Liberal Roll Call Defends Public Advocate Style Email Alerts
A liberal guest columnist in the liberal Roll Call newspaper defends strident political e-mail messages which seem to includes Public Advocate?
An executive with a leftist email firm explains
".......Politicians and campaign committees send lots of emails with interesting subject lines and rather frantic requests for contributions.
It is certainly not a new phenomenon, and yet with each campaign fundraising deadline we are treated to another round of seemingly aghast reports with tongue-in-cheek headlines designed to mimic the subject lines of fundraising emails.
(As a leftist) I'll admit these stories grab my attention and flood my inbox (go figure) as friends and colleagues forward me the latest, occasionally clever takedown of my field.
But where Beltway prognosticators see another catchy headline, I see democracy in action. Emails that solicit millions in small dollar donations annually have done more in the past 10 years to democratize the funding of campaigns than anything since the first stamp was licked and placed on a fundraising envelope decades ago. For the first time in the era of the modern political campaigns, ordinary Americans have the opportunity to own a real piece of the organizations that elect their representatives - and that's not something I take lightly.
Can the urgency of these appeals get a little over the top? I guess it depends on who you ask...........
...............convincing everyday Americans to put their hard-earned money into political campaigns is more difficult and important than ever.
To be sure, when it comes to political email, you catch more flies with vinegar than you do with honey. In that regard, these appeals can be similar to the negative television ads that blanket our airwaves in the weeks leading up to an election - except you can't unsubscribe from attack ads..............
It comes down to this: Politics is expensive. Few know this better than the media that covers campaigns and make billions selling the ad space candidates need to reach voters. Like it or not, running a competitive political campaign costs real money - and that money has to come from somewhere.
Grass-roots online fundraising, melodramatic as it may sometimes seem, makes that kind of money accessible to candidates who don't necessarily have huge corporate or special interest support.
So, the next time the subject line of a political email makes you roll your eyes, go ahead and have a quick laugh, but pause before letting the cynicism set in too deep. That message was sent by someone who cares deeply about this country, for millions of people who feel passionately about that important issue, to elect people who will impact all of our lives......
Stephanie Grasmick is a partner at Rising Tide Interactive, a leading digital strategy and advertising firm for Democrats and progressives including Ready for Hillary"
We here at Public Advocate agree with the sentiment above about strong messages on the internet for grass roots efforts, except for the leftist content of her commentary.
The entire article is posted here:
http://www.rollcall.com/news/in_defense_of_political_email_commentary-236832-1.html