It’s all about Palin, electoral map in Obama and McCain emails
Dante Chinni
Posted: 09.12.2008 / 8:03 AM PDT
With seven weeks to go until the election, there is a marked difference in the e-mail campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain.
The targeting of messages toward specific people and types of people has largely slowed in the Obama camp, as the focus has turned more to specific states. At the same time, there is one issue, or person, the McCain camp seems interested in doling out in very specific amounts depending on the audience – Gov. Sarah Palin, Senator McCain’s running mate.
To monitor the messages the campaigns are sending and to whom, Patchwork Nation created e-mail accounts for pseudovoters in each of our 11 communities in February and signed up at the McCain and Obama websites. In the past, we have noted the Obama team’s efforts at niching messages and the McCain camp’s sometime sloppy efforts.
But coming into the homestretch, it seems two things are dominating: electoral geography and Alaska’s governor.
McCain
In some of our e-mail boxes, Governor Palin has become quite a topic for the McCain team. In others, she is treated more as a fact of life – as in, I have a running mate now. In still others, she hardly appears at all.
Consider, for instance, our e-mail box in Hopkinsville, Ky. (our “Military Bastion” near the Fort Campbell installation). That pseudovoter received a message from McCain announcing the Palin pick, an e-mail from Palin expressing the honor she felt about being selected, and a third message with a link to Palin’s introductory press conference.
But our McCain supporter in Eagle, Colo. (our growing and diversifying “Boom Town”), heard more. That person received those three e-mails, plus another message from Palin after her speech at the Republican convention and a message late Thursday about what the McCain campaign called the “shameful attacks” of the Obama team. That e-mail came with an image of the wolves (presumably hunting Palin?) from a much-discussed new ad.
And up in Lincoln City, Ore. (our small-town “Service Worker Center”), and down in El Mirage, Ariz. (our heavily Latino “Immigration Nation” locale), our McCainiacs received a link to an ad called “Alaska’s Maverick.”
The e-mail accounts that got extra Palin messages come very different places – and the mix of messages they received presented slightly different messages about the Alaska governor. But they have one thing in common: They are all registered in female names. Whether this is intentional on the part of the McCain campaign or happenstance is hard to know without more time.
It should be noted that another e-mail box registered to a woman – one in Philadelphia – got no messages about Palin. But over the past month, that box received only one e-mail at all from McCain. Perhaps the campaign feels the area is so overwhelmingly Obama there’s little reason to reach out to it.
Obama
There seems to be no particular audience that the Obama camp sees for its No. 2, Sen. Joseph Biden. Our Obama supporters’ e-mail boxes all basically got the same messages from Senator Biden – generally generic comments on something that just happened, combined with a request for money.
On the whole, the Obama campaign is still sending more e-mails – in some places, many more. And the sophistication of the Obama team’s e-mail targeting still shows.
Last week, our Obama supporter in Clermont, Fla. (our aging “Emptying Nests” community), was invited to a webcast with Senator Obama speaking to a member of AARP. And in August, before the CNN-televised forum on faith at pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, the Obama team sent e-mails to our more socially conservative areas – Hopkinsville; Clermont; and Nixa, Mo. (“Evangelical Epicenters”) – asking supporters to host viewing parties.
(In some communities, the McCain campaign sent out an e-mail after the faith forum asking its supporters if they saw the event. Many felt McCain did better at the forum.)
But the bigger focus for the Obama messages now seems to be the electoral map. Obama has sent out far more state-specific e-mails – covering everything from donations to voter registrations – to our boxes in Michigan, Colorado, Iowa, and Pennsylvania.
In just the past week, for instance, our Obama supporter from Ann Arbor, Mich. (Patchwork Nation’s “Campus and Careers” community), received e-mails about “Renewing the Michigan Economy” and “Your community impact.” The latter message explained when the registration deadline was for voters in the state and asked for places to house out-of-state volunteers who will be coming.
“If you have a spare bedroom or even a pullout couch, and can house a supporter, please let us know,” the e-mail said.
In reviewing the recent e-mails for Obama and McCain, there is one other thing worth noting: Both campaigns are spending a lot of time messaging supporters in New Mexico. The vote in the Southwestern state is always tight, but it holds only five electoral votes.
So much focus on such a small number may mean that both campaigns expect the race to be close right to the end.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 8:56 am PDT
Jane, you must have not read the article clearly. They set up fake e-mails pretending to be voters from various places and subscribed to the campaigns’ e-mail lists. Now they are simply reporting what those fake people’s e-mails were sent by the campaigns.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am PDT
This election is ostensibly about change (both sides claim), about Obama’s race, about Palin’s right wing convictions, etc. all red herrings. The election is really about a moral choice. Let us all look inside our consciences for what that moral choice is for each of us.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 10:03 am PDT
Dave
While the Democrats have majority control they do not have enough to override a veto in either House or Senate. The Senate Majority is so thin that it really does take bipartisan agreement to get much of anything done.
I agree that the Republicans are not to blame for ALL of the economic problems of the past 8 years and the Democrats did not do enough in the past 2 years, but certainly a contentious President and Republican Senate minority that was able to use the rules to stall legislation played a major part in that.
It’s hard for me to believe that any rational person could not be very concerned if not outraged at the present administration’s management of the economy overall. For an administration that should be backing free-market economy, it has intervened very often and has amassed a tremendous deficit along the way.
And back to politics, I don’t think either candidate will solve the deficit problem. They each have their own creative financing proposal.s
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am PDT
To those yammering about voting present in the Senate please get a clue. You cannot do that in the US Senate. That was done in the Illinois Senate and is considered a no vote. It is quite funny you rip Obama for voting present in the Senate without understanding which senate you are talking about.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:31 am PDT
It sure appears to me that there a large number of “inappropriate” comments and other editorializations determined by the administrators of this forum. In any event like the county the emails merely reflect the diversity of the US mosaic of opinion; no surprises.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:32 am PDT
McCain made an irresponsible choice in Palin. After watching her interview yesterday it is glaringly apparent that she is not ready for the job. As for her experience? Limited to say the least. Palin was very poor choice and if they get elected - we should all be very very scared for our future and our position in the global economy. Bush was more than ‘inadequate’ - he was a DISASTER. McCAin/Palin are MORE OF THE SAME. Do you really trust a man who is so willing and so quick to turn on his party? At his convenience mind you….remember him proudly exclaiming (even with a pump of his arm) that he voted with Geaorge Bush 90% of the time. ENOUGH! I am voting Obama/Biden.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:40 am PDT
Our current economic woes are a direct result of Republican policies. Republican and their “small government” deregulated financial institutions which allowed insured banks and brokerage houses to mingle and the current crises is the result.
Republican policy has gutted our FDA, Customs and other government agencies which should be protecting us from tainted food, drugs and other items.
I could go on and on. I am amazed that the perpetrators of all that is wrong in America today are heading for not 4 but 12 more years in the White House.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 10:45 am PDT
As an educated, confident working Mom I am insulted with McCain’s selection of Palin for VP. Sure, she’s a smart and energetic woman. And she has every right to her evangelical religious beliefs, but no right to impose them on the general population of the country. She is opposed to Rowe vs Wade; she is opposed to birth control (abstinence works); she is opposed to stem cell research.
Sen Biden has made the correct choice for a democratic country. His religion argues for life at conception, which he accepts, but for the country he supports the right to abortion, refuses to make it difficult or illegal but does not support government funding.
Beyond this stark difference, Ms. Palin’s evalengical rejection of evolution means she does not understand basic science; the entire evolution argument is supported by the rigorous application of the scientific method. But we need technology, based on science, to solve some urgent problems with energy, golbal warming, and overpopulation.
Consider the odds: at age 72, McCain has a one-third probability of not lasting four years, which means Ms. Palin will likely become the President of the United States. And she believes that dinosaurs were here just 4000 years ago, which is utterly absurd and a clear example of her failed thinking.
KRS
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 11:21 am PDT
The article is interesting for showing different emphasis by both parties to different voter groups. It is likely that these e-mails are edited very carefully. Were there any direct contradictions in the letters to different targets as happens when a candidate appears without a script before a live audience?
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am PDT
Re: George Washington Jones Says: “…. there is an absolute truth and get off the insane band wagon belief that everyone is right at the same time and no one is wrong…”
Please go back and read my post. Nowhere did I say that everyone is right, or that Evangelical Christians are wrong, per se. Our country was founded by people escaping religious persecution in Europe; they worked to eliminate it here. My argument is that no one is allowed to use the US government to support/enforce their own, personal religious beliefs. We have seen this for eight years with Mr. Bush, who has positioned religious hacks, with no background in the sciences, in government agencies and given them the responsibility to review and edit the writings of scientists. that is just absurd.
The scientific method, Mr. Jones, is the last, great bastion of truth. It is a merciless discipline that forces all participants to provide repeatable demonstrations of their scientific positions. We have an exhaustive trail of scientific research and evidence for evolution and more is discovered every day. There is not one scintilla of scientific proof that an embryo is a functioning human being. Actually medical science tells us that Nature throws away about half of all naturally occurring embryos every day; guess any one single embryo has little innate value to Nature.
Consider that a similar level of scientific discipline in our financial regulations would have prevented the current credit crisis. Mr. Greenspan, among other government actors, was warned several times of the shenanigans going on in the mortgage markets, e.g., interest only loans, liar loans. Instead of pushing for some controls and regulations on the banks, Mr. Greenspan actually suggested ARMs for folks buying in 2005-2006, the very folks who are now under water. The Republican laissez faire approach is very dangerous for middle class citizens.
KRS
September 12th, 2008 at 11:34 am PDT
GW Jones:
Wow, you are scary. You should reread your line about idiots speaking over and over until it sinks in. Let’s just look at one socialist topic. Take national health care, which all of the rest of the industrialized world has. For all of its supposed problems no country is changing back to a system such as ours. The national system that we have now, Medicare in case you don’t know, worked very well for my father, while he was still with us, and worked well this week for my mothers knee replacement along with her supplemental. No elderly person that I know of wants to rid their life of this terrible socialist medical program. So what is wrong with trying to get the whole country to have adequate health care. If this is a commie plot I may have to join the party. As far as evangelical alway being wrong I wouldn’t go that far but I would say you go through life with blinders on being led by a carrot.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:37 am PDT
I really can not understand most of yold. M P says Gov. Palin Took 150 million in ear marks and kept it. How much has Biden Took in ear marks and help the Lobbyist that gave plenty of money to his campaign His son was a lobbyist and he gave earmarks for him and his organization. plus Biden had connections with a lobbyist that that had connections with some one fixing to go to Prison. But i guess that is all right since Biden is a Dem. I do not want Obama or Biden no where in the White House. Obama has a lot of real good Friends one was a Terriost His Preacher or was. DAM the white Americans and he said that 911 was the fault of the Americans. what about the Lobbist that gave him a big break when he bought his home. what did Obama do for him i am sure he done a lot for him. I have been a Dem. for many years and i voted for Obama in the primary before i new about his friends. I am proud that i vote for the Person that i think will do the best for America and the American people. I see most of you do not feel like that. That is really sad. Do most of the DEM. vote for what they can get out of the Gov. for them self only and could care less about the rest of the American people. Oh by the way some one said that a senator is lot higher then a Gov. i don’t think so. we have a Gov. in Louisiana that is one of the best Gov. we have had. He was a REP. in Washington. He is a Republican.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 11:47 am PDT
I agree with Palin and McCain that security is important. But neither Palin or McCain seems to be listening to our military about how to best bring about that security.
Petraeus, head of Central Command, has said that military victory in the war in Iraq isn’t possible, so why does Palin mock Obama for not talking victory talk?
Many members of our military have spoken out against torture as both immoral and ineffectiveas they have developed stringent codes to prevent torture, so why has McCain decided that torture is useful?
Does either McCain or Palin know that the mission of our Defense Department is to defend our country and to prevent war?
McCain is the war hero, so why are far more of our armed services members donating funds to Obama than to McCain according to the Center for Responsive Poliics. Perhaps because Obama is listening to our military’s needs where McCain is not. Or perhaps because Obama just possesses far more of the mojo necessary for a commander in chief who wishes to CONTROL war, not simply to talk of winning.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 12:02 pm PDT
GW Jones: Why do you post everything twice? Are you sure you’re computer literate? Oh wait, you must have the same tech training as John McCain, or maybe those blinders keep you from seeing the whole keyboard. Gotta go, my next party meeting is coming up, Hugo Chavez is giving a pep talk.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:19 pm PDT
did you like the last 8 years of suffering ?????vote for McSame
September 12th, 2008 at 12:33 pm PDT
Reading these posts is the perfect illustration of the disaster that is our educational system. There are a lot of ignorant Americans out there. I hope whomever becomes the next president makes education reform job one.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:02 pm PDT
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 1:17 pm PDT
Re: George Washington Jones said:
“Just because an idiot has the legal riot to say something doesn’t make it right or absolute truth. It’s still an idiot speaking!”
The man’s posts speaks for themselves and provide no truer proof for the proposition.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm PDT
Palin might be an “energizing” choice for the Republican VP candidate, and I do acknowledge her appeal. But it is beyond irresponsible for McCain to have put this country in a position where, if he is elected and then something happens to him, Palin is going to be Commander-in-Chief.
Watching this campaign, it’s extremely discouraging to me to see how the Republicans are derailing any attempts to talk about real issues, and are spending precious air time instead on superficial attacks and bad-mouthing the Democratic candidates. Please, instead of being drawn into these partisan camps, let’s focus on identifying the best potential leader for the country.
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
[Admin: Readers don't think this comment adds to the discussion.]
September 12th, 2008 at 4:06 pm PDT
Sam writes:
Mr. Jones wrote “Nature”? Oh, let us worhsip mother nature next. The quick road to destruction is to worship the creation, as opposed to the creator.
What part of Nature do you not believe? How do you separate creation from the creator; one caused the other and is totally responsible for it.
Do you think nuclear energy, or a nuclear bomb, is based on “bogus equations and theroms they came up with the somehow describe something they could never possibly fully understand.” Actually, nuclear energy is based on the same kind of radiation as carbon-14 dating, which is how the scientific community determines the age of the earth and many things found on earth. Such as dinosaur fossils, which are about 200 million years old.
Here’s a link to get you started on a better understanding of dinosaurs: http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/dinosaurs.htm
And here’s a link about how carbon-14 dating works:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/carbon-14.htm
Oh, yea, one last example. Bacteria are all around us and have been forever; airborne bacteria are what cause milk to go sour. All of this is part of Nature and came from the creator. But it was a scientist, Louis Pasteur, who discovered bacteria and invented pasteurization to kill the bacteria. So science is present in your life every day.
Your creator made you and me and all of us smart enough to explore and learn all about the earth and nature; why would your creator not want us to use that knowledge?
Sam
September 12th, 2008 at 6:46 pm PDT
I’ve heard rumors that McCain will talk about his first marriage on Sunday? Is this true?
September 12th, 2008 at 10:51 pm PDT
On Nature and Creation…
We are not supposed to worship creation, but one of God’s first assignments to people was to be stewards of His creation (see genesis). Destroying every remaining habitat for profit and oil is not good stewardship. Especially because this is causing global environmental disaster. How does shooting wolves from aircrafts and hacking off their legs care for God’s creation?
It is like your kindergarten child bringing you home a finger painting and you rip it up and throw it on the floor and ask her to give you store bought gifts. The preciousness of both their creativity and kindness is spat upon.
God have mercy on us all. Especially if we don’t start to value life… and not just in the womb.
September 13th, 2008 at 4:32 am PDT
I don’t want the “change” Obama is promising, because it amounts to nothing more than a socialist redistribution of wealth (mine), coupled with a major grab of power by the federal gov’t.
I want to keep the Bush tax cuts, severely limit federal spending, return control of education back to parents, real action on illegal immigration and a foreign policy that favors our national interest over a global freedom initiative.
September 13th, 2008 at 8:42 am PDT
It’s peculiar how using small amount of taxpayer money to help fellow Americans is regarded as “socialism” but using huge amounts of taxpayer money to bail out mega-corporations is not. It’s equally peculiar how talk about stopping the grab of power by the federal government manifests itself as support for increased federal control through such things as a mandatory national ID card, overzealous (and ineffective) restrictions on airport travel, warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, and the ability of the federal government to kidnap and transport any citizen to a military prison where the citizen will be detained indefinitely without charge and forced to prove his or her own innocence without benefit of legal counsel or even the fundamental right to face his or her accusers. This is the cruel paradox of the Republican party, and it’s amazing that some people who have no wealth or power are stupid enough to embrace it.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:05 pm PDT
what a refreshing article, refreshing view of what these guys are thinking and where they are thinking it. a nice change of pace from all the negative biased coverage out there. Thank you!
September 14th, 2008 at 9:00 am PDT
Obama will get his aim,if he can give a cut and clever thought about his relegious problem.By the way,it is doom to the relegious election.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:18 pm PDT
K V Devan urges us to make a “moral choice”. In the context of the last 8 years, that phrase has little meaning. Look what the last 2 “moral” choices got us:
- an immoral war begun by deceit and carried out by deceit,
- an arrogant, bullying, vindictive leader who will not level with the American public about ANYTHING,
- an administration that dismantled and demoralized most every federal agency, replacing caring, committed employees with political hacks,
- an administration that elevated cronyism to new levels with no-bid contracts and no oversight…they enriched their buddies in the defense industries while American and Iraqi citizens were dying in their war,
- deregulation and lack of oversight of financial institutions leading to our current economic crises,
MORALITY??
If there was justice in this world, those who voted for Bush/Cheney twice would only get 1/2 a vote in this election.
September 14th, 2008 at 4:02 pm PDT
The Palin story will last another two weeks. She will be old news by the time October comes around. She has excited the base which is too low to count. She is as corrupt as Candidate McCain. P.S. I was for Sen. McCain in 2000 over VP Gore until the right killed him with lies. Now he uses them to help him win, not for honor or country but for ego.
September 14th, 2008 at 10:15 pm PDT
If you and rest of this country want to be poor vote McCain/Palin
If you want more war vote McCain/Palin
If you can not think for yourself vote McCain/Palin
If you aren’t worried about your health vote for McCain/Palin
If you education doesn’t interest you vote McCain/Palin
If you don’t care about the rest of the world vote McCain/Palin
September 14th, 2008 at 10:34 pm PDT
September 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm PDT
George W. Bush has failed at every job he has ever had. Now he has failed at this with McCain hugging him every step of the way.
September 16th, 2008 at 4:00 pm PDT
George W. Bush has bankrupt ever company he has headed and he has succeeded in bankrupting the United States, the big thing is with the United States McCain has been hugging George all the way.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:24 am PDT
[…] in each of our 11 communities in February and signed up at the McCain and Obama websites. Most recently, we noted how both campaigns seemed to be turning their attention to key states and how Palin […]