Anyone who was shocked by the bizarre fundraising letters featured in Oliver’s expose — some mailers included a dollar bill, while another featured small, fabric mountains — has clearly never been on a politician’s direct mail list. The 2012 Obama campaign’s comically desperate emails have nothing on physical direct mail, which I’ve observed using the exact same dollar bill strategy for political fundraising.
The basic promise of the televangelist and the politician is the same, too, albeit dressed up in a different gloss. Unethical preachers offer a story of “seed faith” and magic oils, while even the most explicitly “Christian” candidates tend to keep their promises in the secular realm. Still, the underlying prize for supporters in each case is personal wealth, health, security, and happiness — all available if you can contribute even $5 right now!
I’m not talking about specific policy promises. No, I’m thinking a little bigger — like when candidates pledge to “make America great again,” to be our “champion,” to “rebuild the American dream,” to “reignite the promise of America,” or to launch “a new American century.”
While President Obama perhaps deserves credit for making his “change” slogan so vague that he could technically fulfill it simply by getting elected, the broader feel of his near-messianic 2008 campaign in particular fits well within the oeuvre of political televangelism.
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