How Obama can help local Dems get elected.
I'm not sure how many of you are active in your local Dem party but I wanted to share a thought with any of you who may be.
During Presidential elections the excitement is always highest. People want bumper stickers and lawn-signs (aka "SWAG) for the top of the ticket. Here in my home county we make sure we have plenty of that stuff on hand!
We just got 1500 Obama/Biden lawn-signs in. We are working with surrounding county parties and were ab le to buy enough to get them pretty inexpensively, around $3 each with shipping.
We will in turn request a suggested donation of $5 each from individuals (bumper stickers are around .75 and we ask for $2). Of course we can't actually *sell* anything and if someone chose to not donate we couldn't do much about it since we aren't a business and pay no sales tax.
Anyway, people happily donate once they learn we keep all the money local. Last time we did this we raised a lot of money, more than the local Rethugs and we're in a red zone.
We enable other county parties to raise money on the stuff by including them on the big purchase. We get the stuff out there which is good for Team Obama and we raise a lot of money ourselves that will help to carry us through the "off years" where there isn't much excitement or money going around.
That money will help us to support state and local candidates in may ways and this is desperately needed. One doesn't even have to be terribly supportive of the top of the ticket (though I doubt many of the "Dems" not at all fond of Obama will be involved locally but one never knows) for this to work. I did it in 04 when I was just sick about Kerry being our nominee--raised a boatload of cash for local Dems off that ticket though.
Frankly I like being able to help local candidates by promoting the top of the ticket. Considering how the top of the ticket always sucks up the most campaign cash that is needed in all races, it only seems fitting.
Just thought I'd share the notion, in case anyone out there might be able to make use of it.
Julie
PS We buy from Demstore.com~Check it out!