Gravel becomes an "Internet Sensation"

I also gotta say, the principle of a "thank you" video is a great idea. It's not so much about reciprocity as it is evidence of a person's ability to influence power. In this case, Mike is the man of the hour and for him to address the community directly would just build on the idea that he is a man for the people.

Having very short daily Q&A sessions with Sen. Gravel over youtube would solve a LOT of problems. Right now his base is seen as "fringe", outside voters. If the base is discounted, then the message is weakened. To set things up, put up an "Open Mike" section where registered users can post their questions to Sen. Gravel. Screen for the questions that not only apply to the "moderate" voters, but also come from people who fit neatly into the "moderate" image. Occasionally, addressing a "fringe" question or two will make some people extremely satisfied. Answer at least one question a day. They don't necessarily have to do with the current campaign. The sole purpose is to flesh out Sen. Gravel's character as well as the identity of his base. From what I've seen, Gravel is quite comfortable with questions from all over the place. He's frank, straightforward, and doesn't waste any time. A daily Q&A should take less than ten minutes, from screening the questions to answering the video, and finally uploading. His 10 minutes of effort will result in perhaps a 5 minute video that thousands of individuals will spend an aggregate thousands of hours watching. That's daily.

I'm certain Mike's budget has increased, but I don't think he's had the time to hire people into the campaign that can take advantage of a strategy like this. I honestly don't see the need to have too many strategy sessions about the internet. Given the output of his counterparts in McCain and Kucinich, Mike could certainly bring home a stronger message. This is something Mike can do himself just before hitting the hay every night. If he can make it a habit, then I don't doubt his base will increase not only in numbers, but in diversity.

edit: oh ya, this is all low cost. Aside from the initial setup of the "open Mike" page along with a decent webcam, the only running cost would be 10 minutes of Sen. Gravel's time every day.

I hate to admit it but I agree with some of what Elliswonder is saying. I dont really care about a thank you video but it does feel to me like the campaign staff is not taking full advantage of this sudden momentum. To continue the surge we need to take advantage of the enthusiam that has been created right away before it starts to wane.

I completely understand that items requiring money are still a 'work in progress' and that quite possibly the campaign staff has been caught offguard by the response since the debates. Regardless of this though, we as supporters should be getting more feedback at this stage.

Lets assume that items requiring large campaign funds are off the table at the moment, what about making information available to us on the stuff that doesnt cost money such as:

Posting Mikes schedule? Whats he been up to since the debates? The Colbert report and a couple radioshows? What are his upcoming events? It wouldnt cost to post this on the site and I cant see any drawback to doing so.

Make a post listing all of the State Coordinators for volunteer/grassroots efforts. I noticed a post where Alex replied today listing the contact email for the state of CA effort? Why not have a blanket posting listing the states coordinator, and the states that still need a coordinator. We need to strike now, while the iron is still hot. People are motivated to help now and we need to make this as easy as possible to get involved. If you have complied this information it should be available in an easily accessable place on the website.

List out some specific goals for us Everybody has their own ideas of what to do, what works best and should be applauded as these efforts all will help but, I would strongly encourage the campaign to list out some 'preferred' forms of spreading the word/fundraising. What does the Gravel campaign believe will best maximize our efforts and your exposure? You want us to do house partys? Write our local paper? Organize local fundraisers? What? Doing this is the first step towards allowing the efforts of the people to dovetail with the campaigns strategy. Mix in the media schedule for Mike and the peices can start to fall into place. For example, say I want to organize a small dinner fundraiser for the Senator, if I knew what nights he was speaking on I could plan around this, have the fundraiser the same night or next day and then pump people for the $$ right after they have been inspired by the Senators latest speech. Its about being the most effective with what we have. Giving us the tools is one thing, but advising us on how to use them is what will make us most effective.

We have a long road to go and it is going to require some traditional politics as well if we want to reach as much of the voting base/american public as possible. The internet is and will continue to be the driving force on this campaign but we cant entirely abandon the 'tried and true' methods of exposure/fundraising.

Lets increase the level of communication. Your supporters are eager to hear what is going on. Every day that goes by the effectiveness of your strong performance in South Carolina fades a little more into the background. What you did yesterday was great. but what are you doing today and tomorrow?

Help us to help you Senator, together we can take back America.

Elliswonder,

I can see where you are coming from and why you may be frustrated.  However, remember that it has only been two weeks since many in America have ever heard of Mike.  He needs to focus capitalize on every inch of that momentum.  Additionally, he has also promised to introduce skeleton legislation to criminalize our occupation in Iraq by Monday. 

Mike is putting a human face and his public reputation on the line for our interests.  Note that NO candidate has ever acknowledged the influence of the Military industrial complex and its influence on US culture DURING a presidential debate.  The last person, to my knowledge, to take on this runaway train was JFK.

We get to hide in anonymity on the internet while Mike goes in front of the cameras and gets his life ripped apart by a ruthless mainstream media whose self-interest is to maintain the status quo and mislead the public.

We must fight for every inch of time for Mike to stay in this race as evidenced by the fact that he was originally excluded from the NH debate.  There will be time to enjoy our spoils soon enough...hell, I'll even buy you a beer when this is over.

Let's trust that Mike and his direct team appreciate us and our efforts.  However, we should also not think of ourselves as constituents/observers right now, but as part of Mike's extended team.  We are shaping his message and his campaign, we are his marketing force.  I'm sure he knows this and appreciates it.  

Now that Mike realizes that he isn't in this race just to promote the National Initiative but to promote an entire set of ideals and policies, he needs to scale his campaign infrastructure accordingly.  Let's give him some time.

Take care.

Because he's come down for legalization of marijuana use and possession. 

David, in Sydney (Australia).