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Seriously - the ad.
In recent years, the availability of cheap digital video equipment and digital editing software (especially for Mac computers) has meant that the cost of producing video has dropped dramatically. Earlier this spring, we saw the biggest impact when MoveOn ran their Bush in 30 Seconds campaign.
Today's email brings lots of links to this incredible anti-Bush spot, entitled "Seriously". (Warning, it's about a 5 mb download.)
Update: Turns out it was one of the Bush in 30 Seconds spots - but for some reason it wasn't until today that it started getting lots of inbox traffic. Go figure. Of course, MoveOn didn't even list among their favorite Top 150 spots.
Update, 6/10: I've updated the link above - looks like the old site took it down: too much traffic from readers of P&T (!)
Kari Chisholm | May 27, 2004 | Comments (3) |
Google News Alerts: The flack's new best friend
OK, it's finally time to share one of my best secrets with the readership of Politics & Technology. Like a lot of folks, I've got certain issues and campaigns that I'm obsessive about (admittedly, the issues are my client's issues). It sure would be nice if you could get a daily email with links to all the news worldwide about that topic, person, candidate, or campaign, right?
Well, now you can. Google's News Alert service does exactly that. You give it a keyword and your email address, and they'll send you alerts - either daily or as-it-happens.
As a client of mine pointed out, "that's better than a clipping service." Campaign managers, press hacks, professional schmoozers... go forth and Google the news.
Kari Chisholm | May 25, 2004 | Comments (1) |
Punditology: The Winners
Well, this year we had 101 participants in the Oregon Punditology Challenge. With all the upsets, no one ran away with it. Three people correctly picked 15/20, eleven picked 14/20 correct, fifteen picked 13/20 right. Y'all are a high-quality bunch of folks - only seventeen got less than half right (and your secret is safe with us.)
The champs, with 15/20 right:
* Ashley Henry, campaign manager for Nick Fish
* Dustin Buehler, House Dems caucus staff
* Kari Chisholm, me. (sheepish grin)
All three champs correctly picked 5/8 legislative races and 10/12 non-legislative races.
Bonus champ:
* Martin Taylor, hard-boiled operative
You see, Martin had 14 of 20 right but we had to bump him into a class by himself - he nailed EXACTLY the 81% that John Kerry got in the presidential primary. Incidentally, he nailed 7 of 8 legislative races and complained loudly about the Portland-centrism of the Challenge. (yeah, yeah, martin.)
Runners-up, with 14/20 right:
* Alan Fleischman
* Alan Tresidder
* Alexander Craghead (check out his blog: 751)
* Jeannie Berg
* Jennifer Shmikler
* Joel Shapiro
* Kevin Looper
* Laurie Wimmer Whelan
* Marshall Runkel
* Willie Smith
About the Conventional Wisdom
Generally speaking, the conventional wisdom was as good as the best prognosticators, with 15/20 right. It seemed that everyone knew the mayor's race would be a runoff, Robert Liberty would outpoll Rod Monroe (though it was close), and Kelley Wirth would prevail over Sara Gelser.
When the conventional wisdom was wrong, well, once again it was spectacularly wrong.
* Almost no one predicted the Potter/Francesconi finish (well, no one except me(!), Tom Novick, John Ball, Joe Smith, Becky Pearcey, and somebody known only as mortonjr77)
* The Buckley/Uherbelau race was picked correctly by only 38 of 101 punditologists, and only 24 people correctly picked the Thatcher/Backlund upset.
Well, that's about it. In the fall, we'll add in a bunch of national picks.
-kari.
p.s. See the 2004 primary punditology picks here.
Kari Chisholm | May 20, 2004 | Comments (1) |
REDUX: Dirt from all 50 states
As we mentioned back in May 2003, the Political State Report is a great website for getting state and local political news from all 50 states.
Well, as of primary day 2004, Mandate Media is now one of two Oregon contributors to PolState.com. Check out our first post: "Electoral Earthquake in Oregon".
Kari Chisholm | May 19, 2004 | Comments (0) |
Amazon Raises Campaign Cash
Popped in on Amazon.com today, and discovered an astonishing thing: Amazon is collecting contributions for presidential candidates. To date, they've collected over $150,000 for John Kerry and over $30,000 for George Bush.
Despite all the work that's been done out there, it's still a complex and expensive thing for candidates to set up online donations - especially small, local candidates. Could it be that Amazon is testing a system that will be rolled out for small campaigns in 2005 or 2006?
The Amazon customer base is huge, their audience trusts them to do secure transactions, and their fees are low. If they rolled this out widely, it could be an earthquake in online political fundraising. (Their fees are 2.5% plus 25 cents. So, they've probably made $5-6000 in fees - which they're donating to KidsVoting USA.)
Kari Chisholm | May 17, 2004 | Comments (1) |
Pundits, Prognosticators, and Politicos
Sure, this blog is intended to be a look at the ways that campaigns across America are using technology, but once in a while, we'll pop in on the local scene here at Mandate Media.
Here in Oregon, election day is Tuesday. And that means that once again we're running our Punditology Challenge. Political pros and pundits are jumping in and making their predictions on the hottest races in the state.
If you're not feeling up to the challenge, check in on Tuesday morning when the picks are in place, and you can check out the conventional wisdom.
FYI, in 2002, we learned a couple of things. First, the conventional wisdom of professional prognosticators is usually right. Except when it's spectacularly wrong. Second, it ain't about luck - the top pickers in the primary challenge and the general election edition were all long-time hacks and flacks. These guys know what they're doing.
Check out the 2002 results and conclusions for the primary and the general.
Kari Chisholm | May 14, 2004 | Comments (0) |
A MoveOn for Oregon?
It was only a matter of time before the success of MoveOn.org inspired similar groups at the state level. Oregon may be on the Left Coast, but as one of the hardest-fought states in 2000, it’s no surprise that one of the first is right here. Check it out at OnwardOregon.org. While you’re there, be sure to sign up - and help launch the campaign for the New Apollo Project for jobs, the environment, and energy independence.
Kari Chisholm | May 13, 2004 | Comments (0) |
That's Right: McCain-Feingold Doesn't Apply
The new campaign finance rules have politicos doing backflips creating new 527 organizations, saying "I approved this message," and all kinds of wackiness.
But, it seems that McCain-Feingold was in the sausage-maker (er, Congress) for so long that they completely forgot the Internet, leaving it more-or-less completely unregulated. That's right -- all that old, evil soft money has a new home: Online.
Some of the most prominent independent websites can be found at EnviroVictory.org, AmericaVotes.org, and AmericaComingTogether.com, not to mention MoveOn.org and Dean’s new group DemocracyForAmerica.com.
And they don't even have to avoid their friends on the Kerry campaign. Says reform advocate Fred Wertheimer, "They [the FEC] appear to have exempted any Internet communications from the definition of 'coordination,' thereby in theory allowing campaigns and parties to coordinate on communications." (See 'McCain-Feingold's Internet Loophole' by Chris Suellentrop.)
Why would the FEC make such a ruling? Well, in their own words, "Unlike media such as television and radio, where the constraints of the medium make access financially prohibitive for the general population, the Internet is by definition a bastion of free political speech." (PDF)
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Kari Chisholm | May 12, 2004 | Comments (0) |
Duck, Duck, Goose: Testing your broadcast emails
Creating good, compelling broadcast email is tough. So, hedge your bets. Test subject lines, messages, and even the FROM person on small samples – and when you find one that works, go big.
The Dean campaign used this to marvelous effect. We just happened to be signed up on their list with three addresses (don’t ask). Back when Bill Bradley endorsed him, we noticed three very different subject lines on the same message in our inbox.
- Breathing New Life Into Our Democracy
- The Best Thing to Happen to Democracy in Decades
- Why I Joined
How small a sample can you use and still get reliable results? Use a Sample Size Calculator and get your answer.
(Thanks to TargetX’s excellent newsletter on email broadcasting for the calculator tip. Once a week, one minute to read. Great stuff.)
Kari Chisholm | May 12, 2004 | Comments (0) |
Online Advertising for Local Campaigns: Finally Here?
Can it be true that online advertising for local political campaigns is finally here? Here at Mandate Media we’re skeptics – but ads are popping up everywhere.
Recently, Portland mayoral candidate Jim Francesconi ran a Flash ad on OregonLive.com and the Washington Post served up a GoogleAd for Oregon courts candidate Rives Kistler. We’ve even spotted text-only ads for three of Portland’s mayoral candidates (side-by-side!) on the Portland Communique – a site that City Hall insiders read daily.
Our view? Don’t expect ads to drive traffic from voters. The web is still a medium best suited for mobilizing your supporters. If your message will be seen by a large number of your hard-core (or potential hard-core), then drive an field organizing and fundraising message square between the eyes. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Kari Chisholm | May 11, 2004 | Comments (0) |
