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?
Exactly! I do get text and email hourly however from democrat candidates seeking donations to meet the “midnight deadline!!!!” I’ll give monthly to preferred candidates but really it’s incessant. So unlike what we do in postcards and letter writing.
And doesn't tfg send out huge amounts of fearful emails asking for donations? Personally, I prefer postcards & emails over a stranger knocking at my door.
I had not read this op ed (nor will I) but in reading about it here, I wonder about the motivation of the author. My sometimes-conspiratorial nature leads me to wonder if that person was intentionally trying to dissuade writers of letters and postcards. And then that led me to wonder if this was the motivation, was it based upon a desire to scare volunteers from doing something positive that actually WORKS?
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.
Thank you addressing this, Ann. That is the first thought that pops into my head every time someone says 3000 Americans. So many countries were represented in this horrific death toll.
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.
Totally agree! I’ve been so annoyed and angered at the Times editorials and headlines that often ignore the substance of the reporting. The emphasis in popularity and polls and both-sides is infuriating. Yet the writing is good and we love the arts section.
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.
I checked in with FOX. They have turned it on it's head and are placing the blame on a bungled Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan. Another mental game of Twister.
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.”
YES, Kathy! I write for this group also and got the same message; with each batch of addresses I get there is one similar message, about someone who was surprised/pleased that they got a handwritten card and/or that because of that card they signed up to either register or to get a mailed ballot. I’m glad I didn’t read that op/ed, don’t need the aggravation today!
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 think it is extremely difficult to conduct research on the effectiveness of any given get out the vote effort. There are so many confounding factors in individual races that tracking responses to postcards, emails, texts, or canvassing is extraordinarily difficult. Short of interviewing voters as they leave the polls and asking them whether a particular messaging strategy prompted them to vote and likewise interviewing people who did not vote, it seems like it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of different strategies.
An email I received from Activate America (the group from which I source lists for writing postcards) said that in a recent primary contest that the organization had targeted for a campaign, there was an increase in votership of 10%. This was before the Supreme Court decision, which, I would assume, will be one of the larger incentives for GOTV
True. I think the effect of postcards is to remind registered Democrats to vote and to tell them why it's important. It also provides valuable information such as how to sign up for Vote by Mail. In the last election cycle, I received a postcard myself, written by a 98-year-old woman. It made me very emotional as it felt like a personal contact from someone who cared as much as I did and who was just as desperate to help save democracy.
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.
Yeah, that times “opinion piece,“ was full of BS. I don’t know why they give space to that sort of stuff, except perhaps to maintain some semblance of neutrality?
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.
For those who read NYT, note that they have comment sections for more articles, and I’ve taken to notifying the editors of my disgust that for Biden and Democrats all good news must be bad news. The other day, I did that, and noticed that many of the other comments, including the most popular, were along the same lines. And the editors will notice. So, go to it!
I don't click on most of the negative headline stories. I assume the NYT is counting clicks & if the piece has a low enough count it will disappear quicker.
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.
There is evidence that for every real doorbell touch, there is a much greater return (I recall 20%) than telephoning (which I personally can't tolerate so won't do: too intrusive). Democracy for America has done some research on this in the past, I recall.
Since 99% of non handwritten mail bulk mail go into recycling without even opening to find out from whom, the postcard is a brilliant addition. I have argued with ROV that handwriting the address should be sufficient and use a pre-written postcard content, but they have "tested" their technique and so both sides are handwritten. Text messaging is noise now. I just delete them all. I get 200 + emails a day (after filtering) and now about 50 text messages.. Don't add your mobile phone to your donations to political candidates is the only way to stop these texts.
And remember: do NOT use flag stamps... these are considered as unacceptable / governmental-like and I think this only appeals to the Republican-base. I get flowers, birds or countryside-type 1st class stamps.
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.
As I read your comment, Bruce, I remembered again how grateful I have been that Nancy Pelosi won her position as Speaker of the House of Representatives over several much younger, aggressive newcomers. After she won and started "taking care of business" as only a seasoned hand could have at this time in history, one of her former challengers acknowledged publicly that she was the right choice for the job. I smiled and thought "Glad you finally figured that out." I believe we would be in much worse shape if Nancy Pelosi was not the Speaker of the House. Thank you, Nancy!!!
I have long maintained that Nancy Peolosi is among the most capable and competent legislators and leaders of either political party in Washington, D.C. All Americans should be grateful for both her accomplishments and capabilities. I even have Republican acquaintances who have long acknowledged that is true. In fact, they have told me the reason she is so vilified by many Republicans is because she is so capable.
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.
Thank you. One bad apple can really poison the entire barrel!
“ 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?
And NONE of the messages we write mention fund raising or even link to it. Just the act of registering and voting.
Exactly! I do get text and email hourly however from democrat candidates seeking donations to meet the “midnight deadline!!!!” I’ll give monthly to preferred candidates but really it’s incessant. So unlike what we do in postcards and letter writing.
And doesn't tfg send out huge amounts of fearful emails asking for donations? Personally, I prefer postcards & emails over a stranger knocking at my door.
Especially so with Covid still in pandemic mode!
good point!!
I had not read this op ed (nor will I) but in reading about it here, I wonder about the motivation of the author. My sometimes-conspiratorial nature leads me to wonder if that person was intentionally trying to dissuade writers of letters and postcards. And then that led me to wonder if this was the motivation, was it based upon a desire to scare volunteers from doing something positive that actually WORKS?
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.
Thank you addressing this, Ann. That is the first thought that pops into my head every time someone says 3000 Americans. So many countries were represented in this horrific death toll.
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.
And I think that Robert should submit his info today in a counter op ed piece to the NYT. It's important information to get out.
I wrote the same thing.
Yes!!!
A great idea but getting published in the NYT is very difficult and the article would contradict their own OpEd
It’s impossible if you do not have adequate credentials, but I think that Robert does.
Karen, I agree 100%
I have not renewed my NYT subscription.
If you do, consider the Washington Post or The Atlantic. Will you write a letter to the editor if you do exercise your cancellation option?
I subscribe to the Atlantic and love it. And, yes, I need to write NYT and explain why I am cancelling. Thanks.
I keep considering that option, but there are many reasons to continue
For me NYT is like an addiction. I will only stay clean for a few months. They won't even notice my protest.
Totally agree! I’ve been so annoyed and angered at the Times editorials and headlines that often ignore the substance of the reporting. The emphasis in popularity and polls and both-sides is infuriating. Yet the writing is good and we love the arts section.
100% stephen!
Like your name.
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.
I checked in with FOX. They have turned it on it's head and are placing the blame on a bungled Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan. Another mental game of Twister.
World Central Kitchen accepts donations for Kentucky: https://wck.org/wefeedpeople
Thanks for the link!
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/
YES, Kathy! I write for this group also and got the same message; with each batch of addresses I get there is one similar message, about someone who was surprised/pleased that they got a handwritten card and/or that because of that card they signed up to either register or to get a mailed ballot. I’m glad I didn’t read that op/ed, don’t need the aggravation today!
Thank you, Kathy! Great data.
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 think it is extremely difficult to conduct research on the effectiveness of any given get out the vote effort. There are so many confounding factors in individual races that tracking responses to postcards, emails, texts, or canvassing is extraordinarily difficult. Short of interviewing voters as they leave the polls and asking them whether a particular messaging strategy prompted them to vote and likewise interviewing people who did not vote, it seems like it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of different strategies.
An email I received from Activate America (the group from which I source lists for writing postcards) said that in a recent primary contest that the organization had targeted for a campaign, there was an increase in votership of 10%. This was before the Supreme Court decision, which, I would assume, will be one of the larger incentives for GOTV
True. I think the effect of postcards is to remind registered Democrats to vote and to tell them why it's important. It also provides valuable information such as how to sign up for Vote by Mail. In the last election cycle, I received a postcard myself, written by a 98-year-old woman. It made me very emotional as it felt like a personal contact from someone who cared as much as I did and who was just as desperate to help save democracy.
Discuss with Angela Miller at Center for Common Ground .. They have some good analytics.
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.
Yeah, that times “opinion piece,“ was full of BS. I don’t know why they give space to that sort of stuff, except perhaps to maintain some semblance of neutrality?
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.
For those who read NYT, note that they have comment sections for more articles, and I’ve taken to notifying the editors of my disgust that for Biden and Democrats all good news must be bad news. The other day, I did that, and noticed that many of the other comments, including the most popular, were along the same lines. And the editors will notice. So, go to it!
I don't click on most of the negative headline stories. I assume the NYT is counting clicks & if the piece has a low enough count it will disappear quicker.
Good idea! But one could spend all day on this. Ack.
Agreed.
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.
There is evidence that for every real doorbell touch, there is a much greater return (I recall 20%) than telephoning (which I personally can't tolerate so won't do: too intrusive). Democracy for America has done some research on this in the past, I recall.
Since 99% of non handwritten mail bulk mail go into recycling without even opening to find out from whom, the postcard is a brilliant addition. I have argued with ROV that handwriting the address should be sufficient and use a pre-written postcard content, but they have "tested" their technique and so both sides are handwritten. Text messaging is noise now. I just delete them all. I get 200 + emails a day (after filtering) and now about 50 text messages.. Don't add your mobile phone to your donations to political candidates is the only way to stop these texts.
And remember: do NOT use flag stamps... these are considered as unacceptable / governmental-like and I think this only appeals to the Republican-base. I get flowers, birds or countryside-type 1st class stamps.
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.
As I read your comment, Bruce, I remembered again how grateful I have been that Nancy Pelosi won her position as Speaker of the House of Representatives over several much younger, aggressive newcomers. After she won and started "taking care of business" as only a seasoned hand could have at this time in history, one of her former challengers acknowledged publicly that she was the right choice for the job. I smiled and thought "Glad you finally figured that out." I believe we would be in much worse shape if Nancy Pelosi was not the Speaker of the House. Thank you, Nancy!!!
I have long maintained that Nancy Peolosi is among the most capable and competent legislators and leaders of either political party in Washington, D.C. All Americans should be grateful for both her accomplishments and capabilities. I even have Republican acquaintances who have long acknowledged that is true. In fact, they have told me the reason she is so vilified by many Republicans is because she is so capable.