Grassroots Campaign

Over 400 years ago today, Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators placed 20 barrels of gunpowder beneath the British House of Lords. Today, the Houses of Parliament are getting a much more peaceful, but perhaps equally incendiary, delivery. Chafing beneath Britain’s widespread surveillance and increasingly restrictive laws, the Libertarian Party UK is sending each Member of Parliament a warning shot on the direction of their nation: a copy of George Orwell’s anti-totalitarian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Yesterday, the Libertarian Party announced the launch of its “1984 Campaign,” and by today, each Member of Parliament will have received a copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four... [Tags: british house of lords, cctv cameras, conspirators, george orwell, grassroots campaign]

Ecclesiastes meets the Messiah, Taft in a Boat, and why we didn't Click with Dick — Red Stick Rant wrote a post that looks at an Obama grassroots campaign song and compares it to the types of songs that North Koreans spontaneously compose in honor of their Revered Leader.Judge for yourself:I did a YouTube search, and found that children aren't the only ones singing Obama's praises. Here are some adults doing the same:And perhaps "cult of personality" is the appropriate way to describe these songs. But upon further reflection, I realized that Barack Obama is not the first one to have campaign songs sung about him. Clifford, there is nothing new under the sun. (Actually, in... [Tags: american songwriter, barack obama, campaign song, campaign songs, cult of personality]

Hop Obama: An ale of hope? — Filed under: Beer, New ProductsOriginally intended as a limited edition beer that would "only last for the duration of the Democratic primary hiatus," Hop Obama, much like the candidate who inspired it, is still around. If Barack Obama wins the presidency, I'm guessing we might see it for another four years.Brooklyn's Sixpoint Craft Ales, brewers of Hop Obama, state "the delicious and refreshing quality it represents reminds us of the Senator's successful grassroots campaign" and that they were inspired by Obama to brew "an entirely unique ale that doesn't adhere to traditional style guidelines."Another big similarity between beer and candidate:... [Tags: barack obama, barley wine, beer of choice, brewers, brooklyn]

Hop Obama: An ale of hope? — Filed under: Beer, New ProductsOriginally intended as a limited edition beer that would "only last for the duration of the Democratic primary hiatus," Hop Obama, much like the candidate who inspired it, is still around. If Barack Obama wins the presidency, I'm guessing we might see it for another four years.Brooklyn's Sixpoint Craft Ales, brewers of Hop Obama, state "the delicious and refreshing quality it represents reminds us of the Senator's successful grassroots campaign" and that they were inspired by Obama to brew "an entirely unique ale that doesn't adhere to traditional style guidelines."Another big similarity between beer and candidate:... [Tags: barack obama, barley wine, beer of choice, brewers, brooklyn]

$40 million for Florida — The Obama folks have a new video out today with David Plouffe asking for money not just to defend against "McCain's latest lies" but to fund their ground game. In the video Plouffe “opens up the hood a little bit” and tells supporters that they’re budgeting a whopping $39,300,000 for the state of Florida alone – just one of the 17 swing states they’re focusing on. Plouffe justifies the expenditure like this: Bush won in Florida by 380,000 votes in 2004. If you look at the number of registered African Americans who did not turnout in 2004, it’s over a... [Tags: asking for money, bush, david plouffe, grassroots campaign, ground game]

Wiggio finally gives us accessible group collaboration — After TechCrunch50 last week, you may have thought you had seen the best new Web 2.0 collaboration companies. In fact, it is not Tingz or Popego that's taking home that title, it's Wiggio. Launching into public beta today, Wiggio describes itself very simply, "Wiggio makes it easy to work in groups." The entire concept of the site is based around making it simple for users to dive in and start using all of the features that they have to offer. If a feature seems too complicated for everyone to understand and use, it is not included. While its target market... [Tags: 37signals, backpack, brainchild, collaboration web, comments board]

CRM developer pulls astroturfing job listing — Small business CRM software developer  WORKetc recently posted a job listing for someone to "participate in software and small business discussions." Translation: the company wants to astroturf message boards and forums touting the company's products. We are looking for someone who can work with us on a daily basis to comment on relevant blogs and participate in forums related to small business and software.   Astroturfing is the practice of using fake names to emulate a grassroots campaign or suggest that an everyman approves of a product or company. Most companies try to keep astroturfing campaigns quiet because, when... [Tags: aol, astroturfing, billing software, business discussions, campaigns]

Jonathan Powers: Thoughts on Tomorrow's Primary in New York — For more than a year, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of Western New Yorkers who represent the best of our community as I have campaigned for the 26th Congressional district. This campaign has been invigorating, encouraging, at times ugly, but always worthwhile. It has always been a great honor to listen to so many hard-working and dedicated Western New Yorkers as they tell me their stories. Running for Congress is never something I expected to do, but when I returned to Western New York after serving nearly 15 months in Iraq, I was disheartened and frustrated. I... [Tags: 15 months, 26th congressional district, body armor, congress, congressman]

I thought everyone knew what a social network was, especially since you really can't get away from them these days. But apparently you guys are on the cutting edge of trends, so give yourselves a pat on the back! Why? Well, a recent report says that 58 percent of worldwide adults surveyed are totally clueless about what a social network is. I know, I know, I'm shocked too. Even more surprising, a whole 30 percent of Americans couldn't tell you what Myspace or Facebook is, let alone describe what Yelp, Loopt, or Sonic Living are about, since they are totally... [Tags: adults, chunk, cutting edge, grassroots campaign, heart]

MN-03: Madia, Paulsen deadlocked per SUSA — The open-seat race in Minnesota's Third District has been one of the most prominent House races in the country since the announced retirement of moderate Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad. Absurd amounts of money have been raised in the race: Republican Erik Paulsen brought in over $600,000 last quarter and has pulled in nearly $320,000 between July 1 and August 20. Meanwhile, DFL opponent Ashwin Madia actually outraised Paulsen both last quarter and since, having brought in over $353,000 so far since July. Now, SurveyUSA's poll shows a dead heat: Paulsen (R) 44 Madia (D) 41 This race looks like the... [Tags: congressman, dead heat, democrat, democratic convention, dfl]

MN-03: Ashwin Madia Interview At the Big Tent — Ashwin Madia is a young attorney, Iraq War veteran, and Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in Minnesota's Third District, currently held by the retiring Republican Jim Ramstad. He began the campaign as an underdog in the Democratic primary, facing a seasoned and well-liked state senator. Running a grassroots campaign with an army of 400 volunteers, Madia became the Democratic nominee, and has since become one of the highest-profile Democratic candidates in the country, having proven the seriousness of his campaign by raising nearly $700,000 in the second quarter of 2008. He took the time to interview with Daily Kos... [Tags: background experiences, daily kos, democratic candidate, democratic candidates, democratic nominee]

Darryle Pollack: Are American Women as Stupid as John McCain Thinks? — Many people are more qualified than me to write about politics. However, as an outsider, I think I am qualified to comment on John McCain's selection of a running mate --since his choice seems clearly designed to win over the hearts and minds -- and votes -- not of political pundits -- but of women like me. I don't need to hear experts on either side spin the conversation. I don't think McCain cares if I hear the words either -- given that a picture is worth a thousand words. Because McCain right now is asking American women to look... [Tags: 8 years, american history, american women, collective wisdom, dan quayle]

McCainSpace Makes Me Feel Really Connected — This afternoon I saw an article on Techcrunch which highlights the launch of McCainSpace, a social network for John McCain supporters. Its competition? my.barackobama.com of course which has actually succeeded at becoming a hub for the Obama grass roots campaign. The new portal was launched by KickApps (also one of the sponsors of Social Ad Summit) and provides a much needed upgrade to what previously existed. The most hilarious part of the site is the video of John McCain when you first view the homepage. I’ve embedded a copy of the video below and if I’ve ever met an enthusiastic... [Tags: barack obama, bush tax cuts, couple weeks, enthusiastic person, google]

As a conservative who is also supporting Barack Obama (Yes We Can) this fall, I’m fascinated watching the efforts both campaigns are making to reach out to an internet savvy Generation Y. With mixed results, mind you. John McCain has been flogged for his gaffes surrounding the internet. Phrases likes, “I’m aware of the internet” are not gaining any points in the arena of internet geek public opinion. It is clear that Barack Obama is winning this critical demographic of 18-35 year olds with a grass roots campaign that encourages small several dollar donations from average web users. It is... [Tags: allison davis, antoin tony rezko, barack obama, democratic base, dollar donations]

Supporters use Obama's social network to organize protest against him — More than 20,000 users sign up for a grassroots campaign against Obama's position supporting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act.... [Tags: amendments, grassroots campaign, intelligence surveillance, obama, protest]