Readers might note that I banned a reader this morning in the comments section. A quick explanation: In other parts of the internet (Twitter), it is fair game to respond to an argument by attacking the proponent of the argument. Not here. I have learned from bitter experience that someone who is willing to engage in that tactic once feels free to do so on multiple occasions. So, when that happens, I ban the user and unsubscribe them. Life is too short to deal with such negativity.
“ Incredibly, the authors question whether postcarding and letter writing are deceptive fundraising schemes where the volunteers are the unwitting victims of a “con.” The authors write:
Are “letters to voters” just chum to draw in small-dollar donors? A gig-economy scheme that works only because volunteers pay for their own stamps?”
As opposed to what? Candidates taking money from corporations?
We should always remember that the c3000 dead on 9-11 were not all Americans. The British name 67 killed. At a State Department memorial service, 90 flags represented lost persons, from Argentina to Sri Lanka and more. Given the richness of the US population, it should not surprise that diversity marks tragedy.
I have been reading the NYT forever and while I enjoy many parts of the paper ( puzzles) and respect their first Amendment rights some of their recent OpEd pieces have been totally off the wall and only partially true. The headlines in many cases do not always support the content of the story. What I found interesting about the article referenced today about Democratic emails is they do not seem to pay attention to what Republicans are doing and saying and the fact that Trump sent out a death notice for his first wife with a plea for political contributions in the notice is just a sample. Writing post cards is good for the community and people involved in the process and if it changes or encourages one more person to vote it was worth the effort. To win elections you need to make people feel they are part of something bigger that can make a difference and the Democrats need to keep on doing this.
Will President Biden be universally applauded by all Americans for eliminating this terrorist with no civilian casualties? Probably to the same degree that President Obama was congratulated by the GQP for taking out bin Laden.
Patriotism has taken a back seat to partisanship. A political party has been captured by radical reactionary haters. Liars and cheaters lead the party of Lincoln. They betray their country every day.
Robert, thank you for your thorough defense of post card writing. And you're so right -- we Democrats have every reason to reach out to voters in districts with close races that can be won by 1% or less. We shall write on!
Aug 2, 2022·edited Aug 2, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
My response yesterday to a commenter who was concerned about the NYT article::
I clicked on the study link in the article but could only access abstract and not methodology, #surveyed , etc. They also studied 2018 and 2019 races. I believe postcard campaigns have become much more strategic. I do subscribe to NYT but often tire of their doom and gloomness.
This is from one of the postcard groups I support. While obviously not a study, encouraging and IMO believable.
“In 2020 volunteers for the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats sent over 18,000 postcards to voters on the Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache Nations. That means volunteers sent postcards to EVERY Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) voter, explaining to them how to make sure their vote counted. Their work paid off. We had a 300% increase in mail in ballots in 2020 over 2016 and yet only a tiny increase in ballots that needed corrections. We know this project increased the number of votes counted on tribal land and extended Biden’s victory in Arizona.”
I don't see how getting a letter or a postcard from a fellow citizen is akin to those stupid, no account emails from organized Democrats that exhibit no effort or creative content. They are full of BS, like the straw-man "news" pieces that raise fear for the sake of it.
I know postcards work. With postcards to voters we wrote 22,000 postcards for candidate Annette Taddeo, who was running for FL senate in a red district of Miami. She won her race by 3,000 votes and flipped the district blue. I'm confident our postcards helped her secure victory. She has been a phenomenal senator for Florida and now she's running for Congress.
I've written hundreds of letters through Vote Forward.com (mentioned in the NYT op-ed piece), and they are personal, hand-written letters, "I vote because..." addressed to citizens inclined to vote Democrat or hardly voting at all. The letters are meant to increase turnout among these persons. The template provides information on how to access voting. We are not to mention any party or candidate, and money is never solicited. Vote Forward conducts research on letter-writing effects, and a 1% increase in Democrat voter turnout may have helped the two senators from Georgia win to give the party its 50-50 + 1 majority in the US Senate, with all the fine consequences since.
Since reading your excellent newsletter, I have become acutely aware of the negativity in the press, particularly the NYT in just about every article about the Dems or Biden or this latest on campaign tactics. Never does the Times publish a story like "Biden Finally has Wind at his Back" without adding, "But will it make a difference?" or some similar recant. There is never good news without an implied threat. I've literally stopped reading most articles, including the one you discuss in this newsletter. It's not just tiresome, it's dangerous.
As the organizer of a Kitchen Table group of postcarders who sends out around 200 cards a week, I was befuddled by the NYTimes editorial. (Thanks for the referenced counter research.) Of course it makes a dent All candidates who can send out direct mail, all retailers who can do too. Door to door, which I have done a lot of, may help too but someone has to be home and open the door. The mail always gets in.
As a intermittant postcarder from Massachusetts, the leaders of this effort here has been committed to bringing people together to help candidates in many states, not just in ours. It's a little thing but aren't we told every little bit helps? The NY Times were wrong to publish this poorly researched article. Thanks, Ron, for the note on Kentucky. Please share some organizations accepting donations of all types.
“Most presidents have one or two defining moments that will forever mark their tenure. Biden has already accumulated a record of defining moments longer than most presidents in the last half-century...”
For those tempted to advocate for term limits, think carefully about the value of experience. I am not arguing in favor of lifetime service, but there should certainly be balance between the idea of promoting new ideas and thinking and valuing experience.
Readers might note that I banned a reader this morning in the comments section. A quick explanation: In other parts of the internet (Twitter), it is fair game to respond to an argument by attacking the proponent of the argument. Not here. I have learned from bitter experience that someone who is willing to engage in that tactic once feels free to do so on multiple occasions. So, when that happens, I ban the user and unsubscribe them. Life is too short to deal with such negativity.
“ Incredibly, the authors question whether postcarding and letter writing are deceptive fundraising schemes where the volunteers are the unwitting victims of a “con.” The authors write:
Are “letters to voters” just chum to draw in small-dollar donors? A gig-economy scheme that works only because volunteers pay for their own stamps?”
As opposed to what? Candidates taking money from corporations?
We should always remember that the c3000 dead on 9-11 were not all Americans. The British name 67 killed. At a State Department memorial service, 90 flags represented lost persons, from Argentina to Sri Lanka and more. Given the richness of the US population, it should not surprise that diversity marks tragedy.
I have been reading the NYT forever and while I enjoy many parts of the paper ( puzzles) and respect their first Amendment rights some of their recent OpEd pieces have been totally off the wall and only partially true. The headlines in many cases do not always support the content of the story. What I found interesting about the article referenced today about Democratic emails is they do not seem to pay attention to what Republicans are doing and saying and the fact that Trump sent out a death notice for his first wife with a plea for political contributions in the notice is just a sample. Writing post cards is good for the community and people involved in the process and if it changes or encourages one more person to vote it was worth the effort. To win elections you need to make people feel they are part of something bigger that can make a difference and the Democrats need to keep on doing this.
Will President Biden be universally applauded by all Americans for eliminating this terrorist with no civilian casualties? Probably to the same degree that President Obama was congratulated by the GQP for taking out bin Laden.
Patriotism has taken a back seat to partisanship. A political party has been captured by radical reactionary haters. Liars and cheaters lead the party of Lincoln. They betray their country every day.
World Central Kitchen accepts donations for Kentucky: https://wck.org/wefeedpeople
Robert, thank you for your thorough defense of post card writing. And you're so right -- we Democrats have every reason to reach out to voters in districts with close races that can be won by 1% or less. We shall write on!
My response yesterday to a commenter who was concerned about the NYT article::
I clicked on the study link in the article but could only access abstract and not methodology, #surveyed , etc. They also studied 2018 and 2019 races. I believe postcard campaigns have become much more strategic. I do subscribe to NYT but often tire of their doom and gloomness.
This is from one of the postcard groups I support. While obviously not a study, encouraging and IMO believable.
“In 2020 volunteers for the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats sent over 18,000 postcards to voters on the Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache Nations. That means volunteers sent postcards to EVERY Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) voter, explaining to them how to make sure their vote counted. Their work paid off. We had a 300% increase in mail in ballots in 2020 over 2016 and yet only a tiny increase in ballots that needed corrections. We know this project increased the number of votes counted on tribal land and extended Biden’s victory in Arizona.”
https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/428361/
I don't see how getting a letter or a postcard from a fellow citizen is akin to those stupid, no account emails from organized Democrats that exhibit no effort or creative content. They are full of BS, like the straw-man "news" pieces that raise fear for the sake of it.
Another great coverage of diverse important topics, thanks.
I know postcards work. With postcards to voters we wrote 22,000 postcards for candidate Annette Taddeo, who was running for FL senate in a red district of Miami. She won her race by 3,000 votes and flipped the district blue. I'm confident our postcards helped her secure victory. She has been a phenomenal senator for Florida and now she's running for Congress.
I've written hundreds of letters through Vote Forward.com (mentioned in the NYT op-ed piece), and they are personal, hand-written letters, "I vote because..." addressed to citizens inclined to vote Democrat or hardly voting at all. The letters are meant to increase turnout among these persons. The template provides information on how to access voting. We are not to mention any party or candidate, and money is never solicited. Vote Forward conducts research on letter-writing effects, and a 1% increase in Democrat voter turnout may have helped the two senators from Georgia win to give the party its 50-50 + 1 majority in the US Senate, with all the fine consequences since.
Since reading your excellent newsletter, I have become acutely aware of the negativity in the press, particularly the NYT in just about every article about the Dems or Biden or this latest on campaign tactics. Never does the Times publish a story like "Biden Finally has Wind at his Back" without adding, "But will it make a difference?" or some similar recant. There is never good news without an implied threat. I've literally stopped reading most articles, including the one you discuss in this newsletter. It's not just tiresome, it's dangerous.
As the organizer of a Kitchen Table group of postcarders who sends out around 200 cards a week, I was befuddled by the NYTimes editorial. (Thanks for the referenced counter research.) Of course it makes a dent All candidates who can send out direct mail, all retailers who can do too. Door to door, which I have done a lot of, may help too but someone has to be home and open the door. The mail always gets in.
Common sense where art thou.
As a intermittant postcarder from Massachusetts, the leaders of this effort here has been committed to bringing people together to help candidates in many states, not just in ours. It's a little thing but aren't we told every little bit helps? The NY Times were wrong to publish this poorly researched article. Thanks, Ron, for the note on Kentucky. Please share some organizations accepting donations of all types.
“Most presidents have one or two defining moments that will forever mark their tenure. Biden has already accumulated a record of defining moments longer than most presidents in the last half-century...”
For those tempted to advocate for term limits, think carefully about the value of experience. I am not arguing in favor of lifetime service, but there should certainly be balance between the idea of promoting new ideas and thinking and valuing experience.