13 Million Friends Can't Be Wrong

You know how marketers are always looking to collect email addresses from their loyal customers, in order to communicate with them in some more personal, relevant way – and get them to buy more stuff? I was recently reading a post-mortem on the digital aspects of President Obama's presidential campaign, and was dumbfounded to discover that there are over 13 million people on his email list. (Additionally, he collected over 5 million "friends" across 15 social networking sites – including 3 million on Facebook alone – and more than 3 million mobile phone numbers in response to the campaign's text messaging program.)

13 million email addresses.

What do you do with all that connectivity? How do you harness those digital masses that, having sworn their allegiance, await the activation bat-signal?

The group Organizing for America, which is overseen by the Democratic National Committee, put that email list to work last week. David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager and the man credited with its brilliant use of digital channels, wrote in a March 13 message to The List: "In the next few weeks we'll be asking you to do some of the same things we asked of you during the campaign." Namely, to mobilize within their communities on behalf of the president's agenda.

We saw what that fan club did to power Obama to the presidency. It will be fascinating to see what they can do when pointed at such complex and polarizing policy issues as the budget, the bailout or the deficit. Are we a nation who responds better to paternalistic distribution of our national policy – or to peer pressure? Another example of participatory government at its most interesting. (Note: I had to edit this, like, a hundred times to get most the words starting with "p" out of the last paragraph. Another example of alliteration at its most coincidental.)

On Forgiving Hollywood

I don't know about you, but I've always been irrationally irritated by celebrities telling me... well, really, anything. Anything that wasn't scripted, and directed. And edited. I'm not interested in the out-takes.

I've written about the relationship between celebrity culture and politics in the past. It's certainly a powerful thing. Will.i.am's lovely and moving ode to Barack Obama, "Yes, We Can" is celebuganda (that sounded better in my head than it looks in writing) at its finest.

So I was ready to hate on the "Don't Vote" video making the rounds on social networks this week. Another 2 minutes of preachy, uniformed, judgmental, arrogant SEAN PENNs, for god's sake.

Well, for starters, it was WAY over 2 minutes. And it was... compelling. And not preachy. And sort of... sincere. And funny. And if I weren't already registered to vote, I would have done so. Because I hate keeping Leo waiting.

The SmackTalk Express

John McCain has become well known for his stream-of-consciousness campaign-bus gabfest, the "Straight Talk Express."  His ability to engage – nay, enchant – the media in this oddly informal group format has been one of the strongest aspects of a generally weak campaign.  Vanity Fair recently noted this phenomenon in an article by James Wolcott called "Mad About the Guy," describing the almost irrational attraction grown men (in particular) feel for McCain when they meet him in person – in contrast to the Beatles-like mass hysteria induced by Obama.

Although clearly, the bromance doesn't extend to the relationship between the two candidates themselves.  Beyond the obligatory cordial mutual-respect thing, and the predictable sniping of "celebrity" versus "old guy," the Obama organization has created a unique criticism-debunking tool: The Low Road Express, a virtual Snopes.com of Obama rumor and innuendo.  It's motto, "Seen a low blow?  Let us know!," suggests a comrade-lite approach to keeping an eye on your neighbor's propaganda.

Paris for President

OMG (as they say) – this is the best freakin' thing I've seen in this campaign.  Actually, in any campaign, ever.

McCain's "celebrity" ads have been garnering a lot of attention, comparing Obama to shallow mononomial paparazzi-magnets like Paris and Britney.  The Yes, he's The One, but is he Ready to Lead? message. It's oddly compelling, if not exactly platform-differentiating.  I'd been hoping for something of substance soon.

Well today, Paris was the one that stepped up.

Her response video is brilliant.  And OMG again: Paris has the most sound energy policy that's been put forth by any candidate this election.  She's like, totally got my vote.

Shepard Fairey and the Art of Politics

In political discourse, which is more powerful, the idea or the image?

While art has always reflected (or rejected) the state of politics surrounding it, graphic art – technically, "commercial" art (remember that term, my fellow aging art directors?), that particular brand of art and commerce – actually intends to shape politics. Communist governments have long understood the power of iconography, and the nature of the singular, undebated, undiscussed, non-negotiable thought.

The Shepard Fairey "Hope" poster (note the candidate at right, looking wistfully left) is a really gorgeous piece of propaganda. But, truthfully, every time I come across one, it always leaves me vaguely... disturbed. I have enormous respect for the icon. Love those little humanoid figures in the skirts that tell me which restroom to use. Dig the peace sign. But can you capture something as complex as a political platform in a single word and a searching look into the middle distance? Are we also starving for icons that simplify our positions, allowing us to demonstrate the enormity of our thinking to each other in shorthand?

Or is the icon intellectually lazy? Does it subvert questions, rather than provoke them? Should our deepest beliefs fit on a t-shirt?

Maybe what bothers me is Jack Welch famously saying, "Hope is not a strategy." But here it is, saying everything, saying nothing. But man, it's beautiful.