Dear New York Post, Bush bites...

February 25, 2004 6:26 PM

Putting Campaign Tech and Dollars to Good Use -- It seems the Bush reelection campaign's letter to the editor form is being used for anti-Bush letters too. Just put in your zipcode, select which newspapers you want your letter to go to, and type away! But of course, then they'll have your personal info and a record of what you wrote, should Ashcroft be bored one day. Worth it or no?
posted by amberglow (17 comments total)

Can I just say that this is the worst, most disgustingly pandering image I have seen in a long time. All the header images are bad, but that one struck me at the worst.
posted by benjh at 7:02 PM on February 25, 2004

Yea, Cheney doesn't look too good in that one.
posted by mss at 7:19 PM on February 25, 2004

dubyuh's got his hand up my crippled grandma's dress.
posted by quonsar at 7:37 PM on February 25, 2004

Somehow they got my personal information and keep sending me "Presidential Portraits". I don't belong to the Republican Party, and I haven't filled out one of these online thingies either....
posted by Eekacat at 7:47 PM on February 25, 2004

benjh, that little old lady is in this gallery. Wonder if she came from the same modeling & prop agency as the turkey.

All this guy does is walk around and pose for staged photos - wish I knew the price tag of all the backdrops, the lighting, the props, the largest flags and banners ever, the special on-message outfits, and the vast entourage of photographers, art directors and stylists. They are spending kajillions on this phony crap.
posted by madamjujujive at 8:11 PM on February 25, 2004

posted by quonsar at 8:18 PM on February 25, 2004

amberglow - very worth it, especially if one is crafty enough to pull off enough another tactic, guilt by association : you, too, can be a ridiculous and whiny but still menacing Bush supporter. It's legal too.....opinions are free, and so what if you change your mind prior to the election.....and if you pull some voters with you, well...that's democracy!

Effuse about W, then demonstrate that you are a frothing at the mouth nut case. Easy.
posted by troutfishing at 9:53 PM on February 25, 2004

Lots of non-profits have been doing this for awhile. Check out the services offered by Capitol Advantage -- their software allows you to find your local reps and whatnot to send them emails, letters, and faxes. Obviously, I get that the twist here is that you're using the bush resources to their disadvantage, but there are tons of similar things to this that one can make use of.
posted by ph00dz at 10:52 PM on February 25, 2004

I did not have sexual relations with that women.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:52 PM on February 25, 2004

Woman, even.

I hate when I screw up my own lame jokes.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:53 PM on February 25, 2004

I did not have sexual relations with that women.

Ya prolific stud-fowl, ya.

Great post, amberglow.

'Course, I'm already all over this. I thought it would be a helluva kick as well as part of my goddammed patriotic duty to sign up as a reelect President AWOL GOP Team Leader. Now that I'm on their mailing list, I get reams of lame Republican "talking points", which can be refuted in about five minutes, and then sent on with rebuttal to the media.

Plus, as a GOP Team Leader, I get all these really keen benefits:

In addition to being given a "political edge" over the competition, you earn GOPoints for each Action Item completed. Action Items range from writing a letter to your editor to calling local voters and gauging public opinion. The GOPoints you earn can, in turn, be redeemed for collateral of your choice, ranging from leather PDA covers to folding chairs.

Report on Message Boards - 5 GOPoints
Tell us about conversations you've seen and had on Internet message boards.

Too much. Repugnicans can accumulate GOPoints redeemable for merchandise and fabulous parting gifts by posting to the Internet.

I'm saving my GOPoints for a new SUV.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 11:59 PM on February 25, 2004

Hmm.

Where do I get in on this team leader thing?
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 2:21 AM on February 26, 2004

According to their privacy policy, no information about these letters should be maintained, so fear not... unless you think the Bush Administration would violate rules relating to privacy...

We do not retain information when you forward a message: GeorgeWBush.com contains numerous opportunities for a visitor to forward documents, photos, and messages to friends and family. This information is only used to forward that visitor’s message and is not retained or used by GeorgeWBush.com for any other purpose.
posted by VulcanMike at 7:51 AM on February 26, 2004

I just got one of those autographed portraits of the first couple thanking me for my donation. I was appalled. Since I don't have a scanner at the moment I decided to return it with the following letter. I am posting this for the record just in case I disappear to Guantonamo or some such.

I was appalled this morning to receive your letter addressed to me with a faked handwritten greeting addressing me by my first name and containing a photograph with faked autographs of the Bushes not to mention your audacity at wanting to add me to your list of Charter Members of the Bush-Cheney ’04 team. I have no interest whatsoever in becoming a member of such a team. They are both a disgrace to this country that they purportedly serve, a disgrace to the high office of the Presidency and are certainly a disgrace to the Republican party – at least the Republican Party that I knew in past decades.

I also must object to your dishonest message in the body of your letter, especially the part that claims that the Democrats have hundreds of millions of dollars given by "liberal special interest groups". Who might these wealthy liberals be? Perhaps the folks who a great Republican president Dwight Eisenhower warned us against, the present generation of "the military industrial complex’? Or are these the folks who fund your candidates?

No, please remove my name from your mailing lists. If ever there was junk mail being posted to me, this is the worst.

Sincerely
posted by donfactor at 10:30 AM on February 26, 2004

Great idea!

I just did a little astroturfing with a few selected modifications to the 'No Child Left Behind' letter, called two local stations to mention the failings of the policy and now I'm downloading a kick-ass 4.4 MB screensaver featuring W wearing an awesome cowboy hat (white, of course) and holding a bottle of sodie pop while driving a pickemup truck.

I've never felt so engaged with electoral politics!
posted by Fezboy! at 11:15 AM on February 26, 2004

Update:
Of the five letters I sent out, three have been returned because of bad email address. Sure, a few were small, hometown papers, but when you cannot get through to the Indianapolis Star, well, there's problems in Bushland.

Also, their Host a Block Party wizard is broken. I can't get beyond the first screen. Not to mention, the restaurant they recommended has been out of business for over a year now thanks to the RCA plant closing shop for cheaper labor in Mexico.
posted by Fezboy! at 12:14 PM on February 26, 2004

Why does the whole site use SSL? Every single page is https://...

Methinks Bush is taking this security thing a bit too far.
posted by jrbender at 2:29 PM on February 26, 2004