Breaking: John McCain fails to make Oregon Voters' Guide
For the first time in modern Oregon politics, a major presidential campaign has missed the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet deadline. John McCain's campaign will not be included in the Oregon Voters' Guide for our May 20 primary.
At a mere $1000 dollars, the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet is one of the most cost-effective voter contact tools available anywhere. Which is why contested and uncontested primary campaigns alike fail to participate at their peril.
Forward Oregon has a good description of why the Voters' Pamphlet matters:
The Oregon Voters' Pamphlet is a key part of every campaign in Oregon. Functionally, it is the cheapest mailer for a campaign, costing only a mere thousand dollars to go to every registered Democrat in the state. Furthermore, unlike the direct mail that campaigns send to voters that the average viewer only looks at for seven seconds, the voters' pamphlet is read by voters, especially in races where they are unfamiliar with the candidates. The voters' pamphlet is comprised of information furnished by the candidates, but because it is published by the state, the pamphlet has an air of legitimacy that other publications from campaigns do not.
The real loser here, of course, is George W. Bush and his campaign for a third term.
Discuss.
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April 20, 2008 |
Charlie Burr | Comments (30 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: James X. | Apr 20, 2008 9:23:58 AM
McCain's already won a majority of delegates, but this does reflect poorly on Republicans' organization.
Posted by: Carl Fisher | Apr 20, 2008 9:27:16 AM
meh, its his 1000 bucks. While I would think it would be a good use of 1000 bucks, to reach republicans who haven't tuned in...but oh well.
Posted by: sandra longley | Apr 20, 2008 10:34:32 AM
This am Karl Rove, actually showed Oregon and Washington going republican in the general election, and noted both states now borderline states for the general election. I can't believe the northwest has regressed that much-I would say it is cause for alarm-and lets not take for granted that oregon will go blue.
Posted by: Ten Bears | Apr 20, 2008 11:01:09 AM
Our Little Tin Pot Dictator doesn't need to campaign for a third term... it is going to dissolve Congress as obstuctionist, attempt Martial Law, and 'postpone' the '08 election.
Ain't nothing east of The Rockies we need.
Posted by: torridjoe | Apr 20, 2008 11:24:26 AM
call me when he skips the general. And for that matter, there isn't a race where it means less, I'd there? Not exactly a media blackout on them...
Posted by: Oregonian37 | Apr 20, 2008 11:24:51 AM
Sandra,
Don't forget the source. I wouldn't trust any numbers from one of the greatest book-cookers/truth-twisters(i.e. liers)in modern history. He will repeat that until someone takes it as the legitimate truth. It's what he does.
Posted by: Harry | Apr 20, 2008 11:54:16 AM
"call me when he skips the general. And for that matter, there isn't a race where it means less..."
----
I agree completely.
$1000 better spent elsewhere or at a different time.
Who cares if John McCain gets 99%, or 19%, as long as he beats the next best write-in candidate and makes the general election
Posted by: James X. | Apr 20, 2008 11:55:48 AM
This state hasn't gone red since Reagan/Mondale. And this election isn't Reagan/Mondale.
Posted by: Kevin | Apr 20, 2008 12:59:57 PM
Ain't nothing east of The Rockies we need.
LOL - well said. Although, given that McCain's homestate of Arizona isn't east of The Rockies, it might be better to say that there ain't nothing outside of the Columbia and Rogue basins we need.
Posted by: kevin | Apr 20, 2008 1:27:03 PM
This is very odd.
To place Oregon on such a low priority to miss something like this. It really says that McCain is not thinking much about the NW right now.
I know that some polls have showed him doing well here. The thing is i just don't see it holding up for the general election.
McCain's team should focus on other states if they really want to win.
But missing this. Missing a chance to give EVERY voter in the state some Campaign propaganda. WOW
Posted by: Taylor M | Apr 20, 2008 1:43:06 PM
Sometimes it seems that McCain's strategy is "the less people know about me, the better." This voter pamphlet incident is a prime example. And so long as Hillary goes around attacking the Democratic nominee, and the media keeps giving him boxes of sprinkled donuts and standing ovations while not covering the fact that he has a Bush-bad economic policy and can't tell Iran from Al-Qeada, it's a perfect strategy.
I look forward to a general campaign of platitudes and vague promises of 'ending the war.' Nixon in '68 anyone?
Posted by: Taylor M | Apr 20, 2008 1:49:53 PM
Sandra, this morning Benny Hinn showed people receiving free pizza from heaven for swearing love to his church. Karl Rove came on next and spun his magic tale of OR and WA going Republican. What's the difference? Benny was more believable.
Karl's job is to convince people the GOP is still alive and well in places like Oregon. In reality, when the RNC decided presidential battleground states to fund last month, they steered well clear of Oregon. Obama will clean up in Oregon.
Posted by: Glen HD28 | Apr 20, 2008 7:43:05 PM
This is a wonderful opportunity for the Dem candidates/nominee to say, when visiting Oregon, "Mr McCain is so disinterested in Oregon and Oregonians in his own party that he didn't even bother to place his name on the ballot. How do you think he would deal with the issues that matter to Oregonians if he were elected?"
This is like free pizza from heaven for the Dems.
And for the record, Dems should never pussyfoot when describing this guy: Rove is a lying sack of crap.
Posted by: bdunn | Apr 20, 2008 8:37:53 PM
Im surprised that no one besides me has picked up that Candy Neville didn't submit a voter's pamphlet statement either. In a high information election like for president the marginal utility of a voters pamphlet statement declines, so this probably won't hurt McCain seeing as the media loves to report stories like "Maverick McCain's farts smell like roses". But what this does show is one exceedingly incompetent campaign which is something that im excited about.
Posted by: Charlie Burr | Apr 20, 2008 9:12:03 PM
Im surprised that no one besides me...
Bdunn, I think you owe Pavel Goberman an apology.
Posted by: admiral_naismith | Apr 20, 2008 9:25:49 PM
Is McCain actually planning to contest Oregon's 7 electoral votes? Could be he knows he can't win here anyway, and so he's just not going to bother. That $1,000 might be better spent by him shoring up Florida or Ohio.
Posted by: Harry | Apr 20, 2008 9:32:57 PM
Glen HD28 says:
"This is a wonderful opportunity for the Dem candidates/nominee to say, when visiting Oregon, "Mr McCain is so disinterested in Oregon and Oregonians in his own party that he didn't even bother to place his name on the ballot."
---------
Does not spending $1K for an ad in the Voters Guide also remove your name from the ballot?
Or did McCain also not "even bother to place his name on the ballot"?
Or is Glen Clueless in HD28?
Posted by: torridjoe | Apr 20, 2008 9:33:45 PM
"But what this does show is one exceedingly incompetent campaign which is something that im excited about."
And you say you didn't write a hit piece on Neville about it?
Posted by: Glen HD28 | Apr 20, 2008 9:50:33 PM
Good catch Harry,
Obviously I misspoke, I meant to say in the voter's guide.
I have no idea if his name is on the ballot, but I certainly hope not. That would make things much easier!
And thanks for being such a gentleman about it, some folks see a gaff and spout off like a jerk.
You, Sir, are one class act.
Posted by: Tom Civiletti | Apr 20, 2008 9:55:46 PM
"The buck stops, er, the buck stops....Oh, never mind."
Posted by: bdunn | Apr 20, 2008 9:57:12 PM
Torridjoe:
Nice try but that specific remark was clearly made about McCain.
Charlie: I almost flagged Pavel as spam before I realized it was the real thing.
Posted by: torridjoe | Apr 20, 2008 10:00:01 PM
"In a high information election like for president the marginal utility of a voters pamphlet statement declines, so this probably won't hurt McCain"
If you don't think it will matter, why would it be an exceedingly incompetent thing to do? Some have made the reasonable point that he didn't bother, on purpose.
Posted by: bdunn | Apr 21, 2008 12:15:54 AM
TJ: If you cant shake a thousand bucks out of the trees to publish a voters pamphlet statement that is seen as much more legit than other types of campaign persuasion. You are running an incompetent campaign, regardless of whether or not you will have other attempts to communicate with voters.
Posted by: genop | Apr 21, 2008 9:18:32 AM
Perhaps his campaign left it to the State GOP to pick up the tab? Oh, yeah I forgot, they're broke.
Posted by: JHL | Apr 21, 2008 10:18:55 AM
Charlie -- Just read your link to the Pavel Goberman comment. I laughed so hard because at the end of his comment there's a "P.S." that he will examine women's breasts "free of charge." Classic.
Posted by: paul g. | Apr 21, 2008 10:40:12 AM
One question to Forward Oregon, what evidence do they have for this statement?
Furthermore, unlike the direct mail that campaigns send to voters that the average viewer only looks at for 7 seconds, the voter’s pamphlet is read by voters, especially in races where they are unfamiliar with the candidates.
Posted by: dddave | Apr 21, 2008 11:40:19 AM
"This state hasn't gone red since Reagan/Mondale. And this election isn't Reagan/Mondale."
If the dem pick is Hillary, the state WILL go red.
dddave
Liberal democrat politics, putting your money where our mouth is.....
Posted by: Casey | May 2, 2008 4:30:56 PM
Um... As an Oregonian, I just have to say that this state is definitely not going red. The primary is also pretty much a sure thing for Obama. The Obama office says that they can't keep merchandise for more than 5 minutes it gets off the truck. The Obama campaign is organized, and ready to get out the vote.
In interest of full disclosure, I volunteer there.
Furthermore, regarding Oregon going red, the biggest town in Eastern Oregon is 20 Thousand people. Portland, Eugene, and Medford decide elections and are for the most part freakishly liberal. In multiple districts of Portland, Democrats are running unopposed for state senate because republicans don't want to waste their time and resources in a tough district for them
Posted by: tower defense | Apr 30, 2009 2:53:41 AM
So long as Hillary goes around attacking the Democratic nominee, and the media keeps giving him boxes of sprinkled donuts and standing ovations while not covering the fact that he has a Bush-bad economic policy and can't tell Iran from Al-Qeada, it's a perfect strategy.
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Posted by: Chris Lowe | Apr 20, 2008 8:19:02 AM
Hubris, incompetence, or further sign of organizational degradation among Oregon Republicans?
Interesting in light of the potential for an Obama vs. McCain race billed as Battle of the Crossover Titans.