Our major political challenge in November will be convincing the Obama surge voters to come out again in an election that feels a bit more like a chore than making history. Most of these first-time voters are younger and tend to be more connected to Barack personally than the Democratic Party. Since Barack is not on the ballot, how do we start to engender a sense of personal responsibility to vote for other Democratic candidates?
The message to get this person to vote becomes personal. It's a favor. Do it for Barack. Vote for the Democrats - not necessarily a particular candidate, since we need the vote for all our Dems - and do it for Barack.
How do we transmit that message to as many young potential voters as cheaply as possible? T-shirts. T-shirts with a message (when worn!) are one of the best and cheapest ways to get a message out to a target audience of peers, because the message is verified by the authenticity of the wearer. During these beautiful summer months, we want as many young Barack voters wearing a T-shirt that says "I'm voting for Democrats this November" (and on the back "Because I've got Barack's back") as we can, especially in swing districts or states. GetBaracksBack.com is an at-cost site for these shirts, but feel free to make your own.
Let's assume our younger first-time voter still likes Barack personally and thinks he is doing the right thing, but doesn't really understand the negative consequences of a Republican take-over in the House of Representatives to Barack's ability to deliver on the promise of change. Let's also assume that he likes Barack more as a person than as a politician, in the same way that many people like celebrities. Finally, let's assume that this younger voter benefits from the Democratic agenda, but doesn't fully understand how implementing the Democratic agenda leads directly to a higher standard of living. Does that sound like anyone you know?
The message of the T-shirt (if we can get our campaign staffers or volunteers to wear then, especially around younger potential voters) is a nice way to get Obama voters thinking about their personal role in helping Barack succeed. Most Obama voters are generally aware that if Barack succeeds, that's a good thing for them. But they need some help connecting their vote for the Democratic Party in the off-year election to helping Barack succeed. And they are most likely to believe a peer explain it to them than from an older Democratic candidate. So the T-shirt is another mechanism to trigger conversations.
The site at www.GetBaracksBack.com is set up through printfection (again, at cost), but feel free to take the idea and print up your own. Change it any way you want. We've got a big challenge ahead of us to reach all those Obama surge voters (exactly the task that OFA has identified to maximize success in November), so let's get to work.
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