Politicians petting puppies on demand

Cable giant Comcast is offering a new way for political candidates to get in touch with their would-be constituency. "Elections 2006" (click here for PDF) is a political-advertising video-on-demand category being offered for the first time by Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast. Political spots ranging from 2 minutes to 30 minutes can be purchased for local, regional or national markets, according to Comcast.

Those spots are then offered as free video-on-demand for Comcast customers. The new method, should people choose to watch them, would give candidates an opportunity to communicate more than what a 30-second sound bite might normally allow. Andrea Silbert, a Massachusetts candidate for lieutenant governor, has used the new platform to offer a 6-minute explanation of her political objectives.