From costume ideas to lunch dates to holiday recipes, the candidates are pulling out all the stops to get you involved and giving this holiday / primary season. With Iowa just weeks away, they're all trying to grab attention and dollars by thinking outside the box and offering giveaways beyond the typical bumper stickers and buttons.
These are face-to-face meetings and personal items from the candidates themselves. They're a way for the donor who does not have upwards of $2300 to shell out to attend a gala event, or maybe snag a bit of face time with a candidate.
A brief round up of offers piling up in supporters' inboxes:
John McCain is raffling a ride on the Straight Talk Express with him.
The Clinton campaign has offered a couple of snacking-related giveaways. The first offered a chance to have chips and dip with Bill while watching the Oct. 30th candidate debate. The second offers a chance to have a sandwich with Hillary.
Dennis Kucinich offers numerous options and promises more in the future: a double date with the Kucinichs, a chance to sit next to Elizabeth at a debate, backstage passes to an Ani DiFranco concert and an autographed copy of Dennis' latest book. For some reason this looks suspiciously like a re-gifting list.
Barack Obama has made three separate offerings beginning in June when he had dinner with five "lucky winners" who donated as little as $5 each. In August he took a supporter along for his Daily Show appearance. Now he wants you and a guest to spend a day on the campaign trail in Iowa with him for just a $25 contribution.
John Edwards' mom, Bobbie, wants you to have their family's favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Mitt Romney has several packages you can choose from so that you and yours can have an "UltiMITT" holiday. Yup . . . that's right. "UltiMITT".
There was one offer this fall that asked for nothing monetary in return and which I found to be funny as well as creative; Chris Dodd's Halloween costume email can be found here.
More than just allowing the "regular Joe" a shot at the brass ring. The Internet also opens up avenues for the lower-tier candidates offering these giveaways which were not there before. Campaigns without much money are able to think outside the box, and use these catchy giveaways to possibly garner a little earned media coverage -- and maybe even a few bucks in the process.