MoveOn.org founded amid Clinton impeachment

September 18, 1998

MoveOn.org was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Joan Blades and Wes Boyd in response to the Clinton impeachment proceedings, fundamentally changing how political organizations use digital tools for advocacy and fundraising.

Background

In September 1998, as Congress considered impeaching President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal, married couple Joan Blades and Wes Boyd felt the country was spending too much time on the issue. The Berkeley-based software entrepreneurs decided to create a simple petition asking Congress to “censure President Clinton and move on to pressing issues facing the nation.”

The Digital Innovation

MoveOn.org pioneered several digital organizing techniques that would become standard:

Email-Driven Petitions: The initial petition was distributed through email chains, demonstrating the viral potential of email-based advocacy. Within days, the petition gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures.

Online Fundraising: MoveOn introduced small-dollar online donations, proving that grassroots supporters would contribute money through web-based platforms. This model later influenced campaign finance strategies across the political spectrum.

Rapid Response Organizing: The organization developed systems for quickly mobilizing supporters around breaking news events, using email lists to coordinate nationwide actions within hours.

Political Impact

MoveOn.org’s success during the impeachment proceedings established new paradigms for political engagement:

• Demonstrated scale of email organizing: The petition ultimately gathered over 500,000 signatures
• Proved viability of online fundraising: Early success raised significant funds through small online donations
• Created template for digital advocacy: Other organizations quickly adopted similar email-based organizing strategies
• Influenced Democratic messaging: MoveOn’s “move on” framing shaped how Democrats discussed the impeachment

Long-term Significance

The founding of MoveOn.org marked the beginning of large-scale digital political organizing in American politics. Its email-centric approach influenced:

• 2004 Howard Dean campaign: Adopted MoveOn’s online fundraising and organizing methods
• 2008 Obama campaign: Built upon MoveOn’s digital organizing foundation
• Modern advocacy groups: Organizations across the political spectrum now use email-driven organizing
• Political fundraising: Small-dollar online donations became central to campaign finance

MoveOn.org’s emergence during the Clinton impeachment demonstrated that digital tools could enable rapid political organizing and fundraising, establishing precedents that would reshape American political participation in the internet age.