Oh, this is not going to be a popular diary here. Why don't I start by saying that I voted for Barack Obama, who I think is both the best candidate and the best person for the job. I'll also mention that although I still have positive feelings about Hillary Clinton on some things, I've been horribly dissapointed in the kind of campaign she's run, so I'm glad it's almost over. I think Barack has it in the bag at this point, frankly, and I can understand why primary-weary Democrats would just like her to concede and go away.

But. Here's the thing.

I can't believe how many GBCW comments I'm seeing in the diaries about the stupid MoveOn ad. People are going to never give money to Democrats again; people are going to quit the party; etcetera, etcetera.

Over... an ad.

One thing I've been hearing a lot lately out of both Democrats and Republicans is that Republican "red states" have a higher rate of charitable giving, while Democratic "blue states" carry a considerably higher federal tax burden (i.e. pay much more in federal taxes than they receive in federal aid). In other words, generally Republican areas support those other than themselves through private charitable donations, whereas generally Democratic areas support those other than themselves through their tax dollars.

I live in Minnesota, and I got a phone call at 5:30 this morning with a recorded message that said "This is ACT. Wake up, it's your worst nightmare! Election day has started! This message was paid for by America Coming Together."

...WTF? I don't even think Minnesota ACT has a robo-caller, and this did NOT sound like one of their messages. Is somebody trying to screw with the late-sleeper voters, or inoculate against later ACT calls, or something? Or was this just a suprememly boneheaded move by overzealous out-of-state ACTers looking for something to do?

I talked to an undecided work acquaintance this morning. She's a conservative Christian and when she asked me "Who are you voting for?" I thought she was going to plug Bush. But after I said I was for Kerry, she said "I just can't decide. I agree with Bush on the issues, but he's an asshole (I've never heard her swear before) and he's completely incompetent." She went on to say Kerry seemed like a decent and intelligent person, but she was worried he'd legalize gay marriage and appoint pro-abortion judges. "But Bush might get us all killed," she said. "So do I vote for a good leader whose policies I hate or a terrible leader with good ideas I just know he's going to mess up?"

I gave her a soft sell, said Kerry was a measured man not likely to do anything too radical, that presidencies are temporary and she'd always have a chance to vote for a Republican she actually liked in four years. I'm not very good at convincing people, so I don't know if I helped.

But the fact that people like her are undecided and think Bush is an "asshole" is AMAZING!

My first diary post on here. Hope I'm doing it right.

I've been noticing bumper stickers a lot lately. They're a really simple way to reach lots of ordinary folks with a message on the absolute cheap. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like a lot of drivers take full advantage of this possibility. A quick bumper sticker breakdown:

BAD: "Anybody But Bush." I still see some of these driving around. If you dislike Kerry but intend on holding your nose to vote for him, fine, but don't make comments on your car that imply Kerry is mediocre; it's shooting yourself in the foot. Choose an anti-Bush bumper sticker that doesn't also impugn Kerry, please!

OK: Anti-Bush stickers like "Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot" or "Regime change begins at home." These are cool, and they make me smile, but then I'm already voting for Kerry. Slogans like these aren't going to change anybody's mind.

GOOD: Kerry-Edwards 2004. I think there's a slight psychological effect to seeing a lot of bumper stickers for a candidate. People like to back a winner.

BETTER: A specialized Kerry-Edwards sticker, like "Veterans for Kerry-Edwards" or "Sportsmen for Kerry-Edwards." These are better than the run-of-the-mill type, in my opinion, because they send a specific message that Kerry is well-liked by veterans and sportsmen. People who see these bumper stickers repeatedly will keep the association.

BEST OF ALL: One Kerry-Edwards sticker, and one sticker on a non-election-related, extremely inclusive topic (the more popular the bumper sticker, the better, in my opinion). My car, for example, has "United We Stand" and "Kerry-Edwards 2004" on it, and I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on it. "America the Beautiful" or "Proud to be an American" are other good choices. Hey, the Republicans may think patriotism belongs to them and them alone, but I don't. Same goes for religion: if you're religious, pairing a Kerry-Edwards sticker with "WWJD," "God is Love," or a metal Jesusfish would have a powerful effect. If you know somebody in Iraq right now, a yellow ribbon sticker. If your kids are in the Boy Scouts, a Boy Scout sticker. The idea here is that if uncertain voters who agree with ONE of your bumper stickers (or even have the same one on their car) see it TOGETHER with the Kerry-Edwards one, they will be getting the psychological message that it is OK for people like them to vote for John Kerry. People who love America, Christians, soldiers, mothers of Boy Scouts, none of them HAVE to be Republican just because George Bush Says So.

The bumper of your car is a travelling billboard, and you can fit a small but meaningful campaign ad onto it if you try. Too many car bumpers aren't really taking advantage of this potential.

And that's my two cents for the day. (-: