The theory...

All observation is theory-laden, so says David Deutsch. So here is the theory on which my observations will be based--and biased.

It's possible to run a really low-cost political campaign if you get people to be enthusiastic supporters
You can do that if you:

• You have a story that's novel and credible
• You use public information to help you find connections
• You use digital media and social networks to scale

The story includes:

• The candidate him/herself
• A novel way of approaching government
• Demonstration of that novel approach during the campaign

Assuming a good candidate, "the modern approach" is to use digital media and social networks to provide value to constituents.