To Obama: I'm not an ATM

Friday, June 27, 2008 by Dave Winer.

I just got an email from David Plouffe, the campaign manager for Obama. Click on the image below to read the email. 

I've underlined in red the part of the email that got me to write this angry blog post. 

When I saw the email in my inbox entitled Strategy Briefing For You I thought for a brief instant that the Obama campaign had figured out that I have a mind, that I have an education and a resume, and I might be someone worth briefing. Three paragraphs later the disappointment hits. Watch the video then give us money.  

I (like to) think Obama needs more than my money. I think Obama needs my mind and my influence and experience. My creativity. I think Obama might, from time to time, want to brief me, without asking for money. I think Obama might want to invite me to a meeting of people from Berkeley or Northern California or the tech industry, or academia, or any number of my other affiliations (Bronx Science alumni?) where people put their minds together and think about ways to co-create a new America.  

The primaries are over and he won. There's one more hurdle and he'll be President. Yes, he's got my vote. He probably will get my full $2300. Does he want anything more? My guess is that honestly, no more than Clinton or Bush did. Sorry to say, but that's how it seems to me. Still a little time to turn it around. But the voter as ATM thing is wearing pretty thin. 

PS: ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. Someday soon some kid will ask "What's a teller?" 

PPS: I had the same epiphany about public radio in 2003.