WASHINGTON -- You may never have heard of Zephyr Teachout, a 31-year-old teacher from up north, but she is close to being the Gutenberg of the Internet Age for politicians.
She didn't invent the Internet, but she is the one who has made it sing for Howard Dean. The former Vermont governor's use of the new medium in his bid for the White House is as revolutionary for politics as movable type was for readers so many centuries ago.
The big news about Dean's use of the Internet has been his phenomenal ability to pull money through the computer. But Zephyr uses the Internet as much more than a fundraising tool -- she has been a key architect in designing the campaign's innovative and effective use of the Web to do many other things for the candidate as well.