Barack Obama Lost Me, Big Time
I just received a direct mail piece from the Obama '08 campaign. That's a pretty remarkable thing for me to consider, since I was just the Libertarian candidate for ballot access in November. That's as partisan a race as one could hope to find. Anyone who had thought about sending a solitication letter to me should have had Brain One sufficient to figure that out. What does receiving this mailing say to me?
The Obama campaign is mismanaged. They don't know who they send solicitation letters to.
-or-
The Obama campaign is so over-funded that they don't care what you believe in- you're getting a solicitation letter.
Neither one is too flattering. Don't we have that kind of POTUS already?
Being a partisan Libertarian, there was very little chance I would support Obama anyhow... unless he comes out of his primary the winner, and against McCain. Then I would have the think long and hard about where my vote goes. But his campaign put the nails in the coffin for me with this letter. The solicitation letter and even the literature seemed like it was designed to make me feel insignificant. It's just impossible for me to respect a candidate can allow this kind of thing to leave the Post Office.
10 comments:
You posted:
"there was very little chance I would support Obama anyhow... unless he comes out of his primary the winner, and against McCain."
I would consider that a brilliant marketing move on their part since I'm sure that there are plenty of other folks out there thinking the same thing as you.
As soon as there is a solid libertarian candidate out there, you can expect to receive more of the same.
maybe he was reaching out to you? Hey, you got to expand the base :)
Reaching out? There are less crass ways of reaching out than saying 'gimme some money'. He could have tried to appeal to me on areas of common ground. Civil liberties and personal freedoms are areas this is possible. Certainly Kos has gone on about the opportunity for Dems in reaching across to libertarians. Not a word about that, just a generic pitch letter. Not much of a way to expand the base.
I received the same letter. I did appreciate the postage paid envelope that they provided. It's a handy way to supply them with some LP literature!
Funny, Rex. I did the same thing- with a bumper sticker from my recent campaign, so as to clue them in a bit.
Unless he is matched up against McCain?
I'm no fan of McCain, who is truly an enemy of the First Amendment. McCain-Feingold was an atrocity. Obama, however, is even more of a Communist than McCain.
Why wouldn't you vote for the Libertarian candidate?
Scott- It is always my first inclination to vote for the Libertarian candidate. However, the way 2008 is shaping up, it isn't looking to me that it's likely to be as automatic as in the past.
A) The announced Libertarian candidates underwhelm me tremendously. There isn't one out there yet that I am enthusiastically for on the basis of their candidacy. The best libertarian candidate right now is Ron Paul... a Republican. Until a better LP candidate steps forward, and unless Paul is defeated at the GOP convention, Paul gets my vote.
B) There are two candidates that I feel strongly enough to vote against- Hilary Clinton and John McCain. I am repelled by both in every way. I rarely vote against candidates, but with these two, it's a duty. They are dead wrong on things that mean a lot to me. Obama is certainly dead wrong on plenty of things, but they aren't the issues that mean as much to me as the ones that McCain offends me on- the issues you mention, plus Iraq policy.
If it's Clinton vs. McCain, it's an easy call for me to vote for any Libertarian, even Doug Stanhope.
Is Obama for or against "campaign finance reform"? I guarantee you he's for it.
I will never understand why some conservatives (and I consider libertarianism and true conservatism to be the same thing) are actually considering a big-government Leftist like Obama.
I recieved campaign literature from my Democratic opponent last year during my bid for the state legislature. Since it was my first election, I wondered if he was doing it as a courtesy. Mike Sylvester says it is because they never bothered to take my name off their mailing list. If I ever do a direct mailing, I will not send my opponents my brochures. It is a waste of postage.
Another thing I thought of. Why is Obama mailing stuff to a Red State? He might need the support of Indiana voters in the primary. Maybe he is counting on you to vote for him in the primary against Hillary.
Unless he picks Evan Bayh as a running mate, he will probably just write this state off for the November election.
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