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On one of my lists, shared with the permission of the writer. If you'd like to contact her directly, PM me.
Director of Grassroots Marketing
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
June 21, 2005
Re: Recent survey to Democratic activists
To whom it may concern:
I have received today a survey and donation solicitation from the DNC that bears all the hallmarks of a manipulative marketing campaign designed to make unimportant people feel important. The manipulation starts from the registration number that, obviously, serves no purpose except to give people the feeling that their every little blip of opinion is just pure gold to the DNC. And it extends all the way through the shining sobriquet of "democratic leader" bestowed upon the recipient. The whole thing is bogus, cynical and insulting.
The uselessness of the survey itself makes it even clearer that this is all a marketing ploy to butter us up and get our money. This survey is clearly designed by marketers who are unconnected with the mission of the organization they serve. The respondent is asked to prioritize a list of 10 items to indicate which are the important issues facing our country today.
But all the most important issues are simply missing from this list. The rise of corporate power and the decline of its accountability; the ever-increasing consolidation of media and its cooption by government and corporations; the collapse of election accountability; a campaign finance system that puts politicians in the pockets of the rich; the increasing stranglehold on our democratic institutions by the military-industrial complex; the active suppression of science by this administration and the infiltration of the religious right into our institutions of government: none of these appear. It is as if this survey was written 20 years ago. It is as if Howard Dean, who signs the survey, never was born.
I have given the DNC money. I have given money to Democratic candidates, including Howard Dean. I have sacrificed to make these contributions. I have put in many hours of work on behalf of Democratic campaigns. Your marketing outreach kills, not enhances, my desire to help the DNC. And I know I am not alone. Who likes to be manipulated?
I hear a lot of talk about how stupid people are these days. It appears that those who put together this survey are of this opinion, that people are just stupid. Howard Dean said the opposite during his campaign; he said that people have power and wisdom.
He is absolutely right about this. I hope your organization finds a way to integrate this wisdom of Dr. Dean's into its operations. I hope you find a way, in general, to integrate your operations so that marketing sends the same message as the office of the Chairman.
Political vendors have driven a wedge between people and politics these past 50 years. They operate campaigns according to what is advantageous for them. The welfare of the candidate and the campaign come second after their own. The welfare of the people who are asked the support the campaigns don't appear to be on the radar screen. And the state of society in general, the level of trust that people have for each other and for the institutions serving them, well it almost seems that political vendors profit from degrading this trust. I am sure that this is not, personally, the case for you. However, this campaign for which you are responsible fits right into the old ugly tradition of political vendoring that violates trust.
Asking people's opinions useless questions in a way designed to arouse their sense of importance is like taking an instrument exquisitely tuned to kill trust and inserting it right into the civic heart.
Sincerely,
Noemie Maxwell Vassilakis
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