Campaign email support
 

This years election will be influenced by the internet more than ever before.
One of the ways it will be influenced, is by the candidates supporters, circulating emails. And because these are not officially sanctioned by the parties, candidates or campaign committees, they are no holds barred.

During the primaries, probably 80% were vicious attacks of Hillary, and the rest evenly divided less vicious jabs at Obama & McCain.
Now they are mostly anti-Obama, like this one I got today.

http://cellar.org/2008/email.jpg

I usually just delete these emails, unless they are particularly funny and not mean spirited, but those are rare as hen's teeth.
I have to wonder if all this activity is just ordinary citizens doing their thing in support of their chosen candidate, or is it more organized than that?

My mom is convinced Obama is a secret Muslim, at least partially because of the emails.

I would say both. Probably all citizens doing their thing in support of their chosen candidate but some will work for that chosen candidate and some won't. Stupid either way but that's politics.

I agree it may be a bit of both. But I don't believe the parent organizations of McCain or Obama are doing it directly. I think both sides have rabid supporters who are doing it and enough lower level operatives that join it so it looks more organized then it is.

Think about all the glurgey emails you get about puppies and kittens and God. I think people send these of their own accord. Which leads me to believe these are probably made up by "civilian" supporters of the candidates, then grow legs according to merit.

I'm not sure whether I would consider the above political though. It's the sort of photo that would be given a caption on one of our comedy news shows. To me it's not about immigration or aren't-black-people-funny and more about someone getting "famous" and suddenly being deluged with poor relations. It would work as well if it was a photo of white people squeezing into a phone box - John McCain's relatives suddenly eager to come over for tea. Okay not that funny, but I'm not the one sending it round the internet :)