
ICC prosecutor OK with delay to trial of Kenyans |
Monti, Hollande, Merkel, Cameron in videocall Thursday |
Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official |
Several brokerages stop taking Facebook IPO orders |
Sprint CEO sees more telecom M&A's possible |
Google revamps U.S. search |
A post-IPO Facebook strategy |
Verizon sees revenue increase from shared plans |
Huawei: EU contract plans may signal more curbs |
Italy Microsoft head in pole for CEO position at RCS: sources |
Baron Cohen's Dictator storms Cannes, camel in tow |
Carrie Underwood keeps Billboard No. 1, Adele going strong |
Exclusive: Iran flouts U.N. sanctions, sends arms to Syria: panel |
ECB move on Greek banks hits euro confidence |
Plans to strike Iran ready, says U.S. Israel envoy |
Iran nuclear output seen steady before Baghdad talks |
North Korea resumes work on nuclear reactor: report |
Chinese boats seized by North Koreans in rare public spat |
Hollande taps old hands, new faces for French government |
North Lebanon fighting kills one; ninth in five days |
U.S. sends warning to Saleh backers in Yemen |
Several brokerages stop taking Facebook IPO orders |
Pinterest raises $100 million in funding: WSJ |
Ad execs say jury still out on Facebook as medium |
Viacom, Time Warner Cable reach iPad views settlement |
Toshiba eyes $5.6 billion operating profit by 2014-15 |
FCC chooses spectrum for wireless medical devices |
Activision and Electronic Arts settle lawsuit |
Apple readies iPhone with bigger screen: sources |
Google to meet French regulator on privacy policy |
Britney is back
Godfather of Go-Go' Chuck Brown dies at 75 |
Busy Jennifer Lopez casts doubt on more American Idol |
Cannes festival opens with quirky comedy and a camel |
Is it curtains for Afghanistan's fading silver screen? |
Family cancels weekend search for missing Hollywood executive |
Spain beset by bank crisis, recession, bond pressure |
Five hurt in emergency plane landing in Munich |
Iran attack decision nears, Israeli elite locks down |
Analysis: Saudi Gulf union plan stumbles as wary leaders seek detail |
Europe's banks on the brink |
Horrors of Srebrenica set out at Mladic trial |
Nigeria robbers accidentally blow up own bus |
Syria's Assad: Nations that sow chaos will suffer |
Analysis: Facebook can't take Asian growth for granted |
No respite for HP, Dell in Windows 8: BMO |
Wi-Lan says court rules in its favor in patent case |
Samsung not seen quaking in boots over Apple-Elpida report |
Pinterest funding could value startup at $1.5 billion |
Kochs help Republicans catch up on technology |
Belgian actor wins plaudits and first Cannes crush |
Contestants? It's TV talent judges basking in fame, cash |
Busy Jennifer Lopez casts doubt on more American Idol |
Regret but no surprise Cannes lacks women directors |
Cannes festival opens with quirky comedy and a camel |
Members of the Wiggles hand on to next generation |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01