Did you know that “all three branches of government have now agreed that President Obama’s health care law is the right thing to do?” If you are a voter in a swing state, you may soon hear just such a message over the phone from volunteer Obama supporters who got your number online.
The Obama campaign has created a new Internet platform that allows anyone with Internet access to contact key voters in its database. You can deliver Obama’s tailored, scripted messages while wearing your pajamas, from the comfort of your own home.
“Making a difference has never been easier,” the campaign informs users who log in to the Barack Obama Dashboard. It gives supporters (presumably) access to campaign calling lists. Dashboard users can choose what kind of people to contact in the states they choose, and which issues they want to talk to voters about. A specialized script pops up that matches each voter’s profile, and users can check boxes to report responses back to the campaign.
The Dashboard keeps track of volunteers’ progress, tallying the number of calls they have made so far, with a leader board to show how they stack up against their fellow online activists nationwide. And during off-hours — say, when it’s 3 a.m. in Colorado — the site blocks access to the phone numbers until it’s appropriate to call.
Volunteers are encouraged to ask the people who answer the phone whom they intend to support. Depending on their answer — “strong Obama,” “lean Obama,” “undecided,” “lean Republican,” or “strong Republican,” the Dashboard instructs volunteers to read out a customized message.
For example, if you live in Ohio and you signed something opposing Republican Gov. John Kasich’s union reforms in the state, you may soon receive a call from a Dashboard user. Unless you are a strong Romney supporter (in which case they are instructed to hang up), they will say: “[J]ust a few weeks ago, Romney said we should cut back on jobs for firefighters, teachers and police. … It’s time to say no to Mitt Romney’s anti-worker agenda, will you add your name to stand with Ohio’s workers?”
If you are a campaign volunteer who is only comfortable talking to women in your state, you can single them out to explain President Obama’s program to pay for their birth control. “Thanks to unprecedented new guidelines in the Affordable Care Act, women will have access to a wide range of preventive services such as well-woman visits, mammograms, birth control pills, and much more without a co-pay or deductible,” the campaign’s script says.
As for the economy, the themed script for Republican-leaning voters reads, “We’re not there yet, but we’ve turned a corner. Under [Obama’s] leadership, we’ve added over 4.2 million new jobs.”
Have you been hearing troubling things about Obamacare in your state? Not to worry. Dashboard users will soon call to explain it to you.
For Republican-leaning voters, the campaign’s script on Obamacare is a bit misleading. “All three branches of government have now agreed that President Obama’s health care law is the right thing to do,” it states. (The Supreme Court, of course, ruled that the Obamacare was a permissible application of Congress’s taxing power, not that it was “the right thing to do.”) “The law is already helping millions of Americans and will help millions more in the years to come. It’s time to move past the same political battles and fully implement the law.”
So if you are an Obama supporter — or if you just like talking to random swing-state voters — log in to the Barack Obama Dashboard today.
Charlie Spiering ([email protected]) is a commentary staff writer for The Washington Examiner. Follow him on Twitter at @CharlieSpiering
