Could the battles of the political future take place on the Web? Actually, they are already are in some cases.

In the rough-and-tumble world of Massachusetts politics, the players have used the mainstream news media for decades to exchange jabs on everything from the state budget to school busing.

But an increasing number of bouts are being fought in cyberspace. Blogs laud and attack Governor Mitt Romney and other leading political figures, Internet message boards are used for partisan puffery, and the state Democratic and Republican party organizations employ aggressive online tactics to gain advantage. [Read the rest]