McCain’s camp has put up a nifty online outreach page at johnmccain.com to get blogs buzzing about his “policies and plan for the future.”
The senator’s online team helpfully “suggests” blogs of the liberal, conservative, moderate and “other” category (the liberal category comes up blank, however) for his supporters to target. As if praising the man isn’t incentive enough, the campaign offers “reward points” to McCainiacs who post comments in support of the senator’s policies and report back to the campaign via a form. Not sure how to heap praise on the war hero? The campaign also offers “talking points,” which are actually links to McCain speeches.
So who thinks this is a good idea? (birds chirp) Not blog commenters.
Politico appears to have dug up this story first. The first three comments to its story were:
“Good luck with that one.”
“How utterly pathetic!”
“McCain just delegitimized all of his real online supporters.”
Maybe that’s not fair. Let’s check another blog on the list. Over at the more right-leaning weblog of Michelle Malkin, I checked to see how McCain was faring in the conservative comment department:
“If I get enough points can I buy a better GOP candidate?”
“TO be honest I support McCain but I do not as some kind of point getter but because of his service to this country. For his camaign to reduce itself to this ‘Pointless’ exersize show a real lack of thinking that I find disturbing. IF this is the best his campaign can come up with I pity it.”
I won’t even tell you what they’re saying over at Wonkette.
Astroturfing might be a bit harsh in describing this approach. Disaster seems to be more appropriate.