Barack Obama's Secret Weapon Seeks Cash

Related post: Howard Dean - Barack Obama's Secret Weapon

During the week of May 19, I received something called the "2008 Presidential Campaign Survey" in the mail. At first, I had high hopes that this survey was sent out to get a feel for a fair solution to the FL and MI democratic primaries debacle. However, I soon discovered that this was merely a sneaky way for Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee to ask for contributions. To make matters worse, the questions asked in the survey had nothing to do with the fates of FL and MI. The cherry on top of the whipped cream is the URL (www.democrats.org/survey) at the bottom of the last page of the survey. As you can see, it gives you the impression that you could actually take the survey online. However, when you plug that address into your favorite browser, you are sent directly to a "contributions" page! No survey found at that link or anywhere else on the www.democrats.org site --an official Democratic Party site.

Aside from a return postage-paid envelope and the survey, you can also find a message from Howard Dean as well as a message from Hillary Clinton in the envelope. The message from Howard Dean is no more than spam begging for money. On the other hand, the message from Hillary was more meaningful. Honestly, I don't remember whether or not she asked for contributions. I just remember being more impressed with her letter. Alas, I threw everything away except the survey and the return envelope.

For those who did not receive the survey and are curious, here are all of the questions (along with my personal answers):

1) Age: [] 18-30 [x] 31-40 [] 41-50 [] 51-64 [] 65 and over

2) How often do you vote for Democratic candidates? [] Always [x] Most of the time [] Rarely [] Never

3) How likely are you to vote in the 2008 election? [x] Very Likely [] Somewhat Likely [] Not Likely

4) Have you participated in any of the following campaign activities? [] Volunteering time at a local campaign or Party headquarters. [] Making phone calls from a phone bank. [] Organizing an event or fundraiser in my home or community. [] Going door-to-door in my neighborhood. [x] Actively blog about the election.*

*I wrote in this option

5) How closely have you been following the 2008 presidential campaign? [x] Very closely [] Closely [] Somewhat Closely [] Not at all

6) How optimistic are you that a Democrat will win the White House in 2008? [x] Very optimistic [] Optimistic [] Not very optimistic [] Pessimistic

7) Do you believe that John McCain's pledge to keep troops in Iraq for another 100 years will be a liability in the General Election? [x] Yes [] No [] Unsure

8) Which issues would you like the Democratic presidential nominee to focus on in the campaign? Please rank the following issues from 1-14 based on their importance to you, with "1" being the most important.

NOTE: I am listing these in the order of importance that I chose.

Jobs/Economy, Health Care, Education, Iraq, Energy Policy, Homeland Security, Ethics In Government, Immigration, Social Security, Environment, Civil Rights/Liberties, Stem Cell Research, Reproductive Rights, Taxes.

9) Thinking about our Party's plan for the 2008 campaigns, which of the following strategies do you think is the key to electing more Democrats in November?
[x] Investing in grassroots efforts like canvassing and get-out-the-vote drives.
[] Devoting more resources to radio and television ads that reach the most voters.
[] Ensuring a fair election process so that every vote counts.
[] Democrats need to invest in all of the above strategies to win in November.

Note: This was a tough one because the 3rd option is important too.

10) With our 50 State Strategy, the DNC has been strengthening our Party in states that have traditionally been GOP strongholds. What is your opinion of this strategy?
[x] I support it. Our Party needs to compete in every part of the country and make the Republicans spend campaign money in states they have taken for granted.
[] I oppose it. Our Party should focus its resources in those states where we have the best chance to win, and not waste money in solidly Republican states.

11) How likely do you think it is that John McCain and his Republican allies will launch a "Swift Boat" style smear campaign against our presidential nominee? [] Very likely [x] Somewhat likely [] Not likely

12) How concerned are you that Republican voter suppression schemes will disenfranchise Democrats and impact the outcome of the presidential race? [] Very concerned [] Somewhat concerned [x] Not concerned

13) What is your main source of news and information about the presidential campaign and the 2008 elections? [] Television [] Newspapers [] Talk radio [x] Internet/blogs [] News magazines [] Other

14) Do you think mainstream news organizations are biased in favor of Democrats, biased in favor of Republicans, or do you think news organizations have been fair in the way they have covered the presidential election? [x] Biased in favor of Democrats [] Biased in favor of Republicans [] No bias in favor of either party [] No opinion/Not sure

NOTE: The real answer here is that the media is, perhaps unjustly, biased toward Barack Obama.

15) If you could offer one piece of advice to the Democratic presidential nominee, what would it be? Please use the space below to write your comments.

First, I have a message for Howard Dean. You need to quickly and fairly resolve the FL/MI primaries issue. I suggest that you either let the vote stand as is or force a re-vote in both states. Either way people will be unhappy, but these are the most fair choices.

Finally, a message to Hillary. Stay focused. Run a strong, positive campaign that focuses on the issues. Let McCain bury himself. You don't need to do it for him. Let his comments and insults fall on deaf ears.

The above were the "legit" questions. The DNC then has the audacity to ask:

16) To help our Party win the White House and score victories up and down the ballot in 2008, will you join the DNC as a contributing member today? [] Yes - go to the next question [x] No

17) If you answered "Yes" to question 16, please indicate the membership level at which you will join the DNC today. [] $25 [] $35 [] $50 [] $100 [] Other: $______

As you can see, none of the questions are very meaningful except, perhaps, #8 and #15. I am quite disappointed with the DNC for not asking more important questions. Furthermore, the fact this is really a document asking for contributions makes me angry. Being that the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee made a very undemocratic decision on May 31, I am definitely happy that I didn't give money to them. I have already donated to Hillary's campaign. She is the one that deserves the contributions.