a letter from Hillary Clinton and courting independent voters
I was sifting through my mail today, and after several mailings from groups asking for donations, I find a letter from Hillary Clinton. Quite surprising. Some of my friends have yet to figure my new mailing address since I have moved to this parish last year, yet the Senator knows where to contact me. Hmm.
I open it and it says, “Dear Friend.” Friend! Wow. How come I didn’t know I am her friend prior to this letter?
“If there has ever been a time in America’s history that called for strong leadership, long-range vision, and the courage to confront our most serious problems, that time is now.” Grabbing, that.
“Sadly, the Republican Party does not agree,” she continues. “What George W. Bush and the Republican Congress offer are irresponsible, short-sighted policies and evasion of responsibility.”
Ok. And I could almost hear her voice as well as I read that.
“In the five years since he took office, George W. Bush has taken our country seriously off track. By virtually every measure and on all fronts, America is undeniably worse off than it was in 2000.”
And then she catalogues what those measures and fronts are.
After that catalogue, she comes to the gritty nitty (or is it nitty gritty): "The only way we are going to be able to stop George W. Bush from doing more damage to our nation’s future is by electing more Democrats to the Senate in November. And the best way to make that a reality is a generous contribution of $50, $75, or even more to the Democratic Campaign Committee (DSCC)."
I check the letterhead, and yep, it says “DSCC, Committed to Electing a Democratic Senate/ A special message from U.S. Senator Hillay Rodham Clinton.”
“The DSCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party dedicated solely to electing more Democrats to the Senate,” she informs. “By Federal Election Commission rules, only the DSCC has ‘441a(d) authority,’ which means it’s the only national party organization that can legally give hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to the candidates facing the nation’s tightest Senate races.”
And so I look in the envelope and there are two inserts: a “Rapid Response Contribution Form,” where I can check off which amount I would like to give “to be able to stop George W. Bush.”
And at the back of this form I have the option of using my MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover Card.
Another insert lists the “7 things that are worse because of George W. Bush’s failed leadership.” It starts from the ballooning federal deficit ($423 billion) to lack of integrity in government.
Hilary ends the letter: “Thank you for any help you can give us and for standing by your Democratic Principles.”
Shouldn’t that be with a lower case “d”?
Which leads me to ask, “How did I get in the Democrats’ mailing list?” I mean, I am neither a registered Democrat nor a registered Republican. When I registered to vote, under the question asking for one’s political party, I bubbled the circle “Decline to state.” So, whenever an inquiring acquaintance asks which party I belong to I usually say, “the decline-to-state party.”
It’s not that there is a secret party out there to which I belong. Rather, it’s because there is just no political group out there in which I feel at home.
Well, maybe perhaps the closest are the Libertarians, but...eh....they haven’t courted for my vote....as an independent, thinking, swing voter, I require to be courted! They should at least send friendly letters like this from Hillary.
This letter proves why the former First Lady has been so successful raising funds for her campaign either for re-election or for a possible presidential run in 2008. Her reach is far and wide, even managing to encompass my attention on a quiet, overcast Saturday morning here in the Bay Area.
I open it and it says, “Dear Friend.” Friend! Wow. How come I didn’t know I am her friend prior to this letter?
“If there has ever been a time in America’s history that called for strong leadership, long-range vision, and the courage to confront our most serious problems, that time is now.” Grabbing, that.
“Sadly, the Republican Party does not agree,” she continues. “What George W. Bush and the Republican Congress offer are irresponsible, short-sighted policies and evasion of responsibility.”
Ok. And I could almost hear her voice as well as I read that.
“In the five years since he took office, George W. Bush has taken our country seriously off track. By virtually every measure and on all fronts, America is undeniably worse off than it was in 2000.”
And then she catalogues what those measures and fronts are.
After that catalogue, she comes to the gritty nitty (or is it nitty gritty): "The only way we are going to be able to stop George W. Bush from doing more damage to our nation’s future is by electing more Democrats to the Senate in November. And the best way to make that a reality is a generous contribution of $50, $75, or even more to the Democratic Campaign Committee (DSCC)."
I check the letterhead, and yep, it says “DSCC, Committed to Electing a Democratic Senate/ A special message from U.S. Senator Hillay Rodham Clinton.”
“The DSCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party dedicated solely to electing more Democrats to the Senate,” she informs. “By Federal Election Commission rules, only the DSCC has ‘441a(d) authority,’ which means it’s the only national party organization that can legally give hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to the candidates facing the nation’s tightest Senate races.”
And so I look in the envelope and there are two inserts: a “Rapid Response Contribution Form,” where I can check off which amount I would like to give “to be able to stop George W. Bush.”
And at the back of this form I have the option of using my MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover Card.
Another insert lists the “7 things that are worse because of George W. Bush’s failed leadership.” It starts from the ballooning federal deficit ($423 billion) to lack of integrity in government.
Hilary ends the letter: “Thank you for any help you can give us and for standing by your Democratic Principles.”
Shouldn’t that be with a lower case “d”?
Which leads me to ask, “How did I get in the Democrats’ mailing list?” I mean, I am neither a registered Democrat nor a registered Republican. When I registered to vote, under the question asking for one’s political party, I bubbled the circle “Decline to state.” So, whenever an inquiring acquaintance asks which party I belong to I usually say, “the decline-to-state party.”
It’s not that there is a secret party out there to which I belong. Rather, it’s because there is just no political group out there in which I feel at home.
Well, maybe perhaps the closest are the Libertarians, but...eh....they haven’t courted for my vote....as an independent, thinking, swing voter, I require to be courted! They should at least send friendly letters like this from Hillary.
This letter proves why the former First Lady has been so successful raising funds for her campaign either for re-election or for a possible presidential run in 2008. Her reach is far and wide, even managing to encompass my attention on a quiet, overcast Saturday morning here in the Bay Area.
posted by dixerit at 11:37 AM
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