This kind of crap is condescending: Clinton's Iowa scratch and win ploy:

[cali]

And yes, I think it condescends to women- that's who it's clearly aimed at. I never liked the "you go girl" crap, but this is just creepy. From kos:

HRC Reduced to Bribing Iowans
by lenzkrafterz
Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 11:21:29 AM PST
So she can't win voters on message. Not inspiring anybody. Her negative tactics and fear-mongering arent motivating anybody. Last resort - buy them off. Promise "free gifts"! Scratch-off games! Brilliant!

And I'm not even kidding.

lenzkrafterz's diary :: ::
Check out this from Politico:

The Clinton campaign has been sending out a special glossy mailing to expansion voters. On the bottom is a scratch card that says: "Itching for change? Show your support for Hillary. Scratch to win your special limited edition gift."

When you scratch the card, you find out that you have won a travel mug. You mail the card in with your address, and the campaign sends you a free mug.
Of course. What better way for voters to bring about "change" than to "scratch and win" !

And then HRC sends you your very own travel mug.

Is she really this cynical about what motivates Iowa voters?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/12/21/141042/13/854/425271

[TwilightZone]

1. You don't appear to understand the audience.

Scratch games in the Iowa Lottery are very popular. The state advertises the hell out of them, even strongly suggesting them as holiday gifts, etc.

How, exactly, do scratch-off games condescend to women? I'd love to here the answer on this one.

[cali]

6. Who else do you think she's directing this at???

I didn't say ALL scratch off games condescend to women; I said this one does.

And it's just so Madison Ave slick and cheap. I don't like it at all. Furthermore, although I certainly don't think it's bribary, it is a shallow little ploy.

[TwilightZone]

8. Yes, because men hate travel mugs.

[durrrty libby]

2. Campaigns have to try all kinds of advertisements to grab people's

tiny attention span.People like games. No biggy

[JackORoses]

3. if you can't brow-beat them into voting for you via media pressure and inevitability, get em a mug!

[K Gardner]

4. Mugs for Hillary? New voting block evidently. n/t

[Renew Deal]

5. It's OK as long as she doesn't start to say "Set it and Forget it!"

[hedda_foil]

7. It smacks a bit of vote buying.

I doubt if this would techically be termed vote buying because all they're asking for is contact info, but sending out a free mug, which must cost the campaign at least $7-8 per potential voter including mailing costs and possibly a few dollars more. Most campaigns give premiums like this out only to their key volunteers on the ground and probably to some of their donors. This is a huge investment for to make in something that is incredibly unlikely to actually motivate anyone to caucus at all, much less to caucus for Hillary.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. It's better than Mike Gravel's disastrous Scratch and Sniff mailer.

(joke)

[TwilightZone]

11. Considering the campaign ads that he came up with...

I'm not sure I want to consider the possibilities here.

[oasis]

13. Or campaigning with Oprah's "mug".

[MethuenProgressive]

10. THIS is a reliable source? Some blog entry "by lenzkrafterz"?

You have GOT to be kidding me.
And besides, does the OP author think so little of Iowa's voters that they'll seel their votes for an empty coffee cup? That's quite a reach.

[cali]

16. The stuff about the scratch and win is from Politico.

and no, I don't think that it's bribary. I think it's condescending, cutsie and tacky. I think that's been true of quite a bit of her campaign strategy.

[MethuenProgressive]

18. Politico thinks Iowans will sell their votes for an empty coffee cup?

That, by my lights at least, is what's truly condescending.

[wyldwolf]

12. The FAUX Outrage of the Day award goes to Cali!

[cali]

17. Did I say or indicate that I was outraged? Oh, that's right. I did not.

It's a minor thing, but something I don't like. It's that simple. It's tacky and gimmicky. I think that's worth noting. That doesn't make me outraged. Try again.

[noamnety]

14. I have other issues with it

and this is because I am not a supporter of state lotteries, because they prey on the least privileged, statistically. If the state needs to raise money, I wish they'd just legitimately tax people in a progressive tax rather than resorting to regressive fundraising games that exploit people's gambling addictions.

While she isn't doing that directly, she is indirectly promoting gambling and advertising the lottery as fun fun fun. I don't personally care if she is giving away mugs to those who want them, but I don't know why she has to tie it to gambling.

Now that I am thinking about it, she might do better to avoid making connections in people's heads between voting for her, and gambling. It's an unfortunate metaphor for a politician to make.

[jenmito]

15. This plays right into Obama's hands, since he has said that he doesn't want to be able to "play the

game" better, but he wants to STOP the games. I hope he takes advantage of this cheap ploy to get votes.

[elehhhhna]

19. Once Hil''s scratched OFF the ballot, we WILL win.