The Chronicle‘s Kristen Mack reports that District C council candidate Brian Cweren’s campaign has been poaching internet domain names:
Houston City Council candidate Brian Cweren is trying for a landslide in political cyberspace. The District C hopeful has purchased Web sites containing various combinations of his name — and five of his opponents’ names.
The result is that some sites with the names of his opponents direct Web users to Cweren’s campaign site.
[snip]
Go to some sites containing all or part of the names of Cweren opponents Anne Clutterbuck, George Hittner, Ray Jones, Mark Lee or Herman Litt, and you’ll get this message:
“I realize you were looking for someone else, but I would be honored if you would visit my website.” It helpfully provides a link to Cweren’s site.
Cweren’s campaign purchased 29 sites including variations on his name or the others.
“It was a strategy designed by our Web designer. We thought, ‘Why the hell not?’
Here’s why the hell not: Because it’s tacky, misleading, and cries out “LOSER WHO CAN’T GENERATE POLITICAL INTEREST HIMSELF.”
The city needs more serious candidates who talk about serious issues, and fewer gimmicks. If Cweren wants to be taken seriously, maybe he could at least put links to his opponents on the domains he bought (and provide some details on all the wonderful things he wants to accomplish on his own site). Otherwise, he looks a little pathetic.