C hristian
12-07-2003, 12:13 AM
Dear [Anyone and everyone],
We have some great news. Weeks of on-the-ground testing have shown that our "$87 Billion" TV ad successfully gets the truth out about President Bush and his policies. In West Virginia, where we ran the ad, there was an impressive 4% drop in support for Bush. In Ohio, where no ad ran, little changed. Even experts who have been in this field for years were blown away.
So today, we're launching our first really big MoveOn Voter Fund ad buy. We?re putting the "$87 Billion" ad to work in several key swing states -- putting up close to two million dollars to make sure that every TV viewer in these states sees the ad multiple times. With the results so far, we know that this ad buy will have a measurable impact. Now please help us continue to fund this effort by giving $25, $50, or $100, or whatever you can. Remember, every two dollars you contribute will be matched by another dollar from our major contributors.
You can watch the "$87 Billion" ad and contribute right now at:
By credit card:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/creditcard.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
By check:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/check.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
(Check contributions cost us processing time and money, so credit card contributions are preferred if possible.)
In the ad, we ask, "If there's money for Iraq, why isn't there money for America?" At a time when schools are being closed, prescription drugs are unaffordable for many Americans, and even police and emergency first responders don't have the funding they need, the message clearly hits home.
To our knowledge, no one's ever run an ad this deep so far before an election. But together, we have an opportunity to shape the political landscape now -- before President Bush and the Democratic candidates start attacking each other on TV and voters tune out. Our purpose is not to tell voters how to vote, but to educate them about Bush's policies and let them decide. Our tests show that the ads are working.
This campaign is a great example of how we'll get our message through -- by being nimbler, by being empirical, by being more strategic, and by speaking the truth. Our purpose is not to tell voters how to vote, but to educate them about Bush's policies and let them decide. Our tests show that the ads are working.
We'll also win by embracing democracy. The great power of this ad is that it comes directly from the MoveOn membership. On September 15th, we sent out a message inviting MoveOn members to share their thoughts on the $87 billion President Bush requested for Iraq in an ActionForum. Thousands of us participated, and the message came through loud and clear: folks weren't happy with the sum of money, especially given the service cuts here at home and the failure of President Bush's postwar policy.
Two days later, we launched a petition calling on Congress to vote against the $87 billion. Hundreds of thousands signed, and, working with the Win Without War coalition, over half a million of us contacted Congress by phone, email, or fax in the run-up to the vote. The huge energy from the grassroots prompted us to produce an ad along the same theme, aimed at getting press and influencing Congress' debate. The ad, which only ran in Washington DC and New York, got free play on most of the major TV networks, and certainly stiffened the backbones of the bill's opponents. But when the issue came down to a vote, we lost.
Legislators always like to think that once they've cast a vote that their constituents don't like, they can shuffle it under the rug. Together, we warned them that there would be repercussions for this vote. And now, for many of them, the ads are coming home. It's clear that Americans are deeply troubled by the Republican leadership's willingness to spend billions of dollars on the occupation in Iraq -- with most of that money going to big corporate friends like Halliburton -- while slashing services here at home. With this big buy, we'll push the message that started with a MoveOn ActionForum into the very center of American politics.
We'll need your help. Like every other ad we do, this one will be supported by our contributions. By pitching in $25, $50, or $100, you can help fund an ad that clearly works. You can view the ad and contribute securely online by credit card or check at:
By credit card:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/creditcard.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
By check:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/check.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
(Check contributions cost us processing time and money, so credit card contributions are preferred if possible.)
For inspiring this potent ad, and for all the great work you do, thank you.
Sincerely,
--Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
**The MoveOn.org Team
**December 4th, 2003
We have some great news. Weeks of on-the-ground testing have shown that our "$87 Billion" TV ad successfully gets the truth out about President Bush and his policies. In West Virginia, where we ran the ad, there was an impressive 4% drop in support for Bush. In Ohio, where no ad ran, little changed. Even experts who have been in this field for years were blown away.
So today, we're launching our first really big MoveOn Voter Fund ad buy. We?re putting the "$87 Billion" ad to work in several key swing states -- putting up close to two million dollars to make sure that every TV viewer in these states sees the ad multiple times. With the results so far, we know that this ad buy will have a measurable impact. Now please help us continue to fund this effort by giving $25, $50, or $100, or whatever you can. Remember, every two dollars you contribute will be matched by another dollar from our major contributors.
You can watch the "$87 Billion" ad and contribute right now at:
By credit card:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/creditcard.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
By check:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/check.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
(Check contributions cost us processing time and money, so credit card contributions are preferred if possible.)
In the ad, we ask, "If there's money for Iraq, why isn't there money for America?" At a time when schools are being closed, prescription drugs are unaffordable for many Americans, and even police and emergency first responders don't have the funding they need, the message clearly hits home.
To our knowledge, no one's ever run an ad this deep so far before an election. But together, we have an opportunity to shape the political landscape now -- before President Bush and the Democratic candidates start attacking each other on TV and voters tune out. Our purpose is not to tell voters how to vote, but to educate them about Bush's policies and let them decide. Our tests show that the ads are working.
This campaign is a great example of how we'll get our message through -- by being nimbler, by being empirical, by being more strategic, and by speaking the truth. Our purpose is not to tell voters how to vote, but to educate them about Bush's policies and let them decide. Our tests show that the ads are working.
We'll also win by embracing democracy. The great power of this ad is that it comes directly from the MoveOn membership. On September 15th, we sent out a message inviting MoveOn members to share their thoughts on the $87 billion President Bush requested for Iraq in an ActionForum. Thousands of us participated, and the message came through loud and clear: folks weren't happy with the sum of money, especially given the service cuts here at home and the failure of President Bush's postwar policy.
Two days later, we launched a petition calling on Congress to vote against the $87 billion. Hundreds of thousands signed, and, working with the Win Without War coalition, over half a million of us contacted Congress by phone, email, or fax in the run-up to the vote. The huge energy from the grassroots prompted us to produce an ad along the same theme, aimed at getting press and influencing Congress' debate. The ad, which only ran in Washington DC and New York, got free play on most of the major TV networks, and certainly stiffened the backbones of the bill's opponents. But when the issue came down to a vote, we lost.
Legislators always like to think that once they've cast a vote that their constituents don't like, they can shuffle it under the rug. Together, we warned them that there would be repercussions for this vote. And now, for many of them, the ads are coming home. It's clear that Americans are deeply troubled by the Republican leadership's willingness to spend billions of dollars on the occupation in Iraq -- with most of that money going to big corporate friends like Halliburton -- while slashing services here at home. With this big buy, we'll push the message that started with a MoveOn ActionForum into the very center of American politics.
We'll need your help. Like every other ad we do, this one will be supported by our contributions. By pitching in $25, $50, or $100, you can help fund an ad that clearly works. You can view the ad and contribute securely online by credit card or check at:
By credit card:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/creditcard.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
By check:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/check.html?id=2176-1773809-bQMnCFi7jikpCG9.PErTJg
(Check contributions cost us processing time and money, so credit card contributions are preferred if possible.)
For inspiring this potent ad, and for all the great work you do, thank you.
Sincerely,
--Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
**The MoveOn.org Team
**December 4th, 2003