Phonebanking, Reverse Phonebanking, and All This Glorious Mail…

May 29, 2008

June 3rd is looming. Next Tuesday everyone who has not sent in an absentee ballot will be going to the polls to vote. Phone calls are being made, mailers are being mailed, and all to get you to fill in the right bubbles on a ballot.

Phonebanking

I went to the offices of the good folks of the Greenbelt Alliance in San Francisco…to phone voters in Marin. The calls were to urge people to vote NO on Proposition 98, the insidious Trojan horse of an initiative that needs to be stopped. After leaving messages on machines and getting busy signals, disconnected numbers, and a couple of grumpy people, most people I talked to were against 98 when you explained it to them. It was kind of daunting working on sheet #58 out of a possible 6500 sheets, but I think together with other organizations around the state we have been able to get a lot done. Thanks to the Greenbelt Alliance for allowing us to use their offices and phones for phone banking.

Reverse Phonebanking

While I was phone banking for Proposition 98, someone phonebanking from Mark Leno’s campaign called my husband to get him to support Mark Leno. As you know, my hubby has endorsed Joe Nation, so he spent the time trying to convince this woman that there is a real “JOE-MENTUM” happening up in the North Bay. He asked her if she was from the North Bay or if she was from San Francisco, and she admitted that she was from The City. Hubby told her that her being from San Francisco it is understandable that she would feel the way she does, but Joe Nation is good for the North Bay. My hubby had fun with the call, I hope he didn’t scar that poor woman. Sorry about that. Callers to our home are universally messed with if my husband has to answer the phone.

All This Glorious Mail

You know the mail I am talking about, the big glossy stuff bulging out of your mailbox around election time that makes a bee-line to your recycling bin. That is okay, because I have been collecting them so I can blog about them to you. Eventually, these will all will be recycled and hopefully reincarnated into something more useful. As you know I have a dim view of mailers.

Campaign mail so far:

I have received four Pro-Migden Mailers from her own campaign that really focus on her accomplishments. Three of them have the theme of Creativity: Creativity Begins in Controversy (Writing the Clean Water Act), Creativity is Disruptive (”Women Against War” Award Winner), and Creativity is Passionate (Battled Cancer and Fought for Health Care Reform). The fourth is “Because the issues matter to us…” with four pages of endorsement and a picture of her doing her voodoo on Schwartzenegger. I really like her picture of Carol in the red blazer. Very nice mailers.

We have received two mailers from the Joe Nation campaign. The first was “For the North Bay, From the North Bay” which touts that he has been a part of the North Bay for 25 years. He also lists his accomplishments. His second attacks Leno for voting with the republicans cut education $3.1 Billion, including $75 million for North Bay and San Francisco Schools. It also states that Leno voted to suspend Proposition 98 (the good one that constitutionally guarantees education funding in hard times as well as good times), while Nation voted against it. In debates, Leno has said that if you say no in these negotiations you end up being irrelevant. Nation also finds a rare picture where Leno doesn’t look his normally dashing self.

Mark Leno has gone into full-blown snappy, snarkmail-mode. I have received three mailers from the Mark Leno campaign and six mailers from the Opportunity PAC based in Pasadena.

According to one Mark Leno mailer, Joe Nation is a corporate tool working for all the insurance companies who are a spending “half a million dollars to send him back. PACs funded by HMOs, insurance firms, big banks, and oil companies are funding the mailers supporting Joe Nation.” Obviously, they are not doing a very good job because I have only received two campaign pieces from the Joe Nation campaign. On the other hand, I have received six mailers from the Opportunity PAC that are slamming Nation so badly and committing what I call “bad photoshop.” I just don’t see where all the money is going that Mark Leno claims is being spent.

Mark Leno’s “Green Record” sticks to his own environmental record and notable endorsements. Then there is “Who is the Best Choice for Marin and Sonoma” talks about how he is supported by consumer advocates, voted for universal health care, voted for low cost medicines, voted to bring the troops home, and progressives love him. On the other hand, Pro-Business Joe Nation is loved by big banks, insurance companies, drug companies, and voted against bringing the troops home. Did you hear that Big Business Loves Joe Nation? He is the best choice for big business.

Then there is the six Opportunity PAC ads:
1. Joe photoshop’d among a herd of cattle. “With the Bay Area Bullish on health care, why did Joe stand in the way?” Over the years Joe Nation has received tens of thousands of money from drug and insurance companies.
2. My personal favorite — Joe Nation photoshop’d as a superhero with a rather low rent superhero suit. You would think if he is a corporate tool he would have a better looking superhero costume. They say he is a superhero of the drug and insurance companies who shine a searchlight with the NATION to call him forth. This is super silly and really makes you think twice believing anything they say.[Claims: Nation opposed a bill requiring disclosure of results from drug trials even those that are negative, opposed forcing pharma to disclose gifts to doctors, and opposed a bill that would offer low cost drugs to health centers.]
3. Nurses and health care workers don’t support Joe Nation because he votes against affordable health care (ie. single payer health care).
4. “Who is Reading Your File” or “What if Banks had Unlimited Access to Your Personal Records” talks about how “if Joe Nation had his way, Banks and Insurance companies could read and use your records, without your consent.
5. You always remember your first hit piece of the election season. I have blogged about the “Say It Isn’t So, Joe” piece.
6. “Don’t get stuck with a lemon, Vote No on Nation” says that consumers cannot trust Nation. In 2004, Nation voted against AB 1839, a car buyer’s “Bill of Rights” and he has taken thousands from the auto industry.

Joe Nation has a page that addresses many of what the hit pieces are saying, so I would read his site and contact the campaign if you have questions. My dad was looking at all these mailers from Opportunity PAC and he was wondering where all that money came from.