Obamateurism of the Day

Thanks to the policies of Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress, the party in power may stand at the threshold of a midterm cycle not seen since 1948, or perhaps even 1894. The failure of Obamanomics has Republicans enthused, independents angry, and Democrats trying to avoid declaring their party affiliation. Joe Manchin even put out an ad this week that shows him putting a bullet into the bill that Obama claims will be one of his highest priority on the agenda in the next Congress.

With those conditions of futility, what can a President do to generate some enthusiasm among the base?  Put himself up as a raffle prize, as Byron York reports:

Organizing for America, the permanent incarnation of the Obama presidential campaign, has a new offer to its members: send money now and be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to meet Barack Obama.

It will happen October 22, when Obama appears at a rally for faltering Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Las Vegas. “The president will be kicking off the final push at a grassroots rally,” an Organizing for America email says. “We’re saving three backstage passes for supporters like you.” …

And it’s even better than that. Read the fine print of the email, and you’ll see — at the bottom, just like a contest on the back of a box or a six pack of soft drinks — “No purchase or contribution necessary to enter. Void where prohibited.” Even if they don’t send in any money, winners will receive “one round-trip ticket within the continental U.S. to Las Vegas; hotel accommodations for one; and a meeting with President Obama at a rally even on 10/22/10 (approximate combined retail value $1,200.00).” The email does not specify how much of the $1,200.00 is for the plane, how much is for the hotel, and how much is for meeting Obama.

Byron says the ticket costs $3 later in the article, but neither of the two pages at OFA (one for contributors, the other for non-contributors) mention a minimum contribution.  Interestingly, they’re offering three different plane rides and three different hotel rooms.  What’s the carbon footprint on that, anyway?

The effort looks pretty desperate.  They only have a five-day window for registration, which ends on Friday.  That has all the hallmarks of a last-minute, we’ve-got-no-other-ideas project.  And note well that the venue for this momentous Presidential meet-up is in the city that Obama inartfully suggested — twice — that Americans should avoid.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!