Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with Campaign

Short & Sweet Truth About Obama?

jeanmari — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:35:15 -0800

On behalf of my parents, where is a source that they can use to look up short and sweet responses to counter to the attacks on Obama leveled by their Republican neighbors? My parents (who are voting Democratic this year for the first time in, well, ever) keep getting inflammatory chain letter emails that attempt to spread misinformation about Obama. They've been asking me for short and sweet ways to counter these attacks.

I've given them some "elevator speech length" talking points with sources, but I can't find a collection of these on the internet to address the rumors that they've been sent. I've had to do my own research and give them brief statement myself. There has to be something out there, yes? I'm finding the lengthy information and the sources and documents, but nothing that has been condensed.

The information we're looking for is not the Fight The Smears site. The rumors involve distortion or denial of his record.

(P.S. We are donating gas cards to college students who want to travel for the campaign. Any websites that show the major gas stations per state? Would hate to give these guys a Mobil card for a BP state.)

Help me help him

andromache — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:48:50 -0800

OK. Let's do this fucking thing. I want to help Obama get elected. How can I have the biggest impact in the immediate run-up to Election Day? I'm in NYC, and I'd like to take, say, the five days leading up to November 4 to do whatever needs doing most. I'm willing to travel to a nearby swing state (PA, OH) where I would probably be more valuable.

I don't have much money. Do I contact a local campaign HQ? Ridesharing? Can I sleep on the floor of some field organizer? What nearby state/county/city needs some unskilled but enthusiastic support from, say, Nov. 1-Nov. 4?

I was thinking of something like bussing college kids to the polls on the Fourth--I guess it'll be too late to just canvas for him and go door to door touting his virtues.

Possible alternative: I understand that there are lots of documented cases of people (many black, or otherwise likely to vote Democratic) being turned away from polls for shady reasons--like their name is similar to that of a convicted felon. So I'd also be happy to do some kind of poll policing, with the understanding that it's A. allowing eligible voters vote is the right thing to do, and B. it'd help my man Barry O.

I haven't done this before, but dear God, if he loses I need to know that I did what I could and if he wins I want to have been part of it. Dig? Thanks a lot, all.

What Makes a Dubya 2000 Vote an Understandable Decision?

WCityMike — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:38:18 -0800

I'd honestly like to know why half of America voted for George W. Bush in 2000: what their reasoning was. Please note right off the bat: I'm not asking this in order to encourage mockery of, or lambaste, those people who voted for George W. Bush in 2000. Quite the contrary: I am actually asking this in order to try to fuel an attempt to get rid of a mindset that does mock and lambaste them. (2004 was a different matter, as far as people's reasoning was concerned: the terrorist attack introduced the meme, appropriate or not, that Dubya was needed to continue to be tough on terror, that it was patriotic to vote for him, and so on. So that meme was there and can explain among other things the 2004 win.)

But in the 2000 election, patriotism while under attack was not a theme available to Dubya yet. Yet he got a huge part of the country. The precise vote count and the election controversy doesn't matter for this question: he convinced nearly (or over) half the country that he would be a good President.

My question is: why? Is there a way that this question can be modeled where that half of America doesn't come off as looking bad?

A few days ago, in order to write a comment in a thread (that ended up being deleted), I ended up digging up via the Internet Archive an old web post I wrote the first weekend of December 2000.

That made me realize this question was in my mind and had never been answered, and that it was really coloring my opinion of the people who live in this country with me towards the heavy negative. All that evidence was available before the election took place, if I was able to write that essay a few weeks after the election. Why didn't it count in the public eye? There's about ten to twelve good and even media-juicy stories, any one of which you would think would have sunk his campaign. Why didn't it?

Since the 2000 election, so for eight years now, my answer has been one that paints an extremely nasty picture of HALF of the country. "Those who voted for Bush in 2000 are fucking dumbasses who didn't bother to research their vote." Complete with the hostile anger implied by "fucking dumbasses."

I imagine some of you are going, "Yeah, that's exactly how I feel, they are dumbasses." But that's not what I want your answer to be! I don't want this thread to be a pile-on for Bush voters. I don't want to think that half of America are fucking dumbasses. I have walked around with anger and with cynicism, and while I'm not seeking to swing all the way over to the other pole of things ("Charrrrliiiiieee!"), I am trying to get a better framework — free of preconceptions made angrily a long time ago — of parts of my worldview. I think the world is filled with a lot more kindness and nobility than I gave it credit for, and I think I need to start thinking better of the world in general.

So in order to do that, I want to figure this out. I want to know why people thought about it and decided to themselves that George W. Bush would be a good President, a better one than Al Gore would. And, moreover, why that decision was made with such evidence as to have that decision repeated in such massive numbers that the 2000 election was so damn close. I don't want my explanation to be "nation of dumbasses" or "sheep led by media trends" or "neocon manipulation" or other cynical nastiness anymore, so I am trying to get a different perceptual framework of the event.

It doesn't necessarily mean that media trends or neocon manipulation wasn't at play. But I just want to get a handle on why it would be a understandable decision for half of America to make back in 2000.

Anyone?

Need To Score Some Hope Pronto

rossination — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:35:35 -0800

I feel incredibly stupid for asking this, but where can I find Obama bumper stickers, buttons, and other materials in Seattle? I ordered a couple of buttons from moveon.org, but they're taking forever to arrive and I want to send some to a friend in Sweden. I would, obviously, be happy to make a small donation to the campaign as well.

I'm sure there's a FAT CHANCE of this, but sources in or around Greenlake / Wallingford / UW would be appreciated.

Plucking the Progressive Prairies

abkadefgee — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:11:07 -0800

What are some books or other resources that can help me become a better political organizer in rural areas? I'm working in three very rural counties right now and am facing new challenges as a result. I'd like to get some info on how I can be a better organizer in these areas and how I can get folks involved who live 2 hours from my office.

I do a lot of traveling to meet up with people, but i want to make the most of my trips and find the best places for recruiting volunteers.

And although I'm asking for books and resources, I'm also glad to hear any tips you guys might have as well if you have experience in the field.

I want to fetch coffee for the future POTUS or staff

msamye — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:54:00 -0800

Best way to volunteer for the national presidental campaign? In the interest of being useful to a large amount of people, let's say either side is open. I've got myself some time and don't need a significant amount of cash. I'd love to go get involved with the national campaign, but am blanking on where to start. Any contacts or stories of MeFites doing this now, and how to get involved?

I'm a young college grad with lots of work experience, but I'd like not to just jump into whatever next corporate job is waiting for me, and it seems to be a perfect time. I'm also willing to relocate anywhere in the US to make this happen, at least until the elections.

Again, either side is welcomed. I'd like this to be useful for everyone. MeFi mail me if you want more info.

Public financing of campaigns.

pithy comment — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:39:28 -0800

Last week Obama eschewed the public financing system for the general election. It seems that many of the articles I am reading are saying that he is the "first major party candidate to reject public financing and its attendant spending limits." Do they mean in this election, or ever? If they mean "first-ever" (since public financing started) and public financing means a candidate can't raise private funds, then why is there always so much talk of candidates hosting various fund-raising events like $x,000-a-plate dinners? Are the publicly financed campaigns having their PACs raise money or what?

Help me find this poster!

ocherdraco — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:14:03 -0800

Help me find a full image of a Clinton campaign poster from the Puerto Rican primary I'm a design geek, and having caught a glimpse of the poster in this photo on the New York Times website, I really want to see the whole thing, but my Google fu is letting me down.

Hive mind, I'm hoping yours is better.

Hoa many donors do Clinton or McCain have?

raf — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:54:38 -0800

Barack Obama now has more than 1.5 million donors. How many donors do Clinton or McCain have? I can't seem to figure it out; the internets are failing me.

How to Fertilize the Grassroots?

Scram — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:18:22 -0800

Can you point me to a good web platform for hosting a grassroots activism campaign, including supporter mailing lists and the ability to send customized emails to people in power? A group I'm working with is about to launch a website announcing a grassroots campaign that will probably attract a lot of attention. We have worked with Drupal sites in the past and plan to use Drupal again. We are looking for a way to organize information on a large number of citizens who want to be kept informed about the campaign, and to allow them to simply send a customized email registering their feelings to people who have the power to change policy.

We are looking at the site CitizenSpeak.org, a free Drupal site which promises to do all these things.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with CitizenSpeak as a campaign management site, or if there are other options we might not be aware of.

Don't push me, 'cause I'm close to the edge...

ND¢ — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:35:38 -0800

I just received an anti-Huckabee push poll. Who was it from? I'm in South Carolina, and the Republican primary is in a couple of days. I was just about to leave for work and got a call from Telepoint Communications at 856-627-1792. The person on the other end said "We're conducting a quick three questions survey" and I said "Go ahead" and she said "Does knowing that Mike Huckabee" something something amnesty for illegals "make you more or less likely to vote for him?" and I said "I'm not going to vote for a Republican either way, so it doesn't affect me" and she said "So that would be the answer to all my Huckabee questions?" and I said "Yeah" and she said "Okay thanks for your time" and hung up. After the call I started wondering which campaign or group was behind the call. I know that they all do it, and I am not mad or planning on holding a grudge or anything. I am just curious. I tried to call back, but just got a busy signal. Anyone know which campaign or group might be behind this push poll? Thanks.

Donate a little without being pestered for more?

Horace Rumpole — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:50:45 -0800

Dear Mr. Rumpole: Thank you for your campaign contribution of $25. Please enjoy our $50 worth of mailings regarding why you should give us more money. I want to send a very modest donation to one or more political candidates, but I'm afraid they will end up spending my money asking me for more of it (and I doubt they'll believe or notice my assertions to the contrary; I still get mailings from being an ACLU member 15 years ago). I gather from this thread that I can't make an anonymous contribution (and I understand why), but is there anything I can do to persuade the recipient that I'm a lost cause when it comes to further cash?

Also, is my phone number a mandatory part of the information disclosure? I have only a cell phone and there's no way in hell I'm giving that out. What will they do if I give them 867-5309?

It's pronounced Cray-po, dammit.

naoko — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:11:27 -0800

I'm looking for a picture of yard signs or other materials from Senator Crapo's campaign (I have to prove to my coworkers that I am not crazy). I am completely convinced that I once saw a picture of a Mike Crapo sign that had a horizontal line over the a - so people would know it's pronounced "Cray-po," not "Crappo." Except now I can't find any evidence of this anywhere, and the coworkers who at first thought this was a hilarious story now just think I'm making it up.

I think I may have originally seen it on a liberal blog, but I could be totally wrong. I'm kind of starting tp wonder if it was maybe just some sort of joke, not his actual campaign sign, but even so I can't find the picture that I *know* I saw somewhere.

Having wasted a good deal of my workday scouring the web to no avail, I'm hoping that some MeFite who is Idahoan (is that right?) or more of a campaign junkie than I am might know where I can find some proof.

How to put together a great political campaign website

willie11 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:27:51 -0800

Help me put together a great political campaign website. What does a great campaign website even look like? I've been roped into redoing my friend's website for his upcoming campaign. Unfortunately, I'm in a bit over my head and hope that the AskMefi community might have some suggestions on putting together a solid site. Pertinent tutorials, links to your favorite campaign sites, general design suggestions, etc...

I'm a decent designer and have all of the standard issue software including the new CS3 suite.

In particular I'm having trouble designing a powerful banner graphic while trying to avoid the usual American flag & screaming eagle political motifs (bleh!).

Help me get a clue on my future options.

Ash3000 — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:19:36 -0800

I'm about to graduate and have no clue about the options for my future, and no one to talk to about it. Help me get a clue. I'm a senior in NYC, 22 years old, and don't even know what my options are. I'm very shy, very few knowledgable friends to ask, and my advisors are just plain awful. I have no idea what I should be doing right now. I see my options for post-August as:

1. Law school, which, if I want to go this fall, I really need to get cracking on. GPA 3.43, LSAT 168, political science major, history minor-equivalent, and an additional undergraduate writing program, extensive leadership experience on local and state level. But do I even want to go this fall? This is not something I'm entirely uninterested in, but it's really something my parents think I'd be amazing at, whereas I'm completely unsure. I'd basically only be applying to top-20 law schools where I can handle the debt because I only want to go to a place where, having gone, it increases my options in and of itself.

2. Teach For America. I have a friend I think extremely highly of who is in the second year of this, and, similarly, thinks I'd be well-suited for it. But honestly (and this might sound awful), I just feel very tired. I've kept an incredibly busy schedule all four years of college, a demanding courseload, leadership of a statewide students organization, etc etc. I kind of don't want to throw myself immediately into something that sounds so exhausting, so quickly, when I might have a year to do something I didn't really do in college, i.e. enjoy being young.

3. Working on a presidential campaign for one of the '08 Democrats, whether it be on policy, field operation, or whatever else. I might very well love to do this, having volunteered extensively for Dean in 2004, but I have NO idea how to formally get into this.

4. Anything else. I really, honestly, have no idea what my other options are, I just don't have enough human contact to know. Is it typical for people to get jobs in prep for any of the above, or something else? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Is is standard to get a summer internship before whatever you do in the autumn? Is it standard to work somewhere for two years, then get cracking?

This probably all seems rather haphazard, but it's my state of mind right now. I feel like I'm on a track where time is ticking down SO fast and if I don't stop and examine where I'm going, I'll be somewhere in a year I never exactly wanted to be, simply because while everyone else knew the ropes, I half-heartedly sent out applications. Can anyone help on this front?

Sign this, please!

SansPoint — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 16:48:46 -0800

PhillyFilter: How many signatures does one need to get on the ballot for mayor? Just curious...

Best source for weather-proof political campaign yard signs, including printing?

letitrain — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:47:37 -0800

Know a good source for weather-proof political campaign yard signs? I'm in California, the size is aprox. 24"x 18", with two colors, and the quantity is 2000-5000.

Help me destroy a junk car and my electoral opponents!

SuperNova — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:04:42 -0800

Help me destroy a junk car and my electoral opponents! (Well, actually, I just need help to obtain the car... we can handle destruction...) A group of friends and I will very soon be campaigning for student government offices at a large state university. We managed to reserve a plaza on campus for the duration of the campaign, and this plaza is often used for "car bashing" -- bringing in an old car and letting people take turns at it with a sledgehammer.

We were thinking this might be something we could use to let people get out their frustrations with our useless SGA as well as get our name out in public. Problem is, we don't know how to get a junk car or how much it costs.

So I ask MeFi: Is there somewhere -- preferably in Northeast Georgia/Western South Carolina/Metro Atlanta (USA) -- that will sell me a cheap junk car that I can get delivered in under two weeks?

Failing that, any general tips on how to win a student election campaign would be appreciated.

Question number 13636

mds35 — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 14:04:42 -0800

Have any MeFites run for local public office? How did you raise funds? [+]

Question number 10602

mkultra — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 07:44:37 -0800

Last night's debate made me think of something I heard regarding Kerry's senatorial campaign strategy boiling down to banking everything on his endgame (it may have even been in the Blue, but good luck finding that...). Is that true? Can someone shed some light on his previous campaigns?

Question number 8037

scarabic — Thu, 17 Jun 2004 18:42:43 -0800

I'd like to make a presidential campaign contribution, but I want to avoid being put on any kind of list. Should I mail cash? I'm afraid to use a check or credit card. It will be under $200, the threshold above which the law requires the campaign to report my info. I guess I could do a money order. But are completely anonymous donations okay? If so, what's to stop someone from making 1,000 different anonymous donations of $150, and skirting the $200 law?

Question number 5117

biffa — Wed, 04 Feb 2004 09:00:13 -0800

Following a link from the blue, I ended up here. What would happen if I, as a non-US resident sent Dean - or any of the other candidates - money? Would it be likely to show up? Could they do anything to me? (I should emphasise that i have no intention of giving him a penny)