Let Them Eat Candy

I’ve spent some time counting (you know how much I love to count) after Cookie Monster and I conversed about Halloveen and the vonderful viral marketing campaign possibilities and I have some numbers for you to ponder, ah ah ah.

Instead of spending money on television ads, McCain might have better spent it creating some custom M&M’s to hand out to children on Halloveen. The Mars Candy Company has a vonderful vebsite vhere you can create candies with custom messages.

Let us start by counting the money McCain spent this past week in Florida on television advertisements. Let’s see, one, 100 thousand. Two, 200 thousand. Two hundred twenty-eight, 228 thousand dollars, ah ah ah. Now ve take this number and count the packages of specially created M&M’s that could be purchased at $1.79 each. Five, five thousand. Thirty-five, 35,000. One hundred thirty-five, 135,000, McCain can buy 135,000 units, ah ah ah. These could then be dispersed amongst households to give out during the vitching hours of Halloween night.

Compared to the measly 416 units of ad time McCain bought vith that 228k I think the M&M’s would be much more effective, creative, and tasty vay to penetrate a target audience who is no longer paying attention to political ads.

-The Count

Subliminal Candy

Cookies!!! The last thing this election has left is Halloween…..And what does every body do for Halloween? Little kids go out and get candy, they come home, eat a bit of it and the parents take the rest of it away so the kids won’t get sick!! Me do anything for cookie!

An idea given to me just by watching James Kotecki, the candy is a wonderful way to get to children…. Subliminal messaging!!!! Just for Halloween on election years!! Everyone knows you can specialize M&Ms and put whatever you want on them and you can buy as much as you want….Me sure if either candidate decides to want to do some last minute campaigning, candy….cookies!!!!!….are the way to go!!!!

Me sure with enough money, a candidate could buy enough candy and buy lots of candy companies to make candy wrappers with them on it and put some kind of message on all the candy and chocolate and cookies to give subliminal messages to the kids….

Then the parents take the candy away and see the wrappers, and though they don’t think anything of it….. The kids will take out the candy often enough, and for the littlest kids, the parents will have to clean up after them and will see the wrappers some more…..Then the subliminal messaging will get to the parents….

Interesting idea, no? C is for Cookie and that’s good enough for me!!!

-Cookie Monster

What Obama Left Out

Watching Barack Obama’s 30 minute ad before the final game of the 2008 World Series (congrats to the Phillies) I couldn’t help but notice Barack left something out. Throughout the entirety of the advertisement, I never heard Obama mention his opponent. Instead, Obama focused in on real American families facing real American issues and explained how he will solve these problems.

This has always been the quality I have admired most about Obama’s campaign; Obama’s ability to focus on himself and his plans for change instead of trying to cut into his opponent.

Despite all of the attempts to discredit Obama’s vie for the White House it seems like none of them are the kryptonite that can take him down. I look forward to November 5th when Obama can don the mantle of President of the United States and start making the change this country is clamoring (or dare I say Hoping) for.

-Captain America

Coming to a Close: We Are All One Nation

You’ve gotta hand it to the man, he knows how to present a speech.

With this race coming to close, each candidate is throwing (or not throwing) their final punches, hoping to come out on top. As the nation looks forward to a week from now, I’d like to take a moment to look back, and see when Barack Obama first appeared nationally, when the senator from Illinois captured the attention of many, and first began the path that has led to today – a day when we wait to see if we are going to elect the first black President, not because he’s black, but because he has given the people hope for change and faith in our own power.

I remember Obama’s speech at the 2004 DNC, and his message hasn’t changed in the four years since.

I remember the beginning. Do you?

McCain/Palin – Nearing the End

The race is coming down to its last few days of early voting, and is only a week away from the climax of November fourth, and I felt the need to take a look at the latest statements from the GOP candidates, kupo.

First, after learning about the $150,000 spent on clothes and accessories for the Palin family, McCain says that Palin is “frugal”, kupo, and that a third of the money was given back and the clothes will be auctioned for charity. Now, even if they gave back $50,000, that is still a huge amount of money, kupo. Enough for my guild to pay for supplies for years, so imagine what it could buy for the regular citizens - the soccer moms and “Joe Six Pack”, if you will, kupo.

And it’s very different to say such things when you talk about where you shop, kupo. Some places are insanely expensive, while others are more reasonably priced for the exact same thing – or at least something comprable. Frugal is defined as “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful” by dictionary.com. If we’re determined to not “waste money” on grizzly bears and other earmarks, let’s not waste money on clothes and accessories either, okay, kupo?

Secondly, two big, important words, kupo. International crisis. I’m not sure if I’d call it a complete gaffe, kupo, but Sen. Biden’s rather unpolished phrasing was at one point the McCain camp’s new message, kupo. McCain came up with a retaliation that potentially could have worked, but unfortunately hasn’t been able to control how the new message has been used, kupo – and, taken out of context (like Sen. Biden’s comment) – sounds a lot worse for the person speaking than they would normally expect. And it really doesn’t help that National Security experts agree with your opponent. Kupo!

And lastly, it also really hurts when the people you thought you could depend on desert your cause, kupo. It’s not just a few either, kupo! It’s people who are at the top of the party, have most of the information, and those with political power who are jumping ship quickly. I hope that my guild never ends up like that, kupo.

Regardless, what do you think of the building party-desertion, and the early voting exit polls, kupo? Too bad no one cares to do exit polls in Texas, kupo.

- Moogle

Eight Years Later

Things look something like this…

-Michigan J. Frog

A Rectangle is Not Always a Square

So there’s been a lot of recent news about Rep. Mahoney (D-FL) and Rep. Murtha (D-PA) and their related scandals circling the blogs, but, while they are possibly running for re-election in their respective states, they are two people, not the entire Democratic party.

Now, the same could be said of (members of the GOP) who have also been involved in similar scandals and other things that have gotten them removed from office – or at least not re-elected, but I believe that the difference between how the parties characterize themselves affects the perception of the people.

When a person attests to high moral standards and to religious tenants, they are held to those high-set bars, and falling so far below them – as these people have done – looks even worse than it would otherwise. The person who comes out and says, “I am not perfect, but I’m going to do the best that I can, and strive for these standards, though I may fail at times” is not held as accountable to those high standards and tenants.

It is similar to the difference between stretching the truth and outright lying – and this matter is made even more complicated by those same statements about standards.

I know that people on both sides have done awful things that should get them removed from office at the soonest possible moment, but really, who would you want representing you in government: people who set high standards – only to either succeed somewhat or fail horribly, or those who admit they’re not perfect, but try to meet the high standards anyway - come success or failure?

- The Laughing Man

Insanity Alert! Changing which team you support is bad!

What is this insanity? Is this really something that BBC should be reporting on in their Election 2008 section?

No matter what people say about this not being a battle about the issues, but it really is, and the evidence sways us to vote one way or another. Which team you cheer for – or don’t cheer for, or just show some support for – doesn’t matter, truly.

- Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown

The BuzZz

150 seems to be the new buzz word (or number) these days in the media and the blogs.

Bee it Obama fundraising 150 million dollars in September

A viral marketing campaign contacting some 150 organizations to spread the word about a new book entitled “Green Collar Economy”

Or even 150 early voters standing outside a Florida voting office

To a crowd of 150 at a democratic rally at J.R. Tucker High in Henrico County, a suburb of Richmond, Virgina

Oh, and the fuss about the RNC spending over 150K on Palin’s wardrobe

-Buzz Bee

The Race Tightens

With only fourteen days left until America elects its next president mainstream media (sans some huge political disaster) will be hyping up anything that shows the race is tightening between John McCain and Barack Obama.

Why? Because a tighter race means more viewers of course. More viewers equals more money for networks, money which will be needed when the networks start to get squeezed post election season due to the tanking economy.

It will be interesting to see how McCain and Obama react to this “tightening” in the race for the White House. My guess is they fan the flames and use the MSM message to whip their volunteers and voters into gear. The outcome is anybody’s guess, but some are already cashing in their bets. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite them in the ass…

-Mr. Ed