I haven’t donated any money to Barack Obama.
I almost did it during the primaries — several times. I was excited by him and I wanted him to win. But I didn’t donate.
Then I got disillusioned with him in the spring, and I was glad I hadn’t donated.
Now once again I’m wondering if I should donate. But I’m resistant.
The reason I haven’t donated is because I’m very careful with my money. I think for a long time before spending anything. And I decided that while my 25 or 50 bucks might be useful to the Obama campaign, they’d be much more useful to me. The Obama campaign has a few million dollars. I don’t.
The thing is, if everyone felt that way, nobody would donate. I know this is one of those philosophy problems that has a name, but I can’t remember what it is. Game theory?
I guess if I want to help a political campaign, the best thing to do would be to volunteer. My local Democratic organization is doing some field trips to New Jersey and Pennsylvania this fall. New York isn’t a swing state, and New Jersey isn’t really either, but Pennsylvania is. Maybe I could do some good if I volunteered in Pennsylvania.
It’s easier to just go to the Obama website and click on “Donate.” But then my dollars are getting amassed with millions of other dollars, and I don’t know what my particular dollars are doing. If I volunteer — helping to register voters, or make phone calls, for instance — then I can actually see the results.
So maybe I’ll volunteer.
Pursuant to a question you asked on another thread:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt08/haidt08_index.html
A liberal intellectual group discusses why people vote Republican. You may find the essays and responses (linked in the “Continue” button on the bottom) interesting.
Closing graf: Unity is not the great need of the hour, it is the eternal struggle of our immigrant nation. The three Durkheimian foundations of ingroup, authority, and purity are powerful tools in that struggle. Until Democrats understand this point, they will be vulnerable to the seductive but false belief that Americans vote for Republicans primarily because they have been duped into doing so. But read the whole thing.
Oh, geez, FI. Republicans fall neatly into two categories, the Duped and the Dupers. The entire 2008 Republican Platform is utter nonsense. Let’s start with an energy policy that somehow believes that a country that uses 25% of the world’s oil supply yet possesses only 3% of the world’s reserves can drill its way to energy independence. Let’s take note that the projected federal defecit for 2008 is now $1 trillion shy of the budget surplus George W. Bush promised in 2000. Let’s take a look at a “proposal” for healthcare that would allow insurance companies to disqualify John McCain because he is a cancer survivor. Let’s also pause to consider that people have been languishing in prison at Guantanamo for nearly seven years while our government has failed to prove (or even bothered to try, in some cases) that they belong there. Meantime, the architects of the illegal war — including John McCain, who proclaimed “Next stop, Baghdad!” in September 2001 — will suffer no consequences for their criminal ineptitude. Let’s talk about a party that officially endorses amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage believing somehow that it will protect and “rescue” heterosexual marriage. Let’s talk about John McCain and Sarah Palin, who continue to openly repeat lies that have been fully exposed in the media. Let’s talk about a party that insists that we let “the free market” fix healthcare and education and yet doesn’t hesitate to rush in with billions of taxpayer dollars to rescue Bear Stearns and now Fannie and Freddie. This is a party that decries “regulation” when it could have served to protect homeowners from predatory lending practices and then rushed in to save the faltering lenders, while not doing a damn thing for the people who lost their houses. They ridicule one of the smartest, most accomplished and promising — and history-making — presidential candidates we’ve ever seen, and then rally around a manifestly unqualified (and grossly misrepresented) vice presidential candidate who just yesterday proclaimed that the reason the government had to bail out Fannie and Freddie was because they were proving too expensive to taxpayers. I’m sorry, in order to be presently supporting John McCain, you can’t have even a passing familiarity with reality. You might as well be supporting Puff the Magic Dragon, because your candidates are fairy tales.
Why Obama needs all of us! Work, donate, and lets kick some GOP ass this year.
One of the issues that conservatives rail against is the idea that ‘privacy’ is protected in the Constitution. While it is true that the Constitution does not mention the right of privacy, over time there has been recognition that privacy is an unenumerated right. The Griswold Case is one that every high school kid learns about; as it was the first time that the Constitution protects a right to privacy. In that case it was about the right to contraceptives. In 1973 Roe v. Wade the issue of privacy was a central argument and focus, this time for the right of women to opt for an abortion. In the famed Lawrence v. Texas, privacy was used to strike down a law against gay sex.
With many major cases hanging this past term of the Court by a 5-4 vote, and the goal of conservatives to push the tide back on what most American accept as reasonable rulings, it is clear why Barack Obama needs to be elected. Our rights were too long fought for, and too hard to gain, to allow those who wish to push a conservative tide to win in 2008.
While it is true that the Constitution does not mention the right of privacy, over time there has been recognition that privacy is an unenumerated right.
And, in fact, the Ninth Amendment can be said to support the right to privacy, since it explicitly protects unenumerated rights.
Andy: I agree with you completely!
Tin Man: Volunteers in swing states are going be needed; do what you can!
I’m disgusted with polls now showing McCain leading… American voters are being duped.
Why (as an Aussie) does this concern me? Oh, perhaps because there’s a possibility that a war-monger (on a global scale) could be in charge of all the nukes, and backing him up would be a “lady” who wants armegeddon so she can be “raptured”.
Please, PLEASE, all americans have to vote this time!
Hey there tinman. I would’ve blogged about this myself, but I’m lazy and nobody reads my blog.
I found a website advertized (on FACEBOOK, no less) called anyonebutobama.org.
It’s rather preposterous, and I thought that someone should really go through the trouble of publishing the WHOIS information. So here it is:
Domain ID:D152707752-LROR
Domain Name:ANYONEBUTOBAMA.ORG
Created On:13-May-2008 20:57:48 UTC
Last Updated On:16-Jul-2008 18:28:41 UTC
Expiration Date:13-May-2009 20:57:48 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Abacus America Inc dba Names4Ever (R14-LROR)
Status:OK
Registrant ID:WCPQC
Registrant Name:Melanie Gaglio
Registrant Organization:Legal Revenge LLC
Registrant Street1:c/o Melanie Gaglio 204C Chestnut Crossing Dr.
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Newark
Registrant State/Province:Delaware
Registrant Postal Code:19713
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.9177501229
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:davidscrystalmba@aol.com
Admin ID:8A2AK
Admin Name:Melanie Gaglio
Admin Organization:Legal Revenge LLC
Admin Street1:c/o Melanie Gaglio 204C Chestnut Crossing Dr.
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Newark
Admin State/Province:Delaware
Admin Postal Code:19713
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.9177501229
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:davidscrystalmba@aol.com
Tech ID:SKRTU
Tech Name:Melanie Gaglio
Tech Organization:Legal Revenge LLC
Tech Street1:c/o Melanie Gaglio 204C Chestnut Crossing Dr.
Tech Street2:
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Newark
Tech State/Province:Delaware
Tech Postal Code:19713
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.9177501229
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:davidscrystalmba@aol.com
Name Server:NS2.ABAC.COM
Name Server:NS1.ABAC.COM
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
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Name Server:
You’d figure that if they had enough of a budget to pay for the domain name, set up the website and pay for advertising on facebook…. they wouldn’t have used her home address.
Sorry. I’m just all peeved and didn’t know where else to vent. ;)
I learned the Unfortunate Reality some years ago when I made a few donations to the DNC, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic candidate for President. The Unfortunate Reality is that large donors get “access” to politicians who listen attentively to them. Conversely, small donors get lots and lots and LOTS of junk mail (and telemarketing calls too).
Andy,
You clearly didn’t read the essay, which was designed to provide an intellectual framework, not an analysis of the rationality of positions.
That said, I’m not going to do a point-by-point rebuttal of your comment, which is also full of misstatements of the GOP position, particularly on energy.
I try very hard to understand positions outside of my partisan bubble. I’m not sure you’re really detaching yourself from your emotions to do the same.
Just to make it easier, here is the GOP platform: http://www.gopplatform2008.com/2008Platform.pdf Energy starts on page 31. The GOP endorses drilling, yes, but also is a strong proponent of nuclear power.
Obama, you may recall, is a strong proponent of ethanol, which is a major reason he got a big launch in Iowa. Ethanol, as you may have read, now uses 31% of the US corn crop and is a major reason why grain prices have soared worldwide, putting a lot of poor people in developing countries in dire straits when it comes to food costs. Europe has backed away from biofuels from food sources, unlike a certain Democratic presidential candidate.
Who, by the way, really needs to watch his “lipstick on a pig” comments. I thought the first major gaffe would come from Biden, not Obama.
Oh, FI, give the “lipstick on a pig” comment a rest. Or did you also call out McCain for using it about Clinton?
No? You didn’t? Shocker.
And he was directly referencing McCain before he launched into it. But it’s unsurprising really that the party of pay and equal rights parity for women would put up whoremonger Rudy Giuliani at its convention to lisp out his “da noive!” speech, aghast at the horrible sexism of the left.
It’s downright uppity, I’d say! And, of COURSE uppity’s not a racist slur since you only use it against negroes, right?
It’s really easy to get passionate about politics and voting when a party’s platform in particular spends so much of its time making sure to directly reference a unique aspect of what makes you you and then proceed to – without quite coming out and saying it – strike it down as pure evil (see: protecting marriage – but not against divorcing your first mangled wife for a millionaire! – or “protecting the military from mandatory assraping).
Hmm, I made a grave error. I meant to say “the party against pay and equal rights parity for women.” Surely the Republicans are for anything BUT.
Eric,
It doesn’t matter what he meant. It’s the headline on Drudge, and it closely follows a line where Palin prominently used a lipstick reference, which Hilary never did. It’s national news, and a campaign ad. It doesn’t matter if you, or 10 million others, think it’s a canard. 50 million people are hearing about it, it’s the headline on every NY Post copy people see, etc. This is what frustrates my wife: Democrats manage to blow elections they should easily win.
It’s ironic for me to be vocal about this, because even though I have a long Republican history, I’m really pretty unexcited about McCain and I am greatly disappointed in the Bush administration for many reasons. Maybe you won’t believe me — that’s fine.
But what amazes me about Democratic activists and the most vocal supporters (and I have met and know many)is how tone-deaf they are to the average voter’s feelings and interpretation of campaign events. Republicans are so much better at image, spin, and managing a campaign, it’s not even funny. And I think Tin Man has written about this multiple times. Believing an attack is misguided doesn’t help. There are 2 choices: avoid the attack (which is why I call the lipstick comment a gaffe), or attack better. Because once you’re on defense, it’s hard to avoid looking defensive.
And maybe you think this is because the American people are dupes. Calling them that, even if you believe it to be true, is not the wisest strategy in the world. And defending yourself by pointing and shouting “liar!” (even if true) has rarely been shown to work, from playgrounds to politics.
And maybe you think this is because the American people are dupes. Calling them that, even if you believe it to be true, is not the wisest strategy in the world.
Fortunately, bloggers are allowed to tell the truth, even if the media and the campaigns can’t.
The fact of the matter is that the Republicans are better at propaganda and manipulation and dirty tricks and that is what wins elections. It doesn’t matter what is actually true or what would actually be better for the country: people vote on how they feel, and the majority of the American people are cattle.
The Democrats need to get more cynical and more Machiavellian or else close up shop and go out of business.
Oh, for the record: I think volunteering is much more satisfying than donating. If you can take off election day, there are lots of inspiring ways on that day in particular to help: getting people to the polls, making reminder calls, volunteering at a polling place, handing out literature/stickers/etc, putting out campaign signs the night before… none of those make a difference leading up the election but I enjoyed a lot of those activities when I’ve done them.
If you want to volunteer ahead of the actual election day, the field trips to PA might be fun. Probably there would be a lot of good camaraderie if it was a group activity. Might be a lot of grousing if Obama is behind in the polls, venting like you see above, but if the organizer is good, they’ll turn it into a make-a-difference rally instead of allowing the venting to weigh on people.
But getting involved is worth it to be part of the process, and even though you’ll meet a lot of people who will just turn away, the few that you actually get to talk to will make it all worthwhile.
Somebody has to pay for the fucking ads against McCain. Volunteering is nice but doesn’t pay for commercial advertising. Whining about getting campaign material after you donate isn’t going to matter much if McCain wins.
I am very middle-middle class and yet I have forgone some luxuries in order to help the Obama campaign with much-needed dollars.
Jeff, if you skip one meal at a restaurant you could easily give Obama $10. He will even take $5. Who knows if that small amount will mean anything, but if (when) he wins you will know you did your part.
FI: Nuclear power is problematic for so many reasons; for one thing, we still haven’t really figured out what to do with the waste. (I live downstream from Hanford, so I care about this.) Is mining for uranium or plutonium environmentally friendly? And how, exactly, are we going to continue to maintain that it is okay for us and a few other countries to have nuclear power, but not Iran? I’m not saying I want a nuclear Iran, I’m asking by what authority do we claim to be the arbiter of who has access to certain technologies? Let’s also consider the enormous security risk posed by nuclear plants — they’re an attractive terror target. Plus…a nuclear car? We need to be investing in technologies that don’t rely on finite resources, like wind, solar, hydroelectric (with limitations, based on environmental concerns, obviously) and geothermal power.
I agree, ethanol is a BAD idea. You know the global addiction is bad when we are literally taking food away from poor people and putting into our cars.
Hopefully we’ll get more information on this soon, possibly at the VP debate. After all, today John McCain told us that Sarah Palin is the nation’s foremost expert on energy. (And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Alaska I’d like to sell you.)
I would love to be emotionally detached and objectively consider the Republican policies, except that John McCain and Sarah Palin are running an emotional campaign, not an intellectually serious one. None of their policies — not one — make any sense, whatsoever. It’s not a matter of arguing that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. (About which I concede Sarah Palin probably knows more than I do.) There may be serious conservatives still out there somewhere, but they are not affiliated with this campaign.
As a few others have sorta touched upon, why not do both? That way you know you’ve helped the campaign financially (especially useful as they’re not going the public financing route), but can also do stuff in person that gets results you can really see.
In terms of stuff in PA, as the campaign thinks I’m in NY since there’s no option for email updates if you’re outside the US (I use 10001 when I need a US ZIP code) I’ve had emails from them about going to PA, as well as something they’re doing in NY where they train you over the course of a couple of days and send you to battleground states as a Deputy Field Organizer.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/PABorder
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/campobamany
For general volunteering in NY:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/NewYorkVol
Apologies for the now slightly epic Obama linkspam, but if you are interested in donating, using the link below will cause another donor to match whatever you donate, though I’m not sure for how long.
https://donate.barackobama.com/match