Did you see the article in the NYT? "Obama's Young Backers Twist Parents' Arms"
During the TX and OH primaries a few friends and I started an independent effort to help elect Obama: http://www.yrmomma4obama.com.
Our goal is to get young people (18-35) who are already supporting Barack's candidacy to talk directly to their parents and convince them to support him -- like the NYT describes. We're using nontraditional political strategies -- text messaging, live events, and music industry-style street team marketing to spread the word. (Text YrMomma to 41411 to sign up and get a forwardable message you can send to everyone you know in PA! Std txt msg rates apply).
The goal of YrMomma4Obama is to take advantage of the amazing upswing in participation from young voters this election cycle.
In the upcoming PA, IN, and NC primaries, Barack will need to improve his standing among 45-65 year olds -- people who are likely to be influenced by their children's enthusiasm for Obama.
The better he does in these states, the closer we are to having a nominee.
As you may know, PA Senator Casey (also a superdelegate) recently endorsed Obama -- and cited the influence of his children as a key factor in his decision. The HuffPost feature on Christine "Roz" Samuels' decision to switch her allegiance from Clinton to Obama was another inspiration -- but mostly we noticed how our friends were talking to (and convincing) their parents that Obama was the best candidate.
We working now to get our message out as broadly as possible in PA, IN, and NC. After spending two years in LA and working on Live Earth, I'm much more aware of the power of entertainment to spark political engagement and social change.
Here's what we're doing:
- Partnering with the band the Roots (a nationally prominent band from
Philly) to get the message out to young people attending their concerts in
IN, PA, and NC
- Sending marketing teams onto campuses throughout PA to reach out to
students and get them involved.
- Sponsoring 2 concerts in PA
- Spreading this text message as broadly as possible: Is yr Mama 4 Obama?
We need our parents 2 vote 4 him 2 win PA Apr 22. Pass this on to everyone
u know -- tell your parents! (text YRMomma to 41411 to sign up)
I've set up a partnership with a Political Action Committee (votehope.org) -- they're acting as our fiscal agent so we can raise and spend money on this effort. Want to help out? You can support our work here.
This is not only a fun project, it's an innovative voter contact strategy and something that seeks to expand the leadership and influence of younger voters in this election.
Gobama!!!
