A Guided Tour of Alvin Greene's Weird New Campaign Website

There are many divisive and controversial figures in American politics these days, but none have managed to acquire quite the reputation of mystery, intrigue and sheer strangeness as Alvin Greene, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.

The 32-year-old Army veteran appeared on the national political radar earlier this month, winning the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary seemingly out of nowhere, despite having no job, "no political experience, no money and no campaign organization," as AOL News writer Steve Pendlebury put it.

The win was all the more surprising given what most would consider a blight on his record: a recent felony obscenity charge, for allegedly showing porn to a college student. He has declined to comment on that charge, which could land him behind bars if he is convicted.

And yet Greene's enigmatic approach to politicking has somehow managed to serve him well. Despite calls from skeptics, the election commission in South Carolina recently declined to investigate potential voter irregularities behind his astonishing victory. The state Democratic Party also upheld the validity of his candidacy, rejecting the pleas of defeated Democratic challenger Vic Rawl.

Now the chief of state police is reported to be looking into Greene, and specifically how the self-described unemployed veteran managed to get the $10,000-plus necessary to file for a Senate campaign; still, no subpoena has been granted. Suspicion remains that Greene could be some sort of Republican or conservative plant, but little evidence has surfaced to bolster this claim. If all is still clear by November, Greene will face an uphill electoral battle from popular incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim DeMint.

But in the meantime, it appears that Greene has finally decided to embrace at least one of the more standard political practices of recent years: setting up a campaign website. In typical Greene fashion, however, the low-budget, cryptic site is unlike anything one would expect from a national politician. It also includes no social media -- no links or buttons to Facebook, Twitter or other trendy websites. Just what is on the website, then?

Surge Desk takes a brief tour (all images courtesy Alan M. Greene, 2010).

1. The Home Page: Note the green theme on the top banner and on the menu, very nontraditional for a major party candidate.



Furthermore, Surge Desk can't help but note that there are a few redundant links here. While similar redundancies can likely be found on other politicians' websites, the relative sparseness and simplicity of Greene's website makes these all the more apparent.





As satirical D.C. blog Wonkette observes, "Just don't click on 'Click Here For More Information' on the front page. Alvin is setting you up for a Daoist joke, people who try to 'seek' knowledge," because it brings up an error page.

2. The Bio Page: "About Greene" gives an extremely concise history of the candidate, solidifying his South Carolina roots while steering clear of any mention of his recent legal troubles. Greene has emphasized his military experience in TV interviews, suggesting it is what distinguishes him from his competitor.



3. The Issues Page: This highlights Greene's major issues and the platform he has prepared to address them. The focus, consistent with Greene's brief statements, appears to be on working families and their children. Note that Greene is very light on (read: completely devoid of) specifics, and his platform thins as you scroll down the page. The emphasis appears to be more on broad-based goals rather than on specific plans. Most interesting, of course, is the "Justice" section. Is Greene calling for revising or overhauling the current criminal justice system in South Carolina? That remains to be seen.



4. Take Action: Again, note the lack of, but promise for, further information on Greene's "I Want You" section of the website. Here is also a good place to point out the nontraditional nature of Greene's campaign logo, which is right-justified, playing up his last name and last initial the most. Perhaps we're reading too much into it, but how about the shadowing behind the characters? It is intended to be evocative of a shadowy person?



5. Donations Page: This takes the user first to a mirror page, thanking them for their contribution, then to a PayPal page linked to an unspecified account. A commenter on Wonkette noted that this function does not seem to be operational yet, either.

6. The Newsroom: This section perhaps departs the most from a commonplace candidate's website. Whereas most utilize a "News" or "Press" section to mount proportionally large public-relations pushes -- in an effort to control the message or "narrative" that develops about them in the mainstream media -- Greene's "Newsroom" section features only two videos so far, both awkward interviews with the candidate by other news organizations. Read Surge Desk's coverage of one of those interviews, with ETV.

7. Contact Us: "Us" is almost certainly referring to Greene's campaign operation, but at this time it remains unclear exactly who that includes and just how extensive it is.

Surge Desk points out that while Greene "appreciates support" and feedback, including "any questions" the user might have, this part of the site again asks visitors to submit their information, and with more specificity than that offered by Greene about himself and his own operations.

While in and of itself this is not so different from what many candidates for national office do, the contrast is made all the starker by Greene's ambiguity. The website, for instance, does not include a phone number, but only lists a P.O. box and offers a stock e-mail address. It is unclear just where the user's information is being sent to, and who will view it for what purpose, and for how long.