MCDAC Paper Goes Digital

The Medina County Democratic Action Committee has decided to put its newspaper, Common Sense, online. The website can be seen at www.medinacountycommonsense.com. Our plan is to recruit citizen journalists who can cover local government in Medina County as well as other Medina County events. We are also looking for writers who want to submit opinion columns to us. Let us know what you think. Please send comments to joycekimbler@medinacountydemocraticactioncommittee.org.

Reader Submission: Goodbye to Bush

Editor's Note: The following is a submission from one of our readers. 

Good riddance George Bush. Your reign of terror may be ended, but the effect of your evildoing will last as it shapes your legacy into a history lesson that will be incorporated into my grandchildren’s adult lives and into what was supposed to be my retirement. Your legacy will be fear.

 

The America you are leaving behind contains a terrified shivering mass of people who are now so afraid to spend whatever money they do have that our economy is frozen and teetering on the brink ofGreat Depression 2.0.  

 

A country filled with citizens so frightened that they have agreed to be publicly searched before they get on an airplane or enter a County Courthouse - a people so terrified that they allowed their Government to order the torture of fellow human beings and so fearful that they allowed fundamental aspects of their judicial system to be violated when there were clear absolute directives preventing that very action by the founding fathers.  

 

A Government so terrified of further job losses that they are throwing bailout money at every company that asks for it when we all know it represents a tax burden that our grandchildren will be paying for long after these specific saved jobs are gone.

 

George Bush will never feel the intrusive hand of a pre-boarding pat-down security search or a cold chill of fear when he looks at his checkbook or credit card balance, but he may fear a future where there is an unprecedented and very powerful multinational effort to try George Bush and Dick Cheney for war crimes.

 

I hope by then America will have overcome its national petrifaction and has the courage to do the morally right thing when the extradition requests are made.    

John Galish

October 2008 Edition of Common Sense, Medina County's Democratic Newspaper

In October of this year, the Medina County Democratic Action Committee sent out its newspaper, Common Sense, to about 23,000 Medina County households. You can view a pdf version of the paper by clicking here.

MCDAC Kicker Readers Support Early Voting

Last week, MCDAC took a survey of the readers of our weekly newsletter to see when they voted. As you can see from this graph, 72% of the responding readers voted early, while 27% voted on election day. (Results rounded off)

We also allowed our readers to give us their thoughts regarding early voting by leaving comments. Here are some of them:

The in-person early voting will cause candidates to rethink how they campaign, they know what to do for mail voters, but this is a new ball game!
My husband & I voted around 9:30 on election day, our polling place is the Inn of Medina. There was about a 5 min. wait, it was great!
Absentee
I voted early because I am a poll worker and didn't know how busy I would be on Election Day.
Had to wait in line 40 minutes the Wednesday before the election. I live in NC. We're both blue states now!!!
I voted on paper ballot during the first week of voting. I hope it got counted.
wanted to miss the long lines
It was a struggle to get my absentee ballot. It took 4 contacts with the board and at one time I was told that there was no record of my application
Had to work election day and was afraid I'd be late for work. Didn't really want to vote early, but was glad I did.
I worked the polls. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get home for my wife, so we came in early.
need more election offices in which to vote. no need to go to medina to vote.
A GREAT Day!!!!!!!!!!
We are age 78 & 75, and having been voting at the Board of Elections for years, most of the time due to leaving the County prior to the date to vote.
I was going on vacation.
I live in Litchfield. There is very little waiting ever in our precinct.
I voted three weeks early at the Medina County BOE
Lines were not long at all! It was a beautiful day for Democrates!!!!!!!!
We were planning to be out of the country on election day; I voted the first possible day at the BOE and my husband voted by mail-in ballot.
My wife and I voted absentee since we thought we would not be here. I voted at the Medina Board of Elections 3 weeks early. Fast, efficient and no waiting. I hope we continue this forever!!
The green way to vote is to combine shopping etc with a trip to the Brd of Elections which I did two weeks before the election.
It took me longer to vote at the Board of Elections early than it ever did on the regular day.
Used absentee ballot, voted at home, and then dropped the ballot off at the BOE
Easy was to vote
Sue & I voted early by mail so we could campaign on election day
It was easy in Lorain County. We need paper ballots though in case of recounts.
I liked the convenience of voting early - however, I wanted to be able to see the returns that evening on TV!
Won't do again. Was 2 days after before my county finished absentee counting. Had this been close, Barack could have conceded when he really won. (In Summit County).
I didn't want to risk dieing and not get to vote!
Voting early was great!
Had I not been a poll worker, I would have voted early, but as luck has it, the poll where I work is also where I vote.
Voted absentee ballot
Voting should be made easier. Early voting in more locations as well as a Friday and Saturday two-day system with the workday as a national holiday.
I wanted in line for over an hour at the Medina Co BOE - it was fun.
Glad I did, but lines were not too long anyway, I guess. Turnout % was not that great in Ohio. Why, in light of lots of new voter registrations?
Went to Medina on 10/30...odd day/time 2:15. Process was 35 minutes. Only 4 min in actual booth to vote. Was orderly and refreshing see the interest.
After researching issues on my own. Utilized Judge4yourself and League of Women Voters. Problem with voting early is newspaper doesn't print early.
I voted at the Board of Elections and my husband used an early absentee ballot by mail.
No line either
Voted morning of 10/31 and the line was way out the door. Took about one hour.
I'm a traditionalist. I'm not a P.I.H. Person in Hurry.
By mail. How could it be easier?
I don't live in Medina County; Franklin Co.
Great experience. The Election Board workers were very professional, courteous, and the people in the line were friendly.
There was no line at all on Election Day in Sharon Township when I voted.
I am a poll worker so I voted with an absentee ballot.
At BOE on Oct 10 at 8:30 AM. No line as I was the single voter present.
it was easy - very little wait time. Would do it again.
It was very busy-but went well.

MCDAC Kicker Visitors in 2008 Compared to 2007

The top picture shows the visitors to this blog in 2008 on a monthly basis and the bottom one shows the visitors in 2007, again on a monthly basis. The pictures come from Sitemeter, the service we use to track visitors to our blog.

As you can see, we had a noticable increase in traffic in 2008 over 2007 presumably because of the presidential election in 2008. There was also a definite coorelation between the number of blog entries we posted in a month and the number of visitors to our site.

A Funny Get Out the Vote Video

One of our readers sent us this email message. The idea is to get people who you think might not vote to vote. Our reader used our Treasurer's, Joyce Kimbler, name to show how it works. Don't worry, though, Joyce definitely plans on voting this election. Here's the message:

Joyce ,

Ok, this video is funny. A little outrageous and a little over the top, but really funny. And a little bit scary.

Plus, Joyce , you're in it. Yes, you. Check it out:

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=0JZYe7lzONp.lKCZYFXTDjQwMjczODE-&referred_by=11300921-ws2ZEQx

P.S. Don't worry, this is not a virus or anything. I just sent the message using the "email a friend" tool on their site.

Most, But Not All, of Our Visitors Live in the United States

The chart that appears below comes from the service we use to track visitors to our blog. As you can see, most, but not all, of our visitors come from the United States. Frankly, we are always amazed that anyone outside of the U.S. visits a blog about Democratic politics, but that's the way of the Internet.

MCDAC Looking for Dem Newspaper Content for Fall of 2008

This is a scaled down pic of the front page of the June, 2008, edition of Common Sense, Medina County's first and only Democratic newspaper. We are now looking for content for the Fall, 2008, edition. If you have pictures of Democratic events and/or candidates; are interested in sending us a letter to the editor; or want to contribute an article, please send your name, email address, and a short message describing your content to our managing editor, Julie Batey, whose email address is given below.

We are putting together the newspaper over the next month and plan to go to the printer in late September. Our goal is to distribute the paper before the early voting starts in November. We are also looking for advertisers. If you are a Democratic candidate, this is an excellent way to make sure that you shore up your support among Medina County Democratic voters. If you are thinking about running in 2009, this is an excellent way to start getting your name out the Medina County Democrats. Our advertising director is Kate Feeks. Her email address also appears below.

Julie's email address is juliebatey@medinacountydemocraticactioncommittee.org.
Kate's email address is katemfeeks@yahoo.com. When sending email messages about Common Sense to either Julie or Kate, please put Common Sense in the subject line.

(By the way, in case you are wondering, the blue box below the donkey and cowering elephant is where the address label went.)

MCDAC Readers Think McCain's Age Legitimate Issue

MCDAC readers by a margin of 66.2% to 32.3% think that John McCain's age is a legitimate campaign issue. Below are some of the comments we received from our survey:

But don't lie about his age, he's only 71. And I'm 76 if anone cares.
There are positives and negatives to age that balance out. Excellent life experience and lots of relationships established. Health is only issue.
Yes, if only because he seems to be having a lot of "senior moments" lately. He can't seem to remember who's in charge in Iran without help!
It places a priority on who is his VP candidate.
The older a candidate, the more skewed their view is of today's world. I'd like someone that understands what's going on and why.
I am 60 and healthy but a President needs to be even younger and more vital. The job is too stressful. McCain will not survive even 1 term.
He currently has trouble with details, I can only imagine what he will be like in the next 4 years.
Age doesn't matter. He's too Republican to be President! But he is too John McCain!
It would be a mistake for Democrats to push this issue. The media will do that for us.
Age discrimination is the hidden travesty of our nation. John McCain's policies are the issue. There are many young republicans who support him.
Hillary or McCain. No inbetwain...
He is obviously physically fragile and a bit disjointed in his speaking. LET'S just put him in front of the cameras and he will appear a bit senile.
Despite the lengthening life span of Americans, McCain is too old to be considered for the most powerful position of Earth.
Bush proved you can be cluelesss and run the country
Experience is the issue
Churchill was PM of the UK when he was 80. Let the quarter-century age difference between McCain and Obama speak for itself.
R. Regan was proof of aging. blueberrymouse6@yahoo.com
He seams to be in good health and fit. We can't make age an issue. kpreachc@dishmail.net
Someone in her/his 70's should be at their intellectual peak but some people like McCain can go through their entire lives and no learn very much.
While I don't believe that age is an impediment to be successful on the job, I do think the challenges of the presidency rate a question about age.
I try to find ANY reason for him not to be president. That's the least of the reasons, but he is awfully old.
Age should be no more relevant than race or sex. Look at the individual, not the "ism."
He's just starting to show signs of dementia. It's subtle but it's there.
Reagan was too old and he had alzheimers. How do we know McCain won't develop that in the next couple of years. He better have a good VP if elected.
There have been great leaders of the past that were of an older age for their time. No matter who takes office, I think they will only be in one term
Because John McCain is an "old" 73. His cancer, his war injuries, etc.appear to leave him less strong than others of that age.
What scary person will the GOP put on the ticket as VP? Please, please no Cheney....(et al)
We need some one young to run this country,we do not need a Senior Citizen running this country again.Remember Reagan and Alzhimer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both his age & health areissues. He has not released his health report, and by all appearances the left side of his face appears to have problems
With due respect to the Senator, an American hero he is, however, too old to lead us in these challenging times. Evidence his confusing Iraq and Iran.
Is America to vote for an elderly President or his much younger Vice President?
Not age alone, but health history and recent performance give pause,
Not only is his age an issue, so is that look in his eyes that says "the lights are on, but nobody's home"!
Health, and policy decisions are far more important. Regardless of how sharp his mind may be, it's a biological issue: our bodies age and with age comes a slowdown and medical problems.
If Hiliary or Obama were his age, would they be too old. He wasn't too sharp when he was younger...what makes us think he could possibly be now?
John McCain may appear feisty, but he is mentally well past his peak. He is the wrong candidate at the wrong time.
As is his health and military injuries
Ronald Reagan was younger than McCain in 1980, but by his second term, it was clear that he was distracted, and scandals like Iran-Contra happened.
It's one of the lesser issues. Being owned by lobbyists and being willing to bomb the middle-east back to the stone age far more troubling.
John McCain is 71 and age alone should not be determinative,...but in John McCain's case, it is obvious that his reasoning is impaired.
In fact, I would like to see the minimum age requirement lowered by five years. We don't need to have another Reagan-esque, nonfunctional president.
McSame is a dinosaur with antiquated attide problems.
Agism is as bad as any prejudice. It's about time Americans started valuing experience, perspective and sense.
The Presidency is a job that requires physical stamina and mental sharpness, both are generally diminished with advancing age.
Mental capacities decline as we age--its a fact-- and we have already had a president with deficient mental abilities the past eight years.
Given the demands of the job, it is important to find out if McCain is up to being president. That won't happen unless Dems push the issue.
I don't believe prejudices of any kind are appropriate. He is apparently healthy. I just don't agree with him on most issues.

Results of HIllary Clinton Survey

MCDAC readers responded to our survey on whether Hillary Clinton should drop out following the results of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries. Our readers voted 56.1% to 43% that she should drop out. Less than 1% of those responding didn't vote. Below are some comments by our readers:

If she were considering the best interest of the country she would have already. No chance to win without foul play.

never give up

The delegate math says it is near impossible for her to win the nomination. For the sake of the party, she needs to gracefully step aside.

With as much grace as she can and start supporting Obama.

She fought the good fight, now it's time to exit and stop wasting money on a campaign she can't win.

Hillary Clinton is best qualified to beat John McCain and correct the ills that permeate this nation and lead this country to our former glory.

Keep voting for Clinton

I just cannot vote for Obama

Hillary has almost no chance and has damaged the democratic party with her negative comments and ads. She should drop out the sooner the better.

stay in there till the last dogs dead
i'm foh hillary, shes best for for the job
quit hounding her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is not presidential material and has no experience in global affairs. Only knows old
Washington politics. Not a creative thinker.

Hillary Clinton is the only one who can beat McCain !

Her husband efficiently balanced the budget, she will also. So fear an October surprize: his VP sellection? Gov. Richardson, a loser choice.

This fun to watch, keep the battle going, helps keep money spent now!

It really doesn't matter. Once again the D's have come up with two unelectable candidates. Either will be toast in November.

She made a valiant attempt, but it is time to go. She should go back to the Senate and take over as Majority Leader.

As her campaign grows more futile, she becomes more and more combative and ugly. Time to quit.

The situation is getting ridiculous. I feel pity for her. She seems obsessed.

We need to get this party united behind one great candidate. Let's stop picking on ourselves.

I wouldn't care if Hillary and Obama both dropped out of the race, human or otherwise.

I support Hillary it but appears the numbers are against her. Hillary needs to see the light and Obama to realize Hillary will guarantee his election

She should have dropped out long ago.

No way, Jose.If all votes are counted Hillary will win. We don't want to be short-changed or have a quick-change artist. We need Hillary.

It's time for Democrats to avoid attacks on each other, and to concentrate on exposing what can be expected from a continuation of the Bush policies.

We need to rally around our nominee now and focus on beating John McCain in November.

As much as I want her as our nominee, I don't think she is going to win. I believe our party needs to come together now or we may lose in November.

This is a hard one, but Obama seems destined. I just hope he can beat whiney McCain. An Obama-Hillary ticket might ensure that.

Enough of this we need one candidate

Sadly, she should so that the dems can begin campaigning to win the White House in November.

It's over, and she needs to face it.

I still think she is more trustworthy than Obama. I'll vote for whoever gets the Democratic nomination. A vote for McCain is more of the same.

We have much work to do to unify the party and focus our energy on McCain and the General Election.

don't know what she expects to gain by staying, the contest is over. rush's dittoheads have propped her up lately but won't be there in november.

She's doing too much harm, seeming self-righteous, but injecting nastiness and divisiveness into this campaign.

She should drop out for the good of the party, although I doubt if that concerns her. She's entitled to the presidency, dammit! Bill promised her.


She is too polarizing to win in Nov. Obama has a much better chance in the general election. Waiting until August only benefits the Republican party.


Let them fight it out at the convention.


It's history in the making. A woman president and
a Democrat too boot. WOW


Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, hey hey hey, goodbye


But that would require her to care about someone other than herself.


Both are needed down to the wire. They may yet realize they need to give specifics and the cost of their platforms so Democrats have a real choice.


If she is honest about her desire to serve her party and nation, now is the time for her to say she and her supporters fought the good fight.


I want a woman in the White House. I continue to support her.


It is time to put things back together for the general election.


YES. YES. YES! She's destroying our Party and alienating Independents who are willing to vote for Obama.


I don't think she will, but I would very much appreciate it.


Vice President is not a bad thing. Look at Cheney -- he's been running the country for the past seven years.


She is better than Obama,she has more experiance than him and is better qualified for the job of running this country and she believes in GOD.........


Hell no! Her victories have come in big states we need to win. Obama wins only in small states or caucuses. Hillary is better candidate.


she only divides the party and helps the republicans. that is why russ limbaugh is supporting her.


Unless she can get committed super-delegates to reverse themselves, the result is a mathematical certainty.







Continue until she wins the White House!

I don't like Obama. In fact I can't even imagine us having a black President nor a black family in the White House. It isn't that I am prejudice.

It has been close , it will continue to be close, which can impact policy decisions and choices at the convention. we deserve a complete process.

She is a former Republican and a waffler.

This needs to be done in a manner that facilitates the unification of the Democratic part.

NO, HELL NO!

She should concede but be proud of what she accomplished. Obama should pick her as his running mate; Obama/Clinton ticket would be unstoppable.

Hell, no, she shouldn't go.

This should be a mute questions ~ she should have already dropped out.

I have been a Hilary supporter since day one, but things have not gone her way. We need a Democrat to win this election! Barack is our hope.

She is obviously a poor sport and a non team player. Why is she so hell bent on staying in? What is her hidden agenda? I do not trust her.

But it surely is much more interesting with her in there fighting and keeping McCain off the front page.

please. drp out. the majority of democrats want change.

We need Obama to unite the party. Hillary is polarizing - and mean.

There's a deeper agenda here. A Wellesley/Yale grad can easily read the tea leaves and still she remains. Battle for the party, maybe?

The race is too close to call. Should be more fun for the convention delegates to go beyond the 1st ballot.

ABSOLUTELY STAY IN THE RACE!I am so tired that the media and powers-that-be have been trying to push her out from the get-go.

My concern is that alot of Black people voted
for Obama simply because of his color. I think
Hillary should stay in and fight to the end.

Her own political future has more potential if she steps down gracefully now.

Her words and actions in the past weeks have shown her to be a politician of the old school--do anything to stay in office.

Hillary should immediately drop out UNLESS she can make a credible case, with real numbers, that she still has a chance to be nominated.

I applaud Barack & Hillary for engaging many new voters. Finish all 50 states, let the voter's voices be heard, even if she can't win the nomination.

The MCDAC Record

The Medina County Democratic Action Committee was formed in 2003 by Joyce Kimbler, Steve Bailey, and Ferris Brown. All three had been candidates in Medina County. All three believed there was a need for an organization that would serve as a communication vehicle to deliver the Democratic message to the grassroots.

Since 2003 MCDAC has published 11 issues of Common Sense, Medina County's first and only Democratic newspaper. Publishing Common Sense involves raising the money for publication, overseeing the writing and editing of stories, and arranging for the distribution of the newspaper. The number of copies that came out each year were three in 2004; three in 2005; four in 2006; and one in 2007.

Since 2003 MCDAC has distributed weekly email newsletters to Democrats in Medina County and beyond. This email newsletter serves as a way for Democratic candidates and organizations to let interested Democrats know what they are doing and how they can get involved in Democratic campaigns.

Since 2003 MCDAC has allowed its account with Campaigner, the email marketing company that it uses for the newsletter, to be used by the Medina County Democratic Party, allied organizations, and Democratic candidates to email announcements of events and fundraisers to Medina County Democrats.

MCDAC established two blogs to help communicate with Democrats in Medina County and beyond. These blogs are this MCDAC blog and Dem TV, which used video clips posted on You Tube to promote Democratic candidates in 2006 and which will be available for use by Democratic candidates in 2008.

None of this would have been possible without the work of dedicated Democrats. Common Sense, for example, is now produced by a committee made up of approximately 30 Medina County residents and chaired by Julie Batey. In 2006, when MCDAC targeted Common Sense distribution in selected precincts, over 90 volunteers assisted in this effort.

It also wouldn't have been possible without the support of our donors. As mentioned above, the Medina County Democratic Party has supported MCDAC in the past by giving between $1000.00 and $1500.00 for each issue of Common Sense. While this money has been important, such donations don't even equal half the cost of producing each issue of Common Sense. The rest of the money has come from Medina County Democrats.

We are looking for volunteers to help MCDAC take the Democratic message to the grassroots in this important election year of 2008. If you are interested in helping MCDAC, go to www.mcdac.org and fill out the form. We will then contact you and put you on our email newsletter distribution list.

John Boccieri Easily Wins Medina County

State Senator John Boccieri easily won Medina County in his contested race for the Democratic nomination for Representative from the 16th Congressional District. Boccieri carried Medina County by a margin of 10,692 votes to 5,921 votes. This vote translated into a margin of 64.36% to 35.64%. When looking at the State Senator's results, it should be kept in mind that the not all of Medina County is in the 16th Congressional District. The county is split between two Congressional Districts, the 13th and the 16th.

State Senator Boccieri has been working hard in Medina County ever since he announced that he was running for the seat. His primary opponent, Mary M. Cirelli, on the other hand, to our knowledge never appeared in the county.

MCDAC congratulates State Senator Boccieri on his impressive Medina County showing!

MCDAC Blog Sets Record in February

Our blog had over 4,000 visitors in February, which was a record. We realize that our traffic is small compared to blogs like Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos, but we are happy that more and more visitors are coming here to read about Democratic politics. Our thanks to those people who visit our blog and we hope to see you in the future.

MCDAC Interested in Buying Photos and Video Clips of Dem Events

MCDAC is interested in buying photos and video clips of Democratic campaign events that will be taking place in Ohio this year. We are particularly interested in obtaining pictures of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton speaking at rallies or interacting with voters.

Photos and video clips should be sent to joycekimbler@medinacountydemocraticactioncommittee.org. No more than 10 pictures should be sent by any one person and video clips should be no more than five minutes in length. Pictures should be in jpg format and video clips should be in wmv format or compatible with Windows MovieMaker.

If you are interested please email us at the above address and we will tell you what we will pay per picture used and/or video clip used. MCDAC reserves the right to reject any picture or video clip without explanation. Any material used will remain the property of the creator and may be sold or used in other venues. All material will be displayed either on this blog or at www.DemTV.org. All email to us should contain your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and the best time to reach you in case we need to talk to you.

Guidelines for Placing Items in the MCDAC Newsletter

The Medina County Democratic Action Committee sends out an weekly email newsletter early each Friday morning. We are happy to run items from Democratic candidates about their campaigns and to run announcements about campaign events like fundraisers. There is no charge for this service, but the following guidelines must be observed:

1. We require that you give us a short paragraph describing the event with information such as date, time, location, cost, contact person, any telephone numbers and email addresses. This paragraph must be included in your email message to us requesting that we run the announcement. It cannot be an attachment. We don't edit your announcements and are not responsible for any mistakes.

2. This information must be received by Wednesday at 5 pm to be included in that Friday's newsletter.

3. We reserve the right to reject any announcement without explanation.

4. Announcements must be sent by email to joycekimbler@medinacountydemocraticactioncommittee.org.

MCDAC is a separate political action committee and is not part of the Medina County Democratic Party, although it often works with the MCDP on various projects. Therefore, posting an item with MCDAC does not guarantee that it will be posted by the Medina County Democratic Party at its website, www.medinadems.org.

MCDAC Blog VIsitors: Six Month Comparisons

Six Month Comparisons of Visitors to the MCDAC blog:

2371 visitors from August of 2006 to January of 2007
8555 visitors from August of 2007 to January of 2008.

This represents an increase in visitors of over 350%.

MCDAC thanks all of those who have visited our blog.

T-Shirt Seen by MCDAC Blog Reader

Joyce-

I was at Westfield Park Mall on 12-24-07 with my sons and saw a man wearing a t-shirt that read, “January 20, 2008 – Bush’s last day. The reign of terror is over.” I gave him a thumbs up.

MCDAC Blog Readers

An examination of the last 4000 visitors to the MDAC blog showed that over 93% came from the United States and over 40% came from Ohio. Out of the last 4000 visitors, we can account for 645, or 16.1%, coming from Medina County locations. Interestingly the second highest number of visitors to our blog from Medina County locations were from Westfield Center, a village of about 800 people in southern Medina County, but home to Westfield Insurance companies.

Looking at Ohio cities, we found that Columbus produced more visitors than Cleveland, but that our blog had more visitors from Akron than from either Cleveland or Columbus.

Besides the United States, visitors from 55 countries came to our blog, including visitors from Iran and Iraq as well as Albania and the Ivory Coast. We're not sure what this all means, but we thought you would be interested. Thanks to all our readers who took the time to visit our blog.

MCDAC Newsletter Doing Well

This entry is going to be somewhat self-congratulatory. MCDAC puts out a weekly newsletter called the MCDAC Democratic Newsletter. It goes out to about 1300 email addresses per week. We use a product called Campaigner which is produced by Got Marketing.

Recently Got Marketing released a new version of Campaigner. This new version allows us to compare how our newsletter is doing to other newsletters put out by Campaigner. We analyzed the last 10 newsletters and found out that we did better in all categories than the average newsletter produced by Campaigner.

The categories included percentage of newsletters delivered; percentage opened; percentage where a link was clicked on by a reader; and percentage of readers who unsubscribed. We are happy with this result and wish to thank all our readers.

Politics Is Marketing

One of the problems that Democrats seem to have is that all too often Democrats overlook that politics is about marketing. A political campaign markets the candidate who is running. A political party markets its ideas, its philosophy about how a government should be run. A political action commmittee markets itself. All of these efforts are designed to somehow influence the voters when they choose their elected leaders.

Yet, it sometimes seems that while Republicans understand this basic concept, Democrats not only don't understand it, they resist it. Part of this may be that a lot of Democrats don't come from business families and don't have business backgrounds before entering politics. They are not likely to have been business majors in college. Their exposure to marketing concepts is limited.

It is way past time for Democrats to grasp this simple fact: If they want political power in a democratic society, then they have to market themselves, their candidates, and their ideas. Consumers don't usually buy a product they are not aware of and voters don't either.