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John McCain's Web site provides suggested talking points and links to blogs. (Johnmccain.com - Johnmccain.com)
Clicks for McCain could earn points for his supporters. (Mary Altaffer - AP)
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 7, 2008; Page C01
Spread John McCain's official talking points around the Web -- and you could win valuable prizes!
That, in essence, is the McCain campaign's pitch to supporters to join its new online effort, one that combines the features of "AstroTurf" campaigning with the sort of customer-loyalty programs offered by airlines, hotel chains, restaurants and the occasional daily newspaper.
On McCain's Web site, visitors are invited to "Spread the Word" about the presumptive Republican nominee by sending campaign-supplied comments to blogs and Web sites under the visitor's screen name. The site offers sample comments ("John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan . . .") and a list of dozens of suggested destinations, conveniently broken down into "conservative," "liberal," "moderate" and "other" categories. Just cut and paste.
Activists and political operatives have used volunteers or paid staff to seed radio call-in shows or letters-to-the-editor pages for years, typically without disclosing the caller or letter writer's connection to a candidate or cause. Like the fake grass for which the practice is named, such AstroTurf messages look as though they come from the grass roots but are ersatz.
McCain's campaign has taken the same idea and given it an Internet-era twist. It also has taken the concept one step further.
People who sign up for McCain's program receive reward points each time they place a favorable comment on one of the listed Web sites (subject to verification by McCain's webmasters). The points can be traded for prizes, such as books autographed by McCain, preferred seating at campaign events, even a ride with the candidate on his bus, known as the Straight Talk Express, according to campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.
"Anytime you're getting supporters activated into online communities or taking other actions to spread the word, that's a win," Rogers says.
"Reward points" or other incentives for political work aren't a new concept. The Republican National Committee started a rewards program for volunteer fundraisers several years ago. More recently, Barack Obama's campaign has given small donors and volunteers the chance to win a lunch or dinner with the candidate. (Obama's campaign doesn't have a comment program similar to McCain's.)
More chillingly, dissidents alleged earlier this year that the Chinese government has paid Chinese citizens token sums for each favorable comment about government policies they post in chat rooms and on blogs.
Offering incentives to spread presidential campaign rhetoric online makes sense, says Michael Cornfield, an adjunct professor at George Washington University and an expert in political management online. "Now that social media have expanded citizen comment opportunities far beyond the old letter to the editor and talk show call-in, campaigns should take advantage," he says.
But Cornfield (an executive with a company that markets political-organizing software) says McCain's program has a couple of bugs.
The first, he says, is the lack of disclosure instructions to participants. To rise above AstroTurf -- a practice considered ethically dubious by many political operatives -- Cornfield says participants should use their real names and identify themselves as part of a campaign participation program (as in, "I'm Mike Cornfield, and I'm part of the McCain Action Team").
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He also says "germaneness" is an issue: "Talking points are fine, but a comment should refer specifically to something that was said or written previously in the thread where it is intended to appear."
McCain should reconsider the program for an entirely different reason, says Zach Exley, who directed online organizing for John Kerry's Democratic presidential campaign in 2004. Both the Kerry campaign and the GOP's national committee, he said, had underwhelming results when they offered incentives of various kinds to volunteers.
"This stuff never works," Exley says. "People in politics aren't motivated by points. That's not what gets people to act. They're motivated by genuinely caring about the issues."
Indeed, he adds, some volunteers resent points and incentives because they think it demeans or devalues their work.
This might explain why some of the Web sites targeted by McCain's program haven't noticed much of a surge in pro-McCain comments.
David Wissing, the founder of the Hedgehog Report, a blog about Maryland politics, said his comment traffic has been running about 60 percent conservative and 40 percent liberal in recent weeks, which is typical. Wissing said he keeps an eye on reader comments -- he recently banned a poster for using multiple screen names -- and hasn't seen postings that use similar or identical language, usually a telltale sign of an AstroTurf program.
Another political blogger, David Adams, who runs Kentucky-centric Kyprogress.org, was unaware that McCain's campaign had listed his site as a target for comments until he was told about it by a reporter Friday. He questioned how much good such messages would do in any case. Kentucky, he points out, is a solidly Republican state that probably will vote overwhelmingly for McCain in the fall.
"Our eight votes are going to McCain no matter what he or Barack Obama says," Adams said of the electoral college.
Exaggerate much? How's is this "spreading propaganda"?
It's lame, cheesy, and kindy dirty but not propaganda.
How is it NOT propaganda? What do you think propaganda is exactly? All talking points are propaganda. To suggest to people that they spread talking points is to ask them to spread propaganda.
Exaggerate much? How's is this "spreading propaganda"?
It's lame, cheesy, and kindy dirty but not propaganda.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merriam-Webster
Main Entry:
pro·pa·gan·da
Pronunciation:
\ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də, ˌprō-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
New Latin, from Congregatio de propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the faith, organization established by Pope Gregory XV died 1623
Date:
1718
1: capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions
2: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
3: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect
Who cares? It's the direction the marketing of everything is going--call it grassroots, call it viral, web 2.0...whatever. He's just putting structure around the idea of having other people market your product or service (or, in this case, candidate) for you.
Call it propaganda or marketing. Neither are bad words. It's just another way to get your message out by the people who are most passionate about it.
__________________ America cannot have an empire abroad and a Republic at home.
Who cares? It's the direction the marketing of everything is going--call it grassroots, call it viral, web 2.0...whatever. He's just putting structure around the idea of having other people market your product or service (or, in this case, candidate) for you.
Call it propaganda or marketing. Neither are bad words. It's just another way to get your message out by the people who are most passionate about it.
Well I'm not commenting on McCain's "free market" approach to grass roots campaigning. Just Heu's statement that something is not what it is.
I find it hard to believe anyone would have a problem with this. Incentives in politics have always been there. Do a good job and you get to spend time with the candidate himself or a close associate and get to tell them what you want out of their adminstration. Same thing as lobbying, only you are using sweat equity instead of cash.
__________________
“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
The whole point of this is for it not to appear to come from campaign sources. Its supposed to appear like its you talking, when in reality it is you deliberately putting he campaign message out there.
I got no problems with McCain's "Spread the Word", I just think it's pretty incompetently administered. These are the "issues" people are supposed to be Spreading today (from his website):
The Issue: Jobs for America
John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan that will create millions of good American jobs, ensure our nation's energy security, get the government's budget and spending practices in order, and bring relief to American consumers. Click to learn how the McCain Economic Plan will help bring reform, prosperity and peace to America.
The Issue: Partisanship
There are serious issues at stake in this election, and serious differences between the candidates. And we will argue about them, as we should. But it should remain an argument among friends; each of us struggling to hear our conscience, and heed its demands; each of us, despite our differences, united in our great cause, and respectful of the goodness in each other.
Everyone else as convinced as me?
Last edited by DWKB; August 7th, 2008 at 01:27 PM.
Anytime a campaign is offering prizes and reccomending webistes to post propaganda that is supposed to sound like it is coming from a poster's own thoughts and ideas is simply disgusting to me.
It is dishonest and low IMO... Go ahead and encourage folks to link to your website's thoughts, but to have these people pass it off as their own is lame and desperate propaganda.
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