Chris Hill wrote:

> As Don exhorts: remember all this on election day...

Burt:
>I think that's _close_ to the take-home lesson, but no cigar.

<a lot of stuff right on the mark deleted>

Yes, so true. A good friend of mine here did a lot of volunteer
software work for the Lonsdale campaign six years ago (Bend
Chemist/businessman who ran as the Democratic opponent to Hatfield
and came very, very close to unseating him despite the fact that
the party gave him no money and that leading figures in the party
endorsed Hatfield - he ran strictly on a conservation platform
and got 48% of the vote, and actually won in the Metropolitan
district).

Anyway, after the last campaign where the Demos in our state were
out-manouvered by the Republicans, he went to offer his expertise.
One instance of where Demos were out-foxed was in regard to our
new absentee-ballot laws that allow anyone to vote in this manner
for any reason whatsoever. The Repubs mailed applications to all
registered Republicans and the absentee-ballot vote determined
the result of a couple of key elections. The Demos didn't take
this simple step, and it would seem obvious that if side A does,
and side B doesn't, that side B ain't going to get a majority of
that slice!

So he talked to the Democratic state campaign people about using
computers, the net, modern ways of targetting direct mail, etc
etc etc and they are not only clueless, but not even aware that
they're clueless. They weren't even certain that they ought
to be spending the money to direct mail absentee ballot applications
in the next election, despite the wide-spread and widely published
analysis of the key effect of the Republican strategy.

And look who wants to put a computer in every kid's hands? Newt.
Why? My cynical side says that he's aware that the Republicans
are far ahead in their understanding and use of technology, both
high and low, in winning votes for their side and that this is
just part of his strategy for strenghthening their hold on the
electorate. Think about talk radio!


- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>