Obama Emails: "Creepy," "Weird," and "Desperate"?

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The Obama campaign is taking a hit because of emails that some consider strange and "increasingly weird" and "desperate."  Business Insider is criticizing the Democrats' fundraising emails for their strong language:

  • "When you get knocked down, get up. There's no quit in America. There's nothing we can't do." (Joe Biden)
  • "We've gotta close the gap and fight back before it's too late." (James Carville)
  • "I don't have as much time to campaign this time as I did in 2008, so this whole thing is riding on you making it happen." (President Obama)

In an email that Business Insider calls "the creepiest yet," the campaign uses a very casual tone and invites donors to enter for a chance to meet the president and shoot some hoops. 

Obama email

This isn't the first time Obama's emails have been criticized. Jon Stewart lambasted the campaign on The Daily Show, calling the tone in emails "fake familiarity." 

A recent Romney email also was criticized. Before he announced his VP running mate, Romney sent an email teasing supporters with the name of his VP pick. The subject line was "My Vice President," but the email didn't reveal Paul Ryan's name: 

Romney VP email
Discussion Starters:

  • How do you assess President Obama's emails: would you call them creepy, effective, or something else?
  • How effective do you think Romney's email was in raising money? What reaction would you have to the message?