Politicians Seek Spam Loophole

Steve B writes "An article in the Mercury News by Mike McCurry and Larry Purpuro (respectively heading an "advocacy management and communications software company" and a "political e-marketing firm") wraps the case for political spam in all the usual Mom-Flag-&-Apple-Pie cliches. They conclude with a cynical appeal for a special exemption, while condescendingly instructing anti-spammers that their efforts are "better focused on commercial e-mail" and painting spammer Bill Jones as a victim who made a few trifling mistakes."

Comments

Re:Good thing about political spam

[steve_l]

I can see political spam changing if things take off. At the very least, spammers could hide their stuff as politics if political spam were legal.

"I was a lowly senator, unable to service my hot young interns (see them now at hot-young-interns-in-the-senate.com), until I bought this herbal extract which works like Viagra for less. Buy it here...for every $10 spent, $1 goes to my releection campaign".

Or

"dear sirs,
I am writing to you in utmost confidence, as a former republican congressman of Texas, now in exile in Sierra Leone. An aide of mine, on loan from Enron, has the information needed to get at $17 million of Enron investment information from an offshore account in Nigeria. I need your help to get this money, with which I will take a small percentage to pay for TV advertisements" ...

etc.

Hi

[DarkZero]

Hi, I'm Bob Robertson, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about my campaign for --insert your state here--'s senatorial seat in 2002.

Over the years, my competitor, Mike Jones, has fucked a lot of whores and raised taxes by an astoundingly high 0.00001%. He's also poisoned our well water, seceded our state from the United States on two seperate occasions, and invited several known child molesters to his fundraising banquets, during which he has served dead puppies as the main course. In short, he's a scumbag, and he's evil.

Don't vote for him. Vote for me. Because he sucks.

Paid for by the Friends of Bob Robertson, who absolutely fucking hate that bastard Mike Jones. Burn in Hell, Mike.

I can't wait to see, hear, and read this shit not only on my TV, on my radio, in front of people's houses, on the subway, in my mail, in front of schools, in front of public buildings, at every public event in every town in the state, AND on my computer! I just can't get enough of hearing about how the politician that has less money and can't run as many commercials is the antichrist!

In a Future Session of Congress -- H.R. Bill 6969

[deathinc]

H.R. Bill 6969 - Admendments to the National Anti-SPAM Law

...
"The Law" shall be amdeded as follows to include the following excemtions to the law:
(a) Sending of Unsolicited Mass E-Mail for the Purposes of:
(a)(1) Governmental Communications
(a)(2) Communications Originating by an Elected Official
(a)(3) Communications Originating by a person or persons seeking Elected Ofice
(a)(4) Communications regarding Laws, Governmental Regulations, Policies or activities
(a)(6) Communications by a non-governmental entity for the puroses of selling a product or service
(a)(7) Any Communication with the word "the" in it.

Brought to you by...

[ragtimesf]

See, if this happens, then we'll start to see massive political donations by viagra vendors, multi-level marketers, Nigerian political refugees, and animal porn sites.

True spam style

[xpurple]

Vote for Bob Smith, not only is he a great leader that will carry this country into a bright future, but your penis will also increase by *THREE* inches!

Make the right choice.

Re:Compared to commercial spam...

[lindsley]

political spam would be a drop in the bucket. It's not like politicians will be able to get away with things like abusing open relays or refusing to honor opt-outs -- at least, not without affecting their campaign.

That's why the abuse would take a more nefarious form: spam that appears to come from candidate A and violates good practice, but is actually sent by candidate's B people who made it look like it came from candidate A in an effort to turn the tide against A. Then when candidate A denies sending it after the expected uproar, and accuses B, you really won't know who to believe ... you'll just have a pile of email you didn't request and can't stop, just like now.

Strategy: More impact, less money

[_Sprocket_]

I love how he repeatedly says how the candidate saved money.

Its interesting that the article doesn't address the cost picked up by the reciever and the ISP. Its also interesting that they note:

That day, he might have chosen any of the more traditional -- and more expensive -- methods of contacting voters, such as direct mail, radio spots or TV ads. But he spent only about 2 cents per message, instead of 35 cents or more per message for direct mail or in another medium.

Just think. He spent 2 cents a message to get a torrent of negative press. This is supposed to be a good example? Heck. Hire me. I can top that campaign easily.

Hold a press conference... it'll be free (minus the cost of coffee or whatever one traditionally spends on keeping the press happy to be there). Once assembled, make the following statements:

• You regularly use marijuana and crack cocain during the weekly sex orgies you and your wife host in your residence.
  
  
• Your district's natural resources are there for slash-and-burn style exploitation by your district's largest political contributer to your political fund.
  
  
• List every racial lightningrod category and state how you wish they would all just start the genocide amoung themselves now and get it over.
  
  
• State that the World Trade Center attacks were entirely justified and New Yorkers should stop whining and get going on replacing the relic instead of agonizing on some worthless so-called memorial.
  

There. Done. Your words will be repeated amoung an untold number of general and specific interest news sources, far outpacing the number of people reached by any SPAM campaign. And you'll have done far more damage to your campaign for much less money than any SPAM campaign and "email marketing" company could ever do.

Now, if your intent is not to damage your campaign, you probably don't want to follow this strategy. But then... you probably shouldn't use SPAM either.

Re:See who the authors are

[Steve B]

Spam is all about Viagra, while we offer you politicians!

Q: What happens when a politician takes Viagra?
A: He gets taller.