Reply #2: It's called disintermediation

[Mabus]

It means cutting out the middle man (in this case the media) and going directly to the people. And you are right, he's reaching the internet savvy, the young and a whole lot of boomers by doing this.

http://ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2006/03/why_disintermed.html

March 21, 2006
Why Disintermediation Matters

I'm glad to see my article stimulating debate, but I think some are missing the way disintermediation works. Critiques have largely centered around the self-evident: direct communication won't replace passive information consumption anytime soon or, probably, ever. Most folks simply don't want to write blogs, read 4,000 word speeches, or set aside 50 minutes to watch an address in full. And that's to be expected.

The point is, in elections, not all voters are equal. This gets into some Gladwell-esque Tipping Point theory, but political insiders, activists, and junkies exercise wildly outsized power on our electoral system. Previously, though, there was no way to reliably reach them. Hopeful insurgents had to camp out in a low-population state and stalk each and every resident till their efforts at personal outreach won them a low-turnout primary. It was all very linear, and a mastery of retail politics combined with the agility to turn an unexpected primary win into a slew of them were your only hopes.

No longer. Dean -- unlike Bill Bradley, or John McCain, or Gary Hart -- did not win any of the early primaries. He lost them. What was unique about his insurgency is that he went from darkest, quietest horse to frontrunner in a matter of months, without winning a single state. He did it through direct communication with the small core of party activists who can singlehandedly make a candidacy. And they made his, until poor ads, some major gaffes, and an overly-mational focus lost him Iowa. But in 2008, that core will enlarge, and the media will be watching them closely. Win them over, and you might well win the nomination.

In 2000, Gore lost that group. Many of them went to Nader and, before that, Bradley. They were the actives, the engaged, the dinner party politicos, and they worked far harder than the media to poison attitudes towards Al Gore. Gore was left with a press corps that didn't much like him, but more importantly, a base that reacted with similar tepidity. And so when the media went "Gored" him, he lacked defenders and advocates. He was assaulted on all sides, and he had no one to fall back on.

more at link.