Midnight, Linda

Dissection of the Obama campaign has begun in full earnest.  I mostly skip this analytical stuff.  The ones that paint a gloomy GOP picture are worrisome, and the ones that paint a rosy GOP picture tempt you to count chickens before they are hatched, and that’s worrisome, too.

As far as I can tell, the Dems have lurched from one comedic disaster to the next:  War on Women, War on Rich No-Good Ann Romney, War On People Who Tie Dog Kennels To Car Roofs, War on Involuntary Haircuts, War on the Bain Of Our Existence . . . are there any others?

Unfortunately, my opinion is not a good gauge of the public-at-large.  I can never figure out what people are thinking.  And I’ve been real curious about the public-at-large lately, because of emails like this one, with the name “Sarah Jessica Parker” in the “from” box:

“Linda — It’s my honor to invite you to take part in an event I’m hosting at my home with the President and First Lady on June 14th. If you can make a donation of any amount today, you’ll be automatically entered to win two tickets to New York to join us. Just before Election Day in 2008, I went to an Obama campaign office in New York and called some undecided voters. I believed then, as I do now, that if we all chipped in and did our part, we would not only make history, but create meaningful change that so many Americans needed. For me, this election is even more important than 2008. As a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur, I need to believe our country can be a place where everyone has a fair shot at success. This November’s election will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we’re forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden — while people like me, who don’t need tax breaks, get extra help. . . . I hope you’ll help me welcome President Obama and the First Lady to New York. It should be fabulous. Donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to win: https://donate.barackobama.com/Night-in-New-York Hope to see you there, Sarah Jessica”

I am terribly curious:  how successful is an email like this?  Does it actually work?  It must, because with just two email subscriptions–Organizing for America, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee–I sure get a lot of emails.  Heck, two more popped up since I started this post–one from Rep. Pelosi and once from VP Biden.

Joe Biden’s subject box is eyebrow-raising:  “Midnight, Linda.”

“This is Barack’s last campaign. If you’re planning to chip in before November, we’d both appreciate if you do so today. Make a donation before the deadline at midnight your time.”

Nancy Pelosi’s missive is less creepy, at least:

“The news reports over the last few days have been all about Republicans’ money being from Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers.  Now, all eyes are on our response. We’re just 1,121 donors away from a record-breaking 100,000 supporters in the month of May standing behind President Obama for a Democratic Majority.  Will you contribute $3 or more before tonight’s midnight FEC deadline to help us reach a new all-time record?  Your donation will be triple-matched . . . “

The Obama campaign is smart, right?  They wouldn’t send so many emails out if it didn’t work, right?

Right?  Lots of speculation abounds on the competency of the Obama campaign.

I poked around for opinions on these emails specifically, but I didn’t find much.  Some fluff piece over at NPR.

In order to more fairly assess these emails, I have just signed up for updates from the Romney campaign and from the National Republican Congressional Committee.  If he starts filling up my inbox with similar spam, I’ll post about it.  No emails yet, but there is this:  Grab A Bite With Mitt contest.

Who started all this contest stuff?  Who decided that turning the presidential election into some sort of lottery ball machine is a good idea?

I understand that a large number of single, small-time donors gives bragging rights:  I’ve got the will of the people behind my campaign.  Back in 2008, the Obama’s loose campaign contribution methods made him look more “small-donor funded” than he really was:

“Although an unusually high percentage (49%) of Obama’s funds came in discrete contributions of $200 or less, only 26% of his money . . . came from donors whose total contributions aggregated to $200 or less.  Obama’s 26% compares to 25% for George W. Bush in 2004, 20% for John Kerry in 2004, 21% for John McCain in 2008, 13% for Hillary Clinton in 2008, and 38% for Howard Dean in 2004.”

So maybe that’s what these emails are all about:  the groundwork for creating the appearance of having real grassroots support, rather than, you know, actually trying to increase grassroots support.

Who, after all, is going to get all fired up for the Obama campaign, thanks to his inbox filling up weekly with gems like this:

“Linda — One thing to know about me is that I don’t really sugarcoat things. Luckily, this offer doesn’t need it. Make a donation of $3 or whatever you can to help President Obama and Democrats facing tough races across the country this year, and be automatically entered for the chance to spend a night on the town with the President and President Clinton in New York City. Don’t worry about travel, airfare, or accommodations for you and whoever you choose to bring with you — we’ve got it covered. The event’s less than two weeks from now. We’re drawing the winner at midnight tonight. https://my.democrats.org/Two-Presidents-and-You And if you win, I promise — you’ll love it. Thanks, and good luck, Debbie Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz”

Ooh, she promises!

Here’s another good one.  I’ve always wanted to host a foreign exchange student, and these folks are sure foreign to me:

“Linda — This summer, hundreds of field organizers and volunteers will join our organization here in Virginia to register voters and talk to our friends and neighbors . . . .  Some of these organizers will be new to the Commonwealth, and a lot of them will come on short notice.  They’ll uproot their lives because they know the stakes in this election, and they know how important it is for us to win Virginia this November.  I know that you do, too, so I’m asking for your help — although not in the usual way.

If you have an extra bedroom or a foldout couch, would you be willing to host a supporter for the summer? . . .

I know this is a big favor to ask, but as someone who has stayed with supporters before, I can tell you that it means a lot to the folks you host, and it will make a real difference as we build our grassroots organization here in Virginia.

If you can, you should sign up today to host an organizer or volunteer. We’ll be in touch soon with the details:  http://va.barackobama.com/Host-an-Organizer-in-Virginia

Thank you, and stay tuned. Ashley Ashley Baia Virginia Field Director Organizing for America”

Do you think they’ll get any takers?  If the campaign were going well, why would they need to ship “grassroots” supporters in from out of state?

So maybe that’s what these emails are all about:  the Obama campaign is getting a bit desperate about fundraising.

Recently, Ran sagely advised that this whole saga with Kimberlin is a sign of the left’s implosion:

“What we’re observing are the ripples at the surface of desperate struggles deep in the cesspool. The “Progressive” wing of the Left are chupped as Hell that the radicals – Obama, Van Jones & Co. cranked the frog pot too fast, too far and blew the lid off.  No patience, no guile these amateurs.  The frogs are hopping mad.”

Perhaps the torrent of goofy, ineffective spam in my inbox is just more ripples, evidence of the struggles deep within the Democratic Party.  What do you think?

I’ll conclude with a must-click.  My post research uncovered one gem of an article:  “Subject Lines of Obama Campaign Emails That Sound Like a Stalker Wrote Them.”

“Midnight, Linda,” could be added to that list.

Crossposted at No One Of Any Import.