Scripting News - Latest Comments in To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Colin Faulkingham — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:56:47 -0000

I just received a invitation to contribute to the platform without being asked to give them money. Maybe they heard what you said?

See,
http://my.barackobama.com/p...

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

kidmercury — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:51:51 -0000

i dont blame obama. the american people are willing to put up with double digit inflation, $4+ gas prices, and a government that taxes them for more than half of their income while offering virtually nothing of value in return. let's not kid ourselves, we americans obviously ain't the sharpest bunch, and are clearly quite open to being robbed.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Y-J — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:08:51 -0000

The Obama fundraising machine is relentless and, sadly, incredibly effective. I've only donated $30 so far, but the stream of emails gently pleading and tacitly demanding for more is truly overwhelming. My friends and I can't bring ourselves to read any more of them. Too bad this aggressive strategy has worked so well for them so far. I'll probably end up donating much more in the months to come, but I am becoming a bit disenchanted with the whole thing.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

kevinmil — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:04:58 -0000

It seems deeply ironic that this criticism is made 1) of Obama, who's running the most inclusive and citizen-based campaign I've seen in >20 years of voting, and 2) in the context of a rather open and transparent broadcast of their strategy.

We were both excited by Howard Dean's candidacy 4 years ago. I think that Dean failed to find a way to scale up that initial enthusiasm and build a broader, coherent campaign. Obama has done that, in ways that have costs as well (how do you listen even to the million volunteers they claim?).

What I have found, working with the campaign on a local level is that it is impressively open to local voices. I don't think I have any special access as a contributor, but I think I do as a volunteer. And, when I think about it, that dissociation is a pretty good thing.

Finding a way to scale up two-way conversations to the scope of a national campaign is something that is going to require software as well as good will. I do worry that Obama is increasingly moving into a bubble where it may be hard for him to listen and learn. I went to a fundraiser for him and it was nice to see him up close and shake his hand, but the press of people was such that I doubt he learned anything from it. So I think you've identified a big problem. I don't think it has anything in particular to do with fund-raising, but it has everything to do with how you scale a conversation up to include hundreds of millions of people.

The neat thing about an American political campaign is the way it is a learning experience as candidates confront a variety of hurdles. I think Howard Dean failed to pass the one that involves scaling up an organization to communicate with a broader public. So far Obama has managed to jump all the hurdles to date with creativity and aplomb. The next one is a big one, and it seems to me that you might have something to say about how to get over it.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

justinhamilton — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:42:50 -0000

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Amon — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:30:05 -0000

Obama is in fact meeting with people to get their input. He just hasn't met with *you*. So how has Roadkill got it wrong? Are you saying, "Well, he doesn't have to meet with *me*, but he has to put me on a committee where I help approve who he does meet with"?

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Roger Penguino — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:06:55 -0000

Hopefully these examples from politics and public radio are behavior patterns from the last century. Believing that citizens, customers, users, etc only need to vet your legitimacy through whatever applicable means, falls short of fully engaging them in the process. Politically it trivializes supporter involvement, as though those people in the campaign or cabinet are the only ones worth listening. Because activists, thinkers and trendsetters are passively involved or sidestepped altogether the control remains centralized, but so does the influence and scope of personal engagement. Although supporting Obama and public radio as well, it truly is sad to rarely, if ever, feel genuine engagement and ownership with those causes. Perhaps what we both want are candidates and public services that ask for more than just money. Perhaps what we all want are causes and presidents that ask more of us than just to dig into our pockets and shop. Perhaps what we all want is just to for once truly participate and belong to those causes we make our own.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

mager — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:46:46 -0000

I totally agree. I get discouraged when he asks for my money. I think he should be able to run a campaign without emailing people asking for money. Maybe he doesn't realize it, but we hold email up pretty high these days. If you spam us, we will block ya.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

hardaway — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:28:21 -0000

I feel the same way, Dave. I have been talking to friends and virtual friends about Obama for over a year now, and I also have thirty years of communications experiences -- probably more than anyone on his team. But no one has ever asked me for input into what he's saying or should say, how he ought to phrase things, or anything else, for that matter. The interative nature of the campaign is not really conversational. I have stopped responding.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Anthony Bullock — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:02:06 -0000

further to my previous post, U.S. forces are to have unfettered freedom in Iraq, complete freedom of action to arrest and detain Iraqis, U.S forces and civilian contractors to have total immunity from
Iraqi law. Boy for a 'sovereign nation' Iraq doesn't look very sovereign.
Bush wants to push this through so he can then declare a military victory. What kind of mentality thinks up schemes like this?

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Rk — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:46:03 -0000

How to embed video in gmail ?

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

athard — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:43:18 -0000

I think that the fundraising will continue. This year, more than any other, I think that we'll see a lot more ads from both candidates. One trying to create doubts in the minds of voters and the other trying to clear his bad name. Also, the advent of the internet has changed things. Although there were a lot of users in the past two elections, the internet generation is probably old enough to vote now. There are also so many sites on the elections now, that they need to constantly spend money on SEO as well as adwords campaigns.

I am dissappointed at the note he sent you though. But at this point, it is probably his advisors doing most of the thinking for him. I do hope that changes when he takes the white house.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Jackson Miller — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:20:04 -0000

For sake of understanding their decisions...

I have given several times totaling $450 or so. I got asked for $100 as well.

I do hope that he will make use of more than just my bank account, but I will cut him some slack on this one in order to get him in the White House. Then we can fix America.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

kirkk — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:50:32 -0000

I can certainly understand your feeling as I've felt the same way in the past. I've donated 6 x $100 so far and will donate more but having that big DONATE button on every message sometimes makes me feel like the rest of the correspondence doesn't really mean anything and is just a way to not-so-stealthily send out a donation request. Sometimes it would be nice to receive an email without the request to send more money.

However, that feeling goes away pretty quickly after I remind myself what the last 8 years have done to this country and what 4/8 years of McCain would do. I have a feeling that this is going to be an ugly campaign and Obama is going to need all the cash he can get to fight the Repubs propaganda machine. What really gets me hot is thinking about the Millions that were wasted battling the HRC vanity campaign... Millions that could have gone towards defeating McCain in the GE.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Anthony Bullock — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:28:04 -0000

bush's latest 'vision' for Iraq...the military will get 50 bases and unlimited freedom of action in Iraq..the Iraqis will be untermenschen with no rights....the country will be a Wal-Mart. He wants to wrap this up by the end of July...it's been classified.
www.gwu.edu/~nsarchive/NSAE...

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

roadkill refugee — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:49:22 -0000

It wasn't a $300 prize it was $300M prize, and if your point was that because the idea came from a blog that it's proof the GOP isn't far behind the Dems in using the Internet, this is a terrible example. The prize makes no sense. First, you only get the prize if you invent something prize-worthy, like a game-changing battery. But if you've invented such a thing, you don't need the prize -- you're sitting on an IP asset worth over a billion. You needed the money when you were scratching together loose change to fund the pre-invention stage. Not to mention the issue of where in the budget the money comes from, and the wisdom of having taxpayers fund this private initiative that the inventor will profit from and exploit instead of the public. And do you exclude GM, Honda, etc, that have been working on such technology for years, let alone Tesla? A stupid gimmick, not an energy policy. But hey, it came from a blog!

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

roadkill refugee — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:39:28 -0000

I don't see the misunderstanding based on this excerpt below, but I'm happy to consider it one and move on, because that's just the kind of happy go lucky guy I am. Admiration in tact. Although you could follow me back on twitter. Just sayin.

"When I saw the email in my inbox entitled Strategy Briefing For You I thought for a brief instant that the Obama campaign had figured out that I have a mind, that I have an education and a resume, and I might be someone worth briefing. Three paragraphs later the disappointment hits. Watch the video then give us money. Permalink to this paragraph

I (like to) think Obama needs more than my money. I think Obama needs my mind and my influence and experience. My creativity. I think Obama might, from time to time, want to brief me, without asking for money."

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

sameasiteverwas — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:46:51 -0000

i really don't want to vote for either candidate.; but choice do i really have?

Here's one option.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

dave — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:44:30 -0000

Nah. I've given him 10 donations of $100. They took a guess that my next donation would also be $100.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

rudolph — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:34:15 -0000

You know, he only asked me for $25. Perhaps you're more valuable than I am regardless.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

lemon obrien — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:15:21 -0000

i'm voting mccain. i voted obama during the california primary, cause i hate hilary. i thought obama was actually true; but he's playing all this religious stereotypical "democrat" crap. i want the problems of america solved in a non-partisan smart way.

what's wrong with nuclear power if it works, look at germany. wha's wrong with giving 300 million to smart people willing to take a risk ad change the world, what's wrong with living by the constitution. criminals don't legally buy guns. give a man a job, and crime will go down.

he's turning out to be a retard run by intellectuals who think everything should be give to them for free; cause... life is sooo hard.

why are we even selling cars with combustion engines? why are they allowed to be imported into america? why do we need to continue fucking up our world; what about the kids. i guess the women will survive as prostitutes for the chinese and arabians.

i've never owned a car. i think only retards live in the suburbs; they'll turn into the new ghettos cause the price of oil; all cause americas have massive egos and produce nothing.

remember vietnam, they won cause they were stronger, mentally. no ego, a bowl of rice, a gun, and a spider hole. look at iraq. think their stupid; they just have to wait. we can't eve afford to have our army over there anymore.

americas have been living off of home mortgage loans for the last 10 years; all these people have no real skill, no worth. they're not even plumbers or electricians... those are the illegals. thats why democrats are so lenient toward illegal immigration.

i feel sorry for the young kids. i guess i got the best of america. the 70s/80s clean air, lots of innovation, fun, new, exciting.

NOTE: i lived in japan an china for over 10 years after i graduaded college. i speak both languages. when i lived there, i worked for japanese companies and did not speak english.

i know how pussified america is. wait, billions of hardcore tough chinese wants their share. if you wanna know tough, go to chinatown in san francisco/oakland, and compete against the old little chinese ladies with pink plastic bags to get on a bus. they'll kick your ass.

i really don't want to vote for either candidate.; but choice do i really have?

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

mashmaul — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:12:03 -0000

yea we all want to feel important and we are ! do your part to make some thing work something new screw it give it a shot.besides we been gettig rip off our whole life believe it or not ,well at least i have.(crap)

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

Michael Markman (Mickeleh) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:25:08 -0000

Obama Organizing Fellows have not been assigned to California, as far as I know. But you don't need a Fellow to find (or volunteer to host) a house party on barackobama.com. There are a lot of them scheduled for tomorrow (Sat. Jun 28)

The Fellows are a cadre of 3600 students and recent graduates dispersed to 17 swing states. According to Chris Bowers (OpenLeft) the states are:

Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Michigan
Missouri
North Carolina
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

Fellows were each given three days of training at HQ and are expected to volunteer (at least) 30 hours a week for six weeks this summer. After that time, they may be offered paid gigs with the campaign. The program is no longer accepting applicants.

Many of the fellows are posting about their experiences.

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

crucio — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:47:31 -0000

How about all of you keep your money until he actually keeps his word? As of late, this man has not done anything he said he would have. Albeit, he's a far superior candidate than McCain, but I have my own reservations about Obama as well. FISA/Iran ring a bell?

Re: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)

RacerRick — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:44:59 -0000

He can talk your money now (donation) and then he'll take your money later (dividend and capital gains).

Either way you're gonna pay, Dave.