Political pundits at Rattle believe a few people in Tompkins County (home of Ithaca College and Cornell University) may trickle out to vote for Barack Obama, given that this county was the only county in New York State to choose Obama in the primary on February 5.  There even may be a few voters for another candidate whose running mate is pop star Sarah Palin, but we can't remember the name of the candidate or the party.  Can we afford some fact-checkers around here?  Or even some fact-finders?

Earlier today Rattle reached Steve Seidman, commentator-in-demand on NPR, by e-mail.  Seidman, who will lead a discussion at the Handwerker Gallery on Election Day, argues that business marketing tactics are becoming more important in political campaigns around the world.  These tactics, familiar to marketers for decades, are being used to attract a wider audience to politics.  This development is a detriment to public policy, according to some scholars.  However, Seidman also mentions Pippa Norris and others, who argue that these tactics have not had an adverse effect on cause activism, because younger people are less apathetic than their elders.  He cites examples from the campaigns of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in Britain, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki in South Africa, and Bill Clinton in the United States.

"The trend is toward an increase in image management, with an emphasis on personality, rather than emphasizing issues," Seidman says.

Event Details:

Steve Seidman
Election Day Salon, "Political Marketing and the 2008 Campaign"
Handwerker Gallery, Gannett Center, Ithaca College campus
Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, 4:00 p.m.