Tweet bomb into MN06 for Independent John Denney

Watch the brilliant John Denny, Independent running in Michelle Bachman's seat: http://t.co/fnQ8kGXIw4
— Lessig (@lessig) October 22, 2014

Tweet bombing for Congressional candidates

At the start of the weekend before New Hampshire's September 9th primary, I tweeted to MAYDAY supporters a link to this: Let's tweet bomb into New Hampshire for Jim Rubens. There were over 600 page views of that link, most of which occurred prior to the Tuesday primary.

I personally sent a couple of hundred tweets (in the form I suggested) to followers of @NHGOP on twitter. I got both retweets and also flak complaining about my tweets being spamming. On balance, I think the positives of my tweeting outweighed the negatives.

I did not become aware that any other MAYDAY supporters took up my tactic and sent their own tweets into New Hampshire.

There are 27 days left until Election Day. This is extremely valuable time to capitalize on the public's attention to electoral political matters.

I think "tweet bombing" is an excellent way to publicize MAYDAY and publicize Congressional candidates who want to advance MAYDAY's goal. These can be the Congressional candidates MAYDAY is expressly supporting, as well as candidates MAYDAY supporters identify as being meritorious of their support.

Everything done now to publicize MAYDAY can help looking towards 2016.

The tweet message can be very simple, such as:

#[appropriate hashtag] Support MAYDAY.US. On Nov. 4th, vote for ______ in the ________ Congressional district election. https://mayday.us/

I think "tweet bombing" can be more effective if MAYDAY supporters do it in an organized way.

Please tweet me or email me at rdshattuck@gmail.com if you would like to join with me in doing "tweet bombing" for Congressional candidates in the run up to Election Day.

Thank you.

Tweet bombing into CA35 for Christina Gagnier?

The MAYDAY Facebook Group posted a link to a HuffPost article written by Christina Gagnier, who is a Congressional candidate in the California 35th Congressional district. MAYDAY supporters should give consideration to tweet bombing into CA35 for Christina Gagnier.

Rohan Siddhanti

September 29 at 9:21am · Boston, MA

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-gagnier/money-in-politics-an-issu_b_5635378.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Money in Politics an Issue for Youth Vote

Over the past six months, I have had the opportunity to talk to people of all ages and backgrounds as I run to serve in Congress. While jobs and the economy are always top of mind, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with elected officials and the...

HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

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From: Rob Shattuck <rdshattuck@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 5:44 PM
Subject: Tweet bombing into CA35 by MAYDAY supporters
To: team@christinagagnier.com

Dear Team Christina Gagnier,

I am a MAYDAY supporter

I have been endeavoring to organize "tweet bombing" by MAYDAY supporters into Congressional districts to help candidates who show commitment to advance MAYDAY's goals. 

You can get a summary of what I have done thus far at this link: Status report on MAYDAY supporters' activities

As the link indicates, I personally have done tweeting, but I have not yet gotten other MAYDAY supporters also to do tweeting (to my knowledge).

I will contact you again if I am able to get more activity going. Please feel free to offer any suggestions you have about this.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Rob Shattuck

Write in candidate

Alabama 6th Congressional district

Problems with MAYDAY's Aaron Lifshin

I have been very active on the MAYDAY.US Facebook page.

Today, I received the below FB message from Aaron Lifshin.

Due to repeated and continued self promotion, we have decided to ban you from commenting on the Mayday.US Facebook page. I asked you not to do that in the group, and you moved to our other forum to continue doing so. Let me remind you once again that Mayday.US is not a vehicle for the self-promotion of your candidacy. Please do not use the Mayday brand for your own purposes.

I find Aaron's reaction to what I have been doing ridiculous and pathetic. I hope you will complain to MAYDAY.US about this.

Thank you.


Update 10/8

I sent an email to Professor Lessig related to the above situation. I don't know what the outcome of this will be and whether I will be allowed to post on the MAYDAY websites or not. There are 27 days left until Election Day, and this is valuable time to capitalize on the public's attention to electoral political matters. I will proceed as best I can under the circumstances as they may be.

Below is my email to Professor Lessig:

From: Rob Shattuck <rdshattuck@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Subject: My reply
To: Lawrence Lessig 

Dear Professor Lessig,

I appreciate that I am able to send you this reply.

I thought what I was trying to advocate and promote in The MAYDAY Supporters Blog was worthwhile and of value to MAYDAY.

There seem two possibilities.  

One possibility was I was badly mistaken in thinking that.

The other possibility is that, while what I was trying to advocate is worthwhile for MAYDAY, a determination was made that I am incapable of engaging in an acceptable way about the same with other MAYDAY supporters.

Things I advocated included (i) MAYDAY supporters "tweet bombing" into Congressional districts for candidates MAYDAY has selected to support, as well as for other candidates MAYDAY supporters deemed worthy of support (I believe you retweeted my NH/Jim Rubens "tweet bombing" tweet, so I would have to assume that you thought that was a meritorious idea), (ii) MAYDAY supporters trying to get their local colleges and universities to hold symposiums before November 4th, (iii) MAYDAY supporters jumping into Congressional races as write in candidates, (iv) MAYDAY supporters trying to appeal to their local chambers of commerce (to try to play on the fact that the business community has its own concerns about a "broken" Congress), and (v) MAYDAY supporters engaging with Congressional candidates to draw them out or firm them up or change their views regarding CFR.

In making the foregoing advocacy, I endeavored to "lead by example." Also, I believed, if one had a "track record" which gave some "cred", that too should be used to be more effective in persuading MAYDAY supporters to do the things that were being advocated and to be more effective with purveying messages to voters.

I started The MAYDAY Supporters Blog after the MAYDAY Facebook Group made clear that it wanted to limit itself to internal discussion by members of the Group and did not want to aim efforts and activities out towards voters at large and did not want to interface with candidates.

You know as well as anyone that to make headway in advocacy requires advocates who strenuously and persistently put themselves forward to make the advocacy. 

In some cases, that can be viewed by targets of the advocacy as "self-promotion."

I have been endeavoring to put forth my advocacy forcefully. Apparently, those who have complained saw mainly "self-promotion" and did not give much thought to exactly what is needed for advocacy to be effective.

If what I have been advocating is worthwhile and of value to MAYDAY, I would be more than happy to discuss how to make advocacy that both tries to be effective and at the same time is not viewed as unacceptable "self-promotion." If there is anyone I can discuss this with at MAYDAY, just give me a name and I will proceed to discuss.

If you think no such discussion is possible, well, I guess that's the way it is, and I'll have to find a plan B (or no plan at all).

Thank you very much for whatever attention you give to this reply.

Sincerely,

Rob