The idea to use the internet as a fund raising tool in this way is just incredible. Please see below my story.
I know I haven't posted on here in a while but it's been a while since I've really been charged up about politics! I'm back till November and hopefully beyond!
If you enjoy this post I hope that you will forward it to everyone that you know. We can all be 'enlightened' by a real world experience.
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I got the below email from my wife but decided I wasn't going to send it to everyone. However, when I got home Wednesday evening our new patio was being sealed by one of my friends who is an EXTREME lifetime conservative republican. I say "EXTREME" because this statement actually came out of his mouth about 2 months ago, "There is no way in @$%^ I will ever vote for a black man or a woman for president. I have never voted Democrat and don't plan on starting now."
When speaking with him Wednesday evening, expecting another back and forth debate on why one political party is better than the other, he had completely changed his tune. I had to find out why…and here is that story:
Background: Mark runs his own concrete business (8yrs now) and was very successful until around late 2003 when the economy started making a serious slide. He specializes in stamped concrete which is not a usual addition to typical new or existing homes, but more of a luxury addition. However the economy was doing so well that stamped concrete patios were in demand as people could afford them along with their everyday bills & expenses, not to mention they are BEAUTIFUL (see attached picture). Unfortunately, he began noticing a slide on his business. He had to start actively seeking out jobs, something he had never had to do before. It's steadily gotten worse and worse to the point that he is now seeking a new career.
Enlightenment: Mark was watching Fox News as he always does when he heard a snippet that changed his life forever. From McCain: "The Bush economic policies are working." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lvgHvm4_OI (an example that I enjoyed watching). When Mark saw this quote on Fox News…he paused it…then hit rewind and watched it again. Baffled by what he heard he rewound it AGAIN. Sure enough… he had said it. While small businesses like his were getting reamed by poor economic decisions on behalf of the Bush administration… large businesses and the most wealthy Americans were getting huge tax cuts. And then he hears that the person HE WAS PLANNING ON VOTING FOR was going to keep the SAME decisions and the SAME tax cuts? Something snapped in his head…like a light bulb that was off... suddenly coming on with a clear white clarity untouched by rhetoric or political punctuation. "How could I be so wrong for so long? Why did I vote for Bush AGAIN in 2004 when my business was clearly taking a nose dive? I'm not making that mistake again. I'm not voting for Bush AGAIN this year. Anyone thinking the economy is doing well for normal folks has their head so far up their a$$ that they can't see how it's affecting real people and small businesses like I own. For the first time EVER…a Democrat will have my vote. That Democrat will be Barack Obama."
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I know some of you may not be in the same camp on this one but I want to show you how innovative a campaign can become if you start thinking OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. I think this is an incredibly clever technique and just goes to show why we may actually be okay come January 20th, 2009 (Assuming the correct person is voted in).
I am donating $50 from my next paycheck and will let anyone know how it works out that's interested.
Dan
Please read below and then click on the link to see the innovation that I speak of.
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Listen to the video:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/maymatch?match_campaign_id=8&source=20080529_EOM3_NDR_X_B
I got this earlier today and was compelled to donate. I did get the name of the person who matched my donation and sent her a message. I just wanted you to see this email-- I am even more proud to have voted for this guy -- what a clever way to get people motivated to donate (this matching
thing) -- I have resisted up to now but think this is really cool cuz it lets you virtually double your donation.
Right now you have a unique opportunity to go head-to-head with George W.Bush.
This week, John McCain and George Bush gathered behind closed doors, away from the cameras, to raise money for McCain's campaign. Remember McCain has been "separating himself" from George W. Bush as an attempt to bring independents to him. Presidential meetings behind closed doors are what lead to disasters such as Enron, Iraq and even Katrina.
McCain used Bush to raise a reported $3.5 million from a group of about 500 Republican contributors. That's a lot of money that will undoubtedly be used to attack us and make the case to continue George Bush's failed policies.
But I have an idea about how we can match it. And we don't need George Bush. Right now, someone who has already given once to the campaign is ready to give again -- but only if you make your first donation right now.
If you take the next step and decide to own a piece of this campaign, that supporter will double your gift.
You'll see the name and hometown of the person who matched your donation. And you can even choose to exchange a personal note about why you've decided to support a different kind of politics.
Double your impact -- your donation of $25 will equal $50 for our cause.
Now is the perfect time to make your first donation:
https://donate.barackobama.com/match
As the presumptive nominee of his party, John McCain has had a three-month head start to build his campaign. In that time, he's made his fundraising strategy clear.
In the words of one reporter, the gala fundraiser with Bush was "part of McCain's delicate effort to find the balance between embracing an unpopular president and taking advantage of his huge continuing draw with well-heeled Republicans."
We'll see more of this dance in the weeks and months ahead, but we already know the steps.
As we prepare to take on John McCain, now is our first chance to show that a grassroots movement of people giving only what they can afford can go toe-to-toe with the Bush-McCain fundraising machine.
And with the last three contests of the Democratic primary coming up in the next five days, the resources we're building right now are an urgent necessity.
Help build our movement by making a matching donation today:
https://donate.barackobama.com/match
John McCain can run from the cameras, but he can't hide from the fact that he's aiming to continue George Bush's policies for a disastrous third term.
Let's show that we're ready to take him on.
Thank you,
Barack
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4 comments:
Great convert. It's like the Clinton campaign said when they were swept into office the first time "It's the economy, Stupid." If you can't feed your family or you house is being foreclosed on you don't care about the war in Iraq, stem cell research, global warming or any other issue that politicians spend a lot of time on - even though those issues are important. Other issues that some politicians use to try to divide and conquer - like flag burning, who is wearing a flag lapel pin and Dawin vs. Creationism - all go by the wayside (and they should) in the face of a personal economic disaster.
I ran into several small businessmen at the Washington State Democratic Caicuses who expressed the same sentimets.
All had been lifetime Republicans, but can see that the Bush administration doesn't give a hoot about small business.
The Republican party doesn't give a hoot about anybody that doesn't make them money. Period.
"The Republican party doesn't give a hoot about anybody that doesn't make them money. Period."
It was driven home to me four years ago. I try to keep an open mind, and listen to all sides of the discourse, if nothing else, to learn what the other side is saying.
So I signed up for both the RNC and DNC websites. Guess which one dropped me like a hot potato when I didn't make a contribution!
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