Obama Strategists Are Smart

Whether you like him or not, this email I received from Obama's campaign is genius. These are the kinds of things that have made him so competitive so far.

From: Steve Hildebrand
To: Jason Rhodes
Date: Sat, May 31, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Subject: "Democrats Win Landslide Victory"?


Jason --

You'll like this.

This morning someone forwarded me an email sent by the arm of the Republican Party that raises money for their Senate candidates.

The subject of the message was "Democrats Win Landslide Victory," and the writer, Republican former Senator Bill Frist, admits: "I have a real fear of waking up to this headline after the elections this fall."

He goes on to explain fears among Washington power brokers about Barack Obama's grassroots support and voter registration efforts.

He's right to be worried -- we're bringing new people into the process, and Obama supporters are organizing in communities across the country like never before.

But it can't happen without your support. Frist was raising money ahead of tonight's financial reporting deadline -- the same deadline we face.

This is the last opportunity to have your donation counted for May, and the last chance to have a meaningful impact on the final three primary contests.

Make your donation of $25 count right now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/maydeadline

Here's a little bit more from Frist's email:

From: Senator Bill Frist, M.D.
Date: Thu, May 29, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Subject: "Democrats Win Landslide Victory"

Dear Republican Supporter,

I have a real fear of waking up to this headline after the elections this fall. [...]

In key states, news accounts indicate Democrats are outpacing Republicans registering voters. We also know Barack Obama's campaign is utilizing the Internet to raise record amounts of money to support his campaign and Democrats nationally ... all in the hope that new voters and record resources will produce a Democrat landslide victory this fall.

There's so much at risk, and conservatives I talk with from all across the country are feeling the rumblings of "what could be." [...]

[...] I ask for your immediate help in supporting Republican candidates running for U.S. Senate by making a contribution of $10, $25, $50 or even $100 to the NRSC. [...]

What's amazing about this message referencing Barack Obama is that it's not from the McCain campaign. It's not even about the presidential race.

It's about the forces of the status quo, who don't want to change the way Washington works, worried about the prospect of ordinary people taking their rightful place in a political process that is too often dominated by lobbyists and special interests.

They've seen the writing on the wall, and they know that when Barack is the nominee, we're going to continue building a movement for change to elect Barack Obama and bring about change from the bottom up at every level of office.

There are only a few hours left before tonight's reporting deadline, so please give whatever you can now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/maydeadline

Thank you,

Steve

Steve Hildebrand
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America