If all goes as planned, this week will see the first officially sanctioned Second Life headquarters of a 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate launched, and though they already have sizable unofficial groups, it won't be for Senators Clinton, Edwards, or Obama. Rather, it'll be former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel, who more or less became the unofficial star of the first Democratic debate with a barnstorming performance that included such choice broadsides against his opponents as, "How the hell did [they] get here?", and, "Some of these people frighten me!" (The Times indulgently described him afterward as a "cranky uncle in the solemn field of well-barbered, sound-bite practitioners.") In that vein, we'd be remiss not to mention the Senator's disarmingly unique case for eliminating the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gays in the US military, which might best be described as the 300 argument.
Construction of the Gravel headquarters is currently underway in an undisclosed location, and the founder of SL's "Mike Gravel 2008" group was kind enough to teleport me in. His name is Astrophysicist McCallister. Later we were joined by a Gravel supporter who, as it turns out, is a miniature gold dragon.
Astrophysicist McCallister and Awol Armitage for Gravel
"The HQ will be finished Wednesday," Astrophysicist tells me, "with a letter [of support] written from Senator Gravel to follow."
A Democratic activist in real life, he continues, "I know the Senator well, and spoke to him briefly about Second Life during the DNC winter meeting. After the debates two weeks ago, his Communication Director called me and asked if I'd start set-up for them." So Astrophysicist began laying down the foundation for Gravel headquarters, constructing it (as all objects in SL are made) with building block "primitives" (or "prims" for short).
Interest in the Second Life HQ is strong among Gravel's team, according to McCallister, and may lead to the candidate himself appearing as an avatar. "Though we haven't talked about having Senator Gravel speak in-world," he tells me, "his staff has offered to come in and take part in a whole train of speaking events. Hopefully erupting with the Senator in-world."
As we talk, little Awol comes winging into Gravel headquarters, and after touching down, attempts to revert into human form, only to wind up looking like a gangly, naked yellow man. We demur for the photograph, and Amitage returns to his more modest, dragon-esque form.
Journalistic obligation nudges me to broach a touchy subject.
"So," I begin, "I think it's fair to say the Democratic mainstream sorta consider Senator Gravel, for lack of a better phrase, 'out there'. Is his staff concerned jumping into SL will only exacerbate that impression?"
"Again," Astrophysicist McAllister tells me, "I'm not a member of his real life staff, and cannot yet speak on their behalf, but from the informal conversations we had, no, they don't feel that way."
Read more at LailaLei Mathilde's Second Choices, an SL blog with the unique niche of political campaigning in-world.
Just one tiny remark, apparently unimportant. The whole thing has been designed and built by Mike Gravel's Polish supporter and fan - Cezary Fish, the founder and director of aHead development company in SL :)
Posted by: Cezary Fish | Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 01:46 PM