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Feb

3

The Obama “Join” Ad

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Politics, WH2008 | 27 Comments

I know some people are just going to want to rip into me for saying this, but after reading this piece in The Caucus about the Barack Obama ad being shown during the Super Bowl this evening (the link has the video there), I know why the Obama phenomena just isn’t appealing to me (sadly for Hillary Clinton, there isn’t much she’s doing that’s appealing to me either).

It actually is the underlying message Obama has been touting from the beginning that is the name of this ad, a word which isn’t in the ad itself but you can see on the screen before the ad runs (online) and The Caucus piece refers to: Join.

I don’t like that. I don’t like the message that says, “Join.” I never have, ever. I am not a Democratic party girl – because I don’t like the idea of “join.” I’m certainly not going to be persuaded to vote for someone because they suggest that I need to join.

And yet, that is exactly the message and the pressure I hear from people I know and people I don’t know who support Obama. There are so many other reasons to support him – is “Join” the best they can do in these last crucial hours before Super Tuesday? That just seems very manipulative to me, and if there’s one thing that turns me off, it’s an attempt to be manipulated.

So – what exactly is wrong with the notion of “Join”?

Here’s the Merriam Webster definition of “join.” And it’s not as evil as maybe I’ve come to regard it, which is with the notion that you are giving up something of your own when you join. That you are becoming one with a mass, and that requires relinquishing something in exchange for what you’ve joined.

I suppose Obama isn’t suggesting that, but still – does anyone else get the same wrinkly crinkly feeling I get when I think that someone is asking me to do something because they want me to “join”?

If you haven’t seen the video, watch:

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:14 pm February 3rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Politics, WH2008 | 27 Comments 

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Feb

3

Fundrace tells you the neighbors’ campaign contributions

Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Tech | Comments Off

Fundrace offers an easy way to find out who has given how much to which candidate(s). At the Huffington Post‘s tool page for it, you’ll find a big map and other cool graphics.

I’ve added a Fundrace widget to the right-hand sidebar for procrastination purposes, and you can get the widget here (not sure why I can’t find it in an uncached version of the page) if you want to put it on your sidebar.

Hattip to Progress Ohio.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:51 pm February 3rd, 2008 in Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Tech | Comments Off 

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Feb

3

Controversy over phone surveys in CA: message testing or push polling?

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Politics, Tech, WH2008 | 1 Comment

A few folks are lining up on the push poll side of a recent survey conducted by phone in California. But Pollster.com says the content of the call seems more akin to message testing.

Is either method necessary or acceptable?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:50 pm February 3rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Politics, Tech, WH2008 | 1 Comment 

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Feb

3

No bomb threat exists, Orange schools to re-open tomorrow

Filed Under Announcements, Crime, Education, Ohio | 1 Comment

I just received an “all clear” robocall from the Orange school district. The content was as follows:

Through efforts of the Pepper Pike and Moreland Hills police departments, the Orange Schools Incident Command Team and the Western Reserve Internet Service determined that the threat that came through the district’s website contact page. The investigation is still ongoing and the campus remains closed today. After all precautionary measures were taken, it was determined that no threat exists and all activities will resume tomorrow.

Here’s confirmation of that from the district’s website.

You can read more about the what they were saying when the threat was still active from this late night post by the Plain Dealer.

My Fox Cleveland has a decent video from yesterday of what things looked like at the campus.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:34 am February 3rd, 2008 in Announcements, Crime, Education, Ohio | 1 Comment 

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Feb

3

Democrat Debate in 60 Seconds

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Debates, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off

Mahalo Daily again.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:22 am February 3rd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Debates, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off 

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Feb

3

Republican Debate in 60 Seconds

Filed Under Campaigning, Debates, Elections, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off

Thank you again to Jason Calacanis (who I was learning about this morning) and Mahalo Daily.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:17 am February 3rd, 2008 in Campaigning, Debates, Elections, Politics, WH2008 | Comments Off 

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Feb

3

Ann Taylor Alert: Tower City, Cleveland store closing

Filed Under Economy, Ohio | 4 Comments

Okay – we’ve been sitting by, literally idly in my case, waiting to see which of Ohio’s 22 Ann Taylor stores would shutdown and it appears that on Friday, the Plain Dealer published this article with information about three stores shutting down in Tower City.

In another sign of harsh economic times, three national retailers, including women’s clothier Ann Taylor, have opted not to renew leases at Tower City Center, stripping the downtown mall of several well-known brands as well as one of its anchor tenants.

“They had a tough year and they’ve got to pull back and regroup,” said Lisa Kreiger, general manager of retail at Tower City, in explaining the departures of Ann Taylor, The Body Shop and LVLX.

“The whole economic picture is just touch-and-go right now.”

The store locator doesn’t let you search for The Loft shops or outlets with the main stores, but for sure, Tower City’s location isn’t on there anymore.

One down, a 12 more to go in the NEOhio area. The other locations I know of are Legacy Village’s The Loft, Beachwood Place’s Ann Taylor and the Aurora Farms Outlets factory store. I assume there’s at least one on the west side, Crocker Parkish.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:57 am February 3rd, 2008 in Economy, Ohio | 4 Comments 

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