Hil

[msmemory_archive]

Monday-morning quarterbacking is great sport. I don't know all of what went wrong for Hillary, but I will tell one little tale which is illustrative.

In the middle of last fall -- October if I recall correctly -- the NY Times mentioned that one could buy lapel pins "Wellesley Women for Hillary." Wanting to show my pride in my alma mater's currently most famous alumna, I ordered one and wore it on my jacket all winter. NOT ONCE subsequent to that purchase did anyone from Hillary's campaign contact me by mail, phone, or email, to solicit further $upport. They completely missed their opportunity to ask me for money (or time, or to post a lawn sign, or anything else), even though I was clearly preselected as a supporter.

Maybe they were sure I'd come through without being asked, but more likely it was a failure of her pretty machine to pursue the grass roots. I'm not a millionaire, and I don't work at a big fancy corporation, so apparently my shallow pockets weren't worth the effort. I understand that other guy is happy with getting $5 and $10 donations....

Comments

[keshwyn]

Actually, from a friend working in the Alumnae Office, I got a big, HUGE rant about this. Wellesley College itself is *not* allowed to endorse any candidate, nor is the Alumnae Office, or they lose some particular status they have with the Feds. They kept getting calls from various people campaigning for Hillary - not her campaign itself because they knew better, but grass root stuff - asking for the Alumnae Mailing List, etc, etc, etc. That pin caused a *huge* headache for the Alumnae Office.

So, I suspect part of the reason they didn't follow up wasn't the campaign so much as the fact that Wellesley was being cranky at them about those pins.

[eclecticmagpie.livejournal.com]

The "particular status they have with the Feds" is their 501(3)c status. Not permitted to participate in politics.

[keshwyn]

Thank you. I couldn't remember what it was.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Heh. Interesting. MsMemory, who was selling the pins?

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

HillaryStore.com - where they do specifically note that any purchase constitutes a donation to Hillary Clinton For President.

[dryfoo.livejournal.com]

The Daily Kos has been running a series of commentaries on just "what went wrong". They cover a wide variety of possibilities, including a few I hadn't considered at all. Well worth perusing.