*delurk*

I think blogs ought to consider adding a checkbox in the comment form that says "I am being compensated to post this comment", or something to that effect. It shouldn't stop you form commenting--I have seen political aides make good comments on blogs--but it should put a flag on the post so people are aware. Of course, the McCain spammers might still neglect to check the box, but at least it would be more clear to the less net-savvy why such tactics are wrong.

Posted July 3, 2008 1:55 AM by Rulial

I'm certainly against paid commenting, but what appalled me about the idea when it first came out was the way it would trash conversations on the target weblogs. Now, there's a sure-fire way to win friends and influence people...

Posted July 3, 2008 2:07 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Ah, a typical half-done mostly-abandoned beta project. It sounds like the McCain campaign gets this whole "web" thing at a deeper level than you're giving them credit for. :)

Posted July 3, 2008 2:07 AM by Evan Goer

In that case, shouldn't it have a "This Site Under Construction" sign at the top?

Posted July 3, 2008 2:10 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

In your scenario, Teresa, shouldn't Senator McCain pat you on the head once he's done nodding?

Posted July 3, 2008 2:16 AM by Linkmeister

*giggling madly at the camera running scenario*

Posted July 3, 2008 2:23 AM by elise

Didn't Ron Paul use the same sort of spamming tactics?

Really. What does that say about McCain that not only is he so hopelessly out of touch with the modern world, but he can't learn from the failures of his peers?

He really does remind me more and more of Dubya every day, and I honestly don't know whether to laugh or just shake my head at the embarrassment of it all.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:24 AM by Dan

TNH @ 4 -- yes yes, with an animated construction worker guy. And a "Best viewed with Browser X" button.

This is sort of an aside, but damn, McCain's site is ugly under the hood. Neither site is going to make a serious Standards Nerd happy, but at least Obama's markup makes some sort of sense.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:31 AM by Evan Goer

Teresa @4: Actually, I don't think I've seen one of those in years (well, except at sites that were really quite old); I think they were just a Web 1.0 thing. Or maybe a Web 0.9 thing.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:33 AM by Brooks Moses

I mean seriously, what is up with that hidden __VIEWSTATE param? He's got 26K of crapola to what, track the user's state? He could use that to track the state of all the baryons in the visible universe, many, many times over. WTF were they thinking?

Posted July 3, 2008 2:48 AM by Evan Goer

I would agree 100% that they don't get the internet. This looks to me like the tactics that they use for 'Letters to the Editors' section of newspapers, and complaints to the FCC. They don't realize maybe that their astroturf will be covered with a tarp and rained out but the comments to follow.

It would be interesting in a backfired sort of way if one of their posters actually read follow up comments to their cut and paste posts and had their mind changed.

Too bad about the etiquette aspect of it all. Maybe someone should start an internet finishing school. I wonder if there would be any money in that?

Posted July 3, 2008 3:17 AM by old

Evan @10: That's an unfortunate side-effect of using ASP.Net technology and enabling session tracking. In this case, it's not Senator McCain's misunderstanding of the internet but Microsoft's technical architects.

Still, from this side of the Atlantic, I'm actually quite pleased the McCain campaign still fails at the internets...

Posted July 3, 2008 5:19 AM by Ian Seckington

"The list of right-wing weblogs is by far the longest."

Hum ... is there a parallel universe out there of right-wing weblogs, social networks, and so on? There's Conservapedia, after all. Given that McCain seems to have a problem with ""true conservatives"" who refuse to back him, this might make sense as an operation mainly targeted on the bits of Interweb that such people use.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:00 AM by John Dallman

I think McCain is a hardcore conservative, certainly much more conservative than his "maverick" reputation would have led me to think. However, if I believe the news media, conservatives aren't actually happy with their choice of nominee (although I doubt this will stop them from voting for him). In that case, I could see his campaign wanting to build up support on among conservatives. Hence, the long list of conservative blogs. Spread the Word, had it gotten any traction though, would have backfired on him.

It is really sad how clueless McCain is with all of this. Unless the unbearable happens, he'll still be a senator come January. His presidential campaign is making me wonder if he's actually qualified for that job (to say nothing of the presidency).

#11: The chief obstacle to a successful internet finishing school is that the people who most need it won't go to it. Either they don't realize they need help, or they want to be the troll. Fortunately, most people eventually get the memo.

Besides, it's the internet. Surely, 9 out of 10 internet finishing schools will be scams?

Posted July 3, 2008 7:14 AM by John Chu

Not an internet finishing school. An O'Reilly title.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:39 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Might I suggest that, once more, the dictum of John Stuart Mill that stupid people are generally Conservative is once more proven?

Posted July 3, 2008 8:21 AM by Fragano Ledgister

Motivating people to go out and be heard is a tactic used by both sides, after all. Moveon.org sends me email about writing congresspeople, and always includes a sample letter I can use (I never do, of course; if I write, I write my own words). Doesn't seem that different from the "talking points" you mention above (though it's different in being more current, and in other ways).

Posted July 3, 2008 8:25 AM by David Dyer-Bennet

I suspect most people use their own words. After all, why write if it isn't yours? What a sample letter is good for is suggesting pace, approach, and length.

Posted July 3, 2008 8:32 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa: Your interview idea is beautifully evil....

Posted July 3, 2008 8:48 AM by albatross

And my #16 was struck by the Department of Redundancy Department. Ugh.

Posted July 3, 2008 9:30 AM by Fragano Ledgister

There are (...) serious differences between the candidates

Bozo the Clown was a Democrat.

Posted July 3, 2008 9:35 AM by Serge

Anybody here an I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue fan? Its a great BBC Radio show. When I read:
"...you will be awarded points through the McCain Online Action Center."
All I could think of was Humphrey Lyttelton saying "And Points mean prizes. What do points mean?" (This is one of those things that is really funny if you've been listening to the show for years, but makes first time listeners wonder what all the fuss is about.)
Here is a list of what McCain should award as prizes! A sample: This week's prize is certain to wipe out even the most uncomfortable of embarrassing personal ailments - it's this Preparation-H Bomb.

Posted July 3, 2008 9:38 AM by Matt

It's kind of fun to Google for those texts on his page. They don't actually show up online very much (TPM!) but when they do, it appears that somebody asks immediately how many points the poster got.

Yeah. Internet awareness -- it's not just for breakfast any more.

Posted July 3, 2008 9:47 AM by Michael Roberts

If somebody really wanted to poison the well, they'd comment-spam those for him. There's a comment on RedState where the title is the title of the post, the first sentence "Personally, I think it's great that" + title, the next paragraph from his page, and the last sentence "Therefore, I think it's great that" + title.

Even conservatives online don't like that...

Posted July 3, 2008 9:54 AM by Michael Roberts

"My name is John McCain, I'm running for president. I believe that a campaign should be a conversation ...

So shut the hell up and listen to me tell you how much I care about you."

And I love the "truthiness" inherent in the Markos Moulitsas quote.

John McCain is aware of the internet: He's heard of it, knows it exists, and knows it has something to do with computers.
[He's also aware of the economy, and in the same way, except change "computers" to "getting elected."] The fact he's never used it and probably thinks it's a special type of software doesn't change the fact he's "aware" ...

Posted July 3, 2008 10:06 AM by pedantic peasant

Sorry, that should read Mark Soohoo quote.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:09 AM by pedantic peasant

Dan @ 7: Don't say his name! *looks around frantically*

Posted July 3, 2008 10:24 AM by Caroline

One might think your paraphrase is satire, until realizing it's not so very far from "You have free speech so I can be heard" in Rudy's infamous freedom-is-about-authority speech. Or from Bush the lesser's formulaic proclamations that he understands people are angry, desperate, grieving, frustrated, skeptical, being driven into poverty, or otherwise upset at the screwing he's giving them.

We've already got people expressing the sentiment quite literally.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:32 AM by mdlake

If John McCain is elected President, the era of the permanent campaign will end.

What scares me is that I'm afraid that's true.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:35 AM by Seth Breidbart

Ian @ 12 - Thanks for the explanation. So that code wasn't dreamed up by a random team of overpriced Republican consultants, it came from people who supposedly really are supposed to fundamentally understand Internet tech. Wow again.

Michael @ 23 - immediately asking how many points they earned -- excellent, that's the perfect response.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:40 AM by Evan Goer

Teresa please please please consider editing the last line of your post to:

And all the while McCain would be smiling, and nodding sagely. Joe Lieberman would lean over and whisper something to him then McCain would say "Yes, of course—I am aware of all internet memes."

Posted July 3, 2008 11:01 AM by Lance Weber

I'm envisioning a YouTube piece with Teresa and John McCain: Teresa explaining, McCain nodding sagely, and the rest of net watching in dumb amaze.

Posted July 3, 2008 11:06 AM by Madeleine Robins

Blog Comments For Dummies!

So you're aware of the Internet, you've got a point you want to make. You've got some email, a homepage, and a blog, but nobody's reading them. What you want to do is to leverage the long tail power of grassroots2.0 and comment on other peoples' blogs, and this book will show you how.

Complete with user-friendly icons and helpful tips, you too can get your favourite politician elected, get your least favourite legislation repealed, get your least favourite minority group into internment camps, and become a net.celebrity with a full glossy head of hair!

Posted July 3, 2008 11:09 AM by Sam Kelly

Oh, Teresa, I sure hope McCain buys your free term paper, free term paper, free term paper!

Posted July 3, 2008 11:09 AM by Xopher

#33
'All for the low low price of $19.95!
-- But wait, there's more!'

Posted July 3, 2008 11:23 AM by P J Evans

Jeebus, Teresa, just writing about all this is giving the dumbass so-called hero/war criminal too much attention...some intern may read makinglight and get some good ideas. You could swing the election in his favor! hahahahaha...

Posted July 3, 2008 11:32 AM by Papawhale

The absolute best result of the McCain comment spam program is how it created an instant boilerplate response for trolls on political blogs that is relatively good-humored and avoids most of the problems created when people can't resist engaging them:

"Okay, you've earned your McCain Points. Bye now."

Posted July 3, 2008 11:43 AM by Redshift

#17 - David, I think the difference is that those letter-writing campaigns are directed at offices or newspapers where that's the standard form of communication. The McCain comment spam program is more like if MoveOn sent you a letter and a list of parties or meetings to go to and recite it from memory, regardless of whether anyone's talking about the topic.

Posted July 3, 2008 12:01 PM by Redshift

I suspect most people use their own words. After all, why write if it isn't yours? What a sample letter is good for is suggesting pace, approach, and length.

Alas, I think your opinion of the initiative and amount of energy "most" people is higher than mine. I've written sample lobbying letters for our community, and the copies that people send me of what they signed and sent to our legislators are often simply my words on their letterhead.

Posted July 3, 2008 1:37 PM by Rachel

"Help spread the word about John McCain on news and blog sites. Your efforts to help get the message out about John McCain’s policies and plan for the future is one of the most valuable things you can do for this campaign."

You know, I think this is true. I really should be posting comments on more blogs, spreading the word about McCain, his policies, and his plans for the future:

"Great post about McCain. Did you know about his plan for a wall at the border? I can't even imagine how much that will cost. I wonder if he remembers Reagan's 'tear down this wall' speech?"

"Hm. McCain and foreign policy, eh? I'm afraid he lost me when he started supporting torture after roundly opposing it. I think it's a terrible policy, and sends troubling and dangerous messages to our allies and our enemies."

I get the impression that a lot of people think McCain isn't a great candidate but are unaware of how appalling he is.

When I picketed Scientology, I often used the phrase "Scientology - it's worse than you think" to tempt people to take my fliers. Seems like I need to do my bit for McCain's campaign by spreading the word about his policies and plans - making sure people know he's worse than they think.

Posted July 3, 2008 1:39 PM by Kristi Wachter

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Rachel @#39, not because I've received those kind of letters, but because I've sent them. Well, sort of.

What has happened the times I've sent letters that came supplied with boilerplate was that I usually wrote a paragraph or two of my own, and then referenced the rest of the letter and specifically said, "I didn't write that, but I have read it and I can't say it any better. I agree with that 100%, and I want you to do [or not do] X."

Persuasive writing is not something I'm particularly good at, and I figure that a partially-cribbed letter, especially one that acknowledges the cribbing and specifically states that I'm aware of the content and agree with it, is better than no letter at all, which is what I'll send if I think about it too hard. Sad, but true.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:04 PM by R. M. Koske

Is any of this related to that email John McCain sent me claiming he's the widow of a Nigerian dictator? I'm a reply away from him dumping $20 million in my bank account.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:10 PM by Mike

R.M.Koske @ 41... Persuasive writing is not something I'm particularly good at

I guess I shouldn't start letters with "You fool! You idiot! You incompetent!".

Posted July 3, 2008 2:23 PM by Serge

Teresa Nielsen Hayden @ 18:
I suspect most people use their own words. After all, why write if it isn't yours?

You are assuming it's easy for most people to write. I suspect that's based on your own experience and the people you know. For a lot of people, even some quite intelligent people, writing is an agonizingly difficult effort.

Posted July 3, 2008 2:35 PM by Clifton Royston

Clifton@44 -- I wouldn't say I find writing agonizing (I was a technical writer for a while, even), but writing a fresh letter for each MoveOn request would take more time than I'm willing to devote to the project. I click and (cough) move on.

Posted July 3, 2008 5:42 PM by Ambar

Today, John McCain detailed what he envisions achieving as President by the end of his first term in 2013.

John McCain will put the national interest ahead of partisanship to build an America that is safer, freer and more prosperous than when he was elected.

When John McCain is President, the era of the permanent campaign will end. He will work with anyone who wants to get this country moving again and will listen to any idea intended to solve our problems, not make them worse.

In forming government policy, John McCain will work with members of Congress from both parties.

John McCain's administration will set new standards for transparency and accountability.

John McCain will not leave our problems for another unluckier generation of Americans to fix after they have become even harder to solve.

John McCain also outlined his views on presidential power. The President's powers are rightly checked by the other branches of government, and John McCain will not attempt to acquire powers granted to Congress. He will exercise his veto but not subvert legislation through statements.

Posted July 3, 2008 5:43 PM by McCain Supporter

I figure it isn't any harder to write a short letter than it is to comment here. Maybe easier: they don't expect poetry. Or the Spanish Inquisition.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:01 PM by P J Evans

Mad (32), in my fantasy they pick me to talk to the candidate because I look like a nice older woman who doesn't know jack about computers, and will thus not notice that everything McCain is supposedly going to be doing is already loaded up as a one-click presentation. I shut down the presentation software with surreptitious keyboard command, then start explaining. McCain goes along with it because he thinks we're still following a script. The news cameras are rolling. No one can stop me now.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:01 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa, shouldn't #48 end with 'Bwahahaha!'?

Posted July 3, 2008 6:03 PM by P J Evans

Hi there, McCain Supporter! Welcome to Making Light!

How many McCain Points did you earn? How many will you need to have in order to trade them in for a lampshade?

There's one thing that confuses me, though. When you say that John McCain's administration will set new standards for transparency and accountability, what do you mean? After all, George Bush set new standards transparency and accountability but no one is terribly happy with them.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:05 PM by James D. Macdonald

I don't think he can get points. ML isn't one of the weblogs in the list of weblogs in the Gimme Points! submission box.

Maybe we can send him some Green Stamps.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:15 PM by pericat

pericat #51:

Wouldn't he qualify for some form of Bingo Points?

Posted July 3, 2008 6:30 PM by joann

No, unfortunately, ML isn't in the list, but still, SOMEBODY had to do it.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:32 PM by Mr. Gunn

You are assuming it's easy for most people to write. I suspect that's based on your own experience and the people you know. For a lot of people, even some quite intelligent people, writing is an agonizingly difficult effort.

Exactly. One more voice in the chorus, here: folks who are motivated enough to send a letter aren't necessary as motivated to attempt to draft one. It's not a matter of laziness so much as pragmatism -- I've seen the same thing firsthand from energetic young activists, true believers who just don't see themselves as particularly worthy writers.

As someone who really enjoys writing, seeing that sort of thing made for a weird and slightly uncomfortable personal revelation. But as far as that goes, I'm feel at least less cynical about someone taking five minutes to mostly-copy out a letter longhand than someone hitting "Forward" in their email client.

Posted July 3, 2008 6:38 PM by Josh Millard

Rachel, #39: I always rewrite those letters, both because I think individual wording is more persuasive and because often there are facets of my opinion that the letter doesn't mention.

McCain Troll: Wow, that was a lot of words to say nothing of substance. But I doubt you'll be back -- you're just in it for the points anyhow.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:13 PM by Lee

I suspect that Mr. Supporter was making a dead-pan joke. If so, kudos at least for a mechanically flawless execution.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:17 PM by Clifton Royston

I like to write, Teresa, but I've still sent boilerplate letters from places like MoveOn (was it them? do they do that? It's been a couple of years.)

This McSame boilerplate, though -- it sucks. You'd have to be a Republican to think it sounds good.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:57 PM by Michael Roberts

"Thanks, McCain Supporter. Now, if you'll just tell us your McCain Action Center ID Number, we'd be happy to vouch for your work..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's probably the same as your social security number..."

Posted July 3, 2008 7:59 PM by A.J.

Cilfton Royston @ 56: To say nothing of flawlessly mechanical.

Posted July 3, 2008 7:59 PM by John A Arkansawyer

There is a secondary effect to this which interests me.

Suppose an internet newbie McCain supporter decides to venture into the blogosphere and spread the word to the liberals. They post a set of talking points, and the thread degenerates into one of those exasperated discussions that anyone who has posted anything about evolution is all to familiar with.

What does the newbie learn from this experience? Why, that liberals really are as rude, hostile and angry as talk radio makes them out to be.

Maybe this isn't just about convincing us. Maybe it's also about keeping the troops clear on how bad we are.

Which makes a calm reply ("Yes, yes, you've earned your points, now run along.") the best solution. Anything hotter plays into the politics of divisiveness.

Posted July 3, 2008 8:06 PM by abi

I'm volunteering to work with the campaign to rebrand their internet outreach program.

Our pre-composed targeted comments will now be called Straight Talk Opposition Outreach Lines (STOOLs). Battalions of United Line Leavers (BULLs) who drop particularly outstanding STOOLs can earn McPoints that can be redeemed for a wide range of rewards including: ambassadorial positions, federal judgeships, executive pardons, and defense contracts!

Posted July 3, 2008 8:21 PM by Lance Weber

#60 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: July 03, 2008, 08:06 PM:
...

What does the newbie learn from this experience? Why, that liberals really are as rude, hostile and angry as talk radio makes them out to be.

Maybe this isn't just about convincing us. Maybe it's also about keeping the troops clear on how bad we are.

It is pretty diabolical! I was hoping that the talking points would be refuted politely, and maybe the tactic would backfire on McCain, by changing some minds But I think in the real world your scenario is true and mine probably wishful thinking.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:14 PM by old

Perhaps the response that works best here isn't just dismissive, but pointing out that they've been set up?

"Look, those talking points you're quoting from are all over the internet by now. Sending you off to spam them all over the blogosphere is like dressing you in Klansman robes and kicking you out of the car in the middle of Anacostia."

The goal here is to get across a message Teresa once put very well: Just because you're on their side doesn't mean they're on your side.

Posted July 3, 2008 10:50 PM by albatross

Serge, #21, the guy who played Bozo the Clow died to, er, yesterday.

Posted July 4, 2008 3:21 AM by Marilee

And I read that in preview, too, but missed that I'd left the n off Clown until just after I hit Post. Hmph.

Posted July 4, 2008 3:22 AM by Marilee

Rachel @ 39: "Alas, I think your opinion of the initiative and amount of energy "most" people is higher than mine. I've written sample lobbying letters for our community, and the copies that people send me of what they signed and sent to our legislators are often simply my words on their letterhead."

I was going to say something like that, but since you already went through the effort, I guess I'll just repeat your version.

Posted July 4, 2008 8:00 AM by heresiarch

It's too bad that you have to post to a site on the special list of blogs to get points. It would be so much fun to earn McCain points for posts to a Potemkin blog.

Posted July 4, 2008 5:14 PM by John Houghton

Clifton @ 44: In the words of the almost-English I use most of the day, "I have that pattern."

At previous jobs - not so much at my current employer - I've received high praise when I've documented something. (As in, the documentation team will say "wow, I didn't know we had a programmer who could write like that") And yet, as any former manager of mine can attest, getting documentation out of me is like pulling teeth. On my end, producing documentation feels like slogging uphill through three feet of thick mud. It's exhausting, and one little 5K-wordcount document will wipe me out for day, or close to it. (Hence why it's so hard for managers to get it out of me) For some reason, sitting with someone and walking them through something, or even giving a presentation to a group of people is not nearly as hard.

(At my current job I both do less documentation and work with people who are generally much less prone to the "engineer who can't communicate with normals" stereotype)

Posted July 4, 2008 7:53 PM by Daniel Martin

Teresa wrote: "And all the while McCain would be smiling, and nodding sagely, as if to say, “Yes, of course—I was already aware of that. After all, it’s the internet.”"

And McCain would excuse himself from the interview saying that he "has an appointment at the gym with a rickrolling trainer".

Posted July 4, 2008 8:01 PM by Jon H

The McCain astroturf page looks like something a newbie would have written in, oh, 1996....

And someone needs to take clips of McCain nodding sagely, film Teresa with her "explanations", cut the two together, and post it to YouTube. :D

Posted July 5, 2008 3:46 AM by Nenya

My own gut is that the 'consensus' is massively underestimating McCain's popular appeal.

I can't think of a state (New Mexico? Colorado?-- but against a Senator from a next door state?) that voted for Bush that is likely to be in the Obama camp.

Florida has retirees and ex military people: it will go for McCain.

And so it comes down to Ohio (again). And there, Obama will take the northern rust belt (as Kerry did) and McCain will take the Appalachian fringe. That leaves the southern part: I have been told Cincinnati is known as the most segregated city outside the south, and southern Ohio is certainly Bible Belt.

Try as I might, I can't see how Obama can win this: internet or no.

Posted July 5, 2008 5:20 PM by Valuethinker

Valuethinker:

Nope. Florida doesn't like the GOP much this year. Not after Jeb and Charlie the tuna Crist. A lot of voters are looking at things and going, well, the Republicans have screwed things up, let's vote against them this time.
PA and Ohio and Michigan will be important, because they have a lot more votes in the electoral college, but the whole country is not going to go for McSame.

Look at the various charts and maps here.
This is Poblano's site, a respected polling geek: he got more right this spring than anyone else.

Posted July 5, 2008 5:38 PM by P J Evans

I'd be surprised if Colorado doesn't go Obama by 5+ points; look for a pretty sizable bump in the pols right around/after the convention.

Of course, if Bush keeps getting photo-op'd fiddling while the economy burns, it might be 10+ points :)

Posted July 5, 2008 9:35 PM by Lance Weber

#54 and #55 Regarding letters to elected officials - I've been wondering which approach won't get ignored. Typewritten, handwritten, or Email?

Should I stand outside their local office in a trenchcoat and pounce on them once they leave for lunch? Or perhaps waive Monopoly money in their face and claim I'm an important lobbyist.

The question really boils down to : What is the polite way to get a busy politician to reflect on your point of view?

Posted July 5, 2008 10:28 PM by Darin

Ooh, it looks like Virginia may swing as well. It's very interesting to watch this state go purple. Also, people around here will NOT be happy about McCain deciding to bail out mortgage corporations rather than people. The real estate bust hit harder here than almost anywhere I know. All the more reason to make sure everything's in order and get people out to the polls.

Posted July 5, 2008 10:32 PM by Leah Miller

Darin, there's no guarantee of any of those working.
Some of them, it's clear, don't actually pay any attention to what's sent; some will respond to phone calls, some to personal visits. Send actual paper letters to the local office, because DC offices still have their mail irradiated.
(Some of them are actively hostile to visitors and phone calls, and not necessarily the ones you'd expect.)

Posted July 5, 2008 11:55 PM by P J Evans

Valuethinker, #71, Virginia went for Bush the last two times, but there's a good chance we'll go for Obama this time. We have two former governors dueling for John Warner's (R) seat, and Mark Warner (no relation), the Democrat, is almost certain to win. That will make more people think of change.

Posted July 6, 2008 12:35 AM by Marilee

Darin @ 74:

The last time a politician was asked that question in my presence (Canadian provincial Liberal), she said she took snail-mail more seriously than e-mail, because e-mails are so much easier to send. She also strongly preferred letters clearly from an individual, or at least added to by an individual, over obvious templates or mass mailings. She said nothing about handwriting versus typed, but I suspect typewritten is preferable unless you have particularly legible handwriting. She also gave the impression phoning would go over well.

Posted July 7, 2008 1:47 PM by Lenora Rose

Scary article today about Carly Fiorina touting McCain's tech credentials.

Money quote from the above article: "Fiorina said McCain understands the importance of the Internet and sees government-mandated net neutrality as a hindrance."

DO NOT WANT.

Posted July 7, 2008 4:53 PM by G. Jules

#79
McCain's tech credentials are about as good as Confederate dollars. [/s]

He can't even use e-mail without help, how can he make reasonable decisions about technology?

Posted July 7, 2008 5:09 PM by P J Evans

Darin @74:

I do a lot of work with political organizations, and the conventional wisdom right now is that postcards are the way to go. They have room for a brief, pithy comment; they are clearly from an individual, not a mass campaign; and they don't get held up in the mail-room security mess.

You can make your own using heavy paper, or the post office sells plain ones. (Generally, stay away from picture postcards, unless the picture is very relevant indeed.)

On preview, as per PJ Evans @76, there are no guarantees.

Posted July 7, 2008 5:34 PM by Juli Thompson

#81
I'll add to this: you can buy printable postcard blanks, generally for 4-up printing, at office supply places.

You can also download a 'Spine' pdf file, ready to use.

Posted July 7, 2008 5:50 PM by P J Evans

G. Jules #79

Carly Fiorina turned out to be a marketdroid moron who hollowed out what had been one of the great companies of the USA and the world, getting rid of the tech core/engineering focus, turning the US branch into a combination of marketing organization and we-will-buy-out-your-IT-department-and-run-you-IT-operations sharecropping business and moving large amounts (the majority?) of the design and development and production and customer support for end users (as opposed to corporate customers who outsourced their IT operations to HP)off to Asia and Eastern Europe.

HP turned into a combination of primarily Just Another made-in-China-computer-and-prinicipal-peripherals-seller and IT contract operations house.

What's left in North America is marketing and sales for North America and the corporate headquarters and the IT operations for large North American customers.

Once upon a time, HP was an engineering and computer giant which made everything from microwave chips that went into military equipment to oscilloscopes to bedsheet sized ptiners to computers from handhelds to "big iron" machines, which provides spec and engineering documentation and supported people trying to roll custom applications in hardware and software. There was Digital Equipment Corporation. There was Compaq. Now there is a seller of made in China stuff and IT services contractor which spun off the electronic instruments, and hundreds of thousands of people who once worked for Digital, HP, and Compaq in the USA who know what life feels like trying to jobhunt when the company they had expected to work for lifelong, shed them, and left them unprepared for trying to find work in a "downsized" and offshored universe.

Posted July 7, 2008 7:02 PM by Paula Lieberman

Lenora Rose, #78, sending snail mail to congresspeople in the US is pretty much useless. The anthrax attack (that killed two postal service employees) means that all letters go through special handling and they take a long time to actually get to the legislator. And I don't know of any US legislators who take phone calls.

Posted July 7, 2008 11:40 PM by Marilee

Marilee # 84

Postcards. You can't hide much inside one, so they go through faster.

Many of them have staff people who will answer the phone, but your best chance of getting a live human is at the local office, not the one in DC. Heck, I've called my congresscritter's office a couple of times, and I know he's never - well, hardly ever - in his district; he's too busy in DC. (We tend to wonder when he finds time to sleep.)

Posted July 7, 2008 11:45 PM by P J Evans

Paula Lieberman @ 83

I don't have a lot of use for Carly Fiorina, myself, but she just put the final bullet in the head of HP; her predecessors had already riddled the body. I think it's very telling that HP, Digital, and HP's one-time biggest competitor, Tektronix* made their biggest gains on technology they developed, often based on research within their own corporate labs. HP in particular had a very good lab; I've worked with several people who worked there and I've always been impressed by the caliber of the people and the scope of their work. The first major sign that HP was being sold down the river was when the labs were downsized**, and re-focused on "market-relevant" research.

* Disclosure: I worked for Tek for 8 years, including 2 in the corporate labs.
** Don't call it right-sizing, call it cap-sizing!

Posted July 10, 2008 12:01 PM by Bruce Cohen (SpeakerToManagers)

Republicans have failed miserably this decade to keep up with critical technological advances

They have kept up with voting technology. They can use it to twist votes like no-one else.

Posted July 16, 2008 3:43 PM by Jeff

What about faxes for contacting politicians? I've been using an email-to-fax gateway for a few years, since I was under the impression that faxes carry more weight than email. You can send attachments, so it basically just prints out my nicely formatted Word document as a fax on the other end. I even have a .gif of my signature so it looks like I signed it.

Postcards sound like a good idea, but they don't fulfill my desire to send a message immediately. And I always get nervous on the phone and feel like I'll forget what I want to say.

Posted July 16, 2008 3:49 PM by Jen Roth

>The self-confessed tech ignorance from the head of the GOP pervades the party from top to bottom, as Republicans have failed miserably this decade to keep up with critical technological advances and the societal changes they have spawned.

Isn't this just another example of the anti-intellectualism that pervades the Republican party?

Posted July 24, 2008 9:58 AM by Kelly

[Spam from 117.197.197.22]

Posted September 2, 2008 7:38 AM by Spam deleted

at #90

Posted September 2, 2008 8:34 AM by Nancy C. Mittens points at spam

Going on the username being the same as the product involved.

Posted September 2, 2008 8:35 AM by Carrie S. sses spam (I think)

Teresa: I think you should ask the McCain webmasters to add ML to the list of liberal sites.

It might be kind of fun to engage in a bit of internet dickery by following those instructions to the letter. Mind you we'd need a collective false name. Travis Tea, perhaps?

Posted September 4, 2008 8:24 AM by Michael