What the Internet Looked Like the Last Time Hillary Clinton Ran for President
Hillary Clinton launched her first presidential bid on Jan. 21, 2007, declaring in a web video, "I'm in and I'm in to win." The former secretary of state's new campaign, officially unveiled Sunday afternoon, also opened with a video. But unlike the original, the candidate doesn't appear in the 2016 edition until more than 90 seconds in, to say "I'm running for president."
Clinton pops up on camera in two quick shots later in the clip, finally saying, "I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time and I hope you'll join me on this journey." By contrast, Clinton in 2007 spent the entirety of the video speaking directly to the viewer.
It's not just Clinton's approach to campaigning that has changed over the past eight years. In 2007, she and then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), spoke out publicly against gay marriage. Both have since "evolved" on the issue, becoming vocal advocates for marriage equality. Back then, about 12 million people used Facebook every month — compared to 1.39 billion today. MySpace was still a thing, and Politico had not yet launched its homepage. A weekend Netflix binge meant running through a batch of mail-ordered DVDs.
It was, quite simply, a different time.
This is what HillaryClinton.com looked like on Sunday, after her announcement:
Here's what HillaryClinton.com looked like the day of her announcement in 2007:
Here's a look at some of the other stuff you might have found scouring the Web on the day Clinton kicked off her original bid in 2007:
Clinton announced her campaign with a YouTube video. Here's how the YouTube homepage looked in early 2007:
Here's what HillaryClinton.com looked like the day of her announcement:
Then-Sen. Barack Obama had just announced the formation of an exploratory committee a few days before:
WhiteHouse.gov was still very Web 1.0:
Twitter was still a niche social network. It wouldn't become the preferred destination for politicians and political journalists until after the 2008 election.
Facebook had about 12 million users at the end of 2006:
Remember MySpace?
The New York Times was actually kind of the same:
Reddit didn't look that much different either:
BuzzFeed was still a link aggregator:
CNN looked pretty bare-bones:
And Politico hadn't even launched yet:
One thing has not changed: Much like the first time around, Clinton enters the Democratic presidential primary contest as the overwhelming favorite to win the party's nomination. On this occasion in 2007, she held a 24% lead over Obama, who had yet to formally enter the race. An ABC News/Washington Post poll from April 2, 2015, showed 66% of Democrats by her side, 54% more than both of the runners-up, Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Warren is not going to run and Biden is likely to sit out, too.
For Clinton, the plan is for the similarities to end right there. Like these websites and social media networks, the new campaign is hoping a less clunky and glitch-ridden infrastructure will help them render a sharper message and with it, a more successful candidate. The reload begins now.
This post has been updated.