Today I received a fundraising email from a politician I’d never heard of before. Apparently, he’s a congressman, which means he’s one of 435 men and women who cast votes in the House of Representatives. The email does not identify his party affiliation. It does not identify a single issue the congressman stands for or cares about. If you’re not wearing glasses when you read the email, you may not be able to decipher the teeny-tiny print, written in a much smaller font than the rest of the email, which identifies “John” as “Congressman John B. Larson” who “proudly represents Connecticut’s First District” – though not so proudly that he’ll present his last name large enough so that someone without glasses can read it!
NOWHERE IN THE FUNDRAISING EMAIL IS IT STATED THAT JOHN LARSON IS A DEMOCRAT. That’s too basic an omission for it to be a mistake. It’s got to be intentional. But what’s the intention? You send out an email of empty platitudes, hoping that some gullible, patriotic schmuck will send you money! If you don’t mention any particular issues, then there’s no specific reason NOT to send in a contribution. If you don’t mention the candidate’s party affiliation, then you won’t automatically turn off potential contributors from the other party. You make the message generic and nebulous, patriotic-sounding and all-American. You say nothing that could turn anyone off, e.g.:
“It’s up to us to take a stand and bring change to Congress to protect the lives of everyday Americans who depend on us.”
What could be clearer?😉 Now we know exactly where “John” stands on the issues!
THIS IS DISHONEST FUND-RAISING.