Decision Virginia has moved

Decision Virginia has moved. Check us out now at DecisionVirginia.com.

Also if you link to DV please switch your link to: http://nbc12.typepad.com/decisionvirginia/

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This site will remain live, serving as an archive of our coverage from August 2008- July 2012.

Obama launches mobile app

It is a digital age and there are few campaigns as tech savvy as Obama for America. The president’s re-election team has taken that effort to new heights with the launch of a new mobile phone application that will put volunteer coordination and campaign spin in the hands of anyone interested.

“We designed our new app to help break down the distinction between online and offline organizing,” said Stephanie Cutter, the Deputy Campaign Manager. “Giving every supporter the same opportunities to get involved that they would find in a field office.”

The app is already available for iPhone on the Obama website. The site says that an andrioid version will be available soon. The app features simple navigation among 5 different tabs. Each tab offers an Obama supporter specific information about campaign activities and the candidate’s stance on the most important issues of the day. Within each category the app offers more options depending on what the voter is interested in. For instance on this “Issues” tab a prospective voter can get detailed information about the most talked about topics of the campaign. It also sets the record straight on what the campaign considers misconceptions about the Obama record.

For volunteers looking to get heavily involved in the campaign the app provides up to the minute information about canvassing opportunities, phone banks and other ways to get the vote out. Like most mobile apps, the software can determine your exact location. That feature allows the app to tailor GOTV efforts to wherever the user may be.

It also allows the person to RSVP to the events with one click.

The app though is not confined to itself. It syncs directly to a variety of social media and digital communication tools like facebook, twitter email and SMS.

Among the features the campaign is touting:

• Find and RSVP for events using a full, detailed map that makes it easy to share with friends;
• Connect to hotlines for reporting voting issues and abuse when we get near Election Day – a tool that will be especially helpful for people in states with new voter ID laws;
• Join Dashboard, the campaign’s other cutting-edge organizing tool that connects folks neighborhood by neighborhood;
• Access information on issues as they speak with voters, including localized information on how President Obama’s policies have benefited families in their state;
• Canvass their neighborhood, entering feedback and responses in real time; and
• Access direct links to donate to the campaign

Of course volunteer opportunities and campaign spin is helpful, but money drives the machine and there is a place to contribute as well. One click of the donor button brings you to a page that can quickly accept your donation of just about any level.

The campaign is expected to go full launch with the application this week. They already have a page set up on their web site which includes a “how-to” video and links directly to the app store of your choice to download it directly to your phone.

The download is free.

The Romney campaign already has two mobile applications. One is designed to track the candidate’s search for a running mate the other is a photo app called “With Mitt“. The latter caused the campaign a bit of a problem a few weeks ago because one of the images on the app misspelled “America”.

UPDATE:

Apparently when I came across the Romney VP app last night it hadn’t “officially” been launched. This morning several stories about it’s features are out as both campaigns battle for the mobile digital space.

Decision Virginia is moving..

After close to four years and only one or two design changes, Decision Virginia is moving to a new cyber home. Starting Wednesday August 1st, this wordpress site will only serve as an archive of our old posts and we will begin posting new political content to our brand new Decision Virginia site.

The new site is more closely integrated with the existing NBC12.com site and offers us some exciting options that we currently don’t have on this platform.  We have already started cross posting at the new site so you can check it out right now!

The new site is live at http://nbc12.typepad.com/decisionvirginia. 

Starting Wednesday the site will also be reached at http://nbc12.com/decisionvirginia & http://DecisionVirginia.com.

If you subscribe to the Decision Virginia RSS feed that can now be found at http://nbc12.typepad.com/decisionvirginia/atom.xml.

Finally, if you are looking for content from July 31, 2012 and later, this site will remain as is. We will still cross post our content on here through Tuesday night at midnight as we make the move.  

I sincerly appreciate your continued readership and am hopeful this transition will be a smooth one. 

 

McDonnell and Jindal in Iowa

Governor Bob McDonnell makes calls on behalf of Mitt Romney in Iowa. He is joined by a fellow VP prospect, LA Governor Bobby Jindal.
(from the Governor’s facebook page)

The “build that” battle heats up

Governor Bob McDonnell still won’t talk about his prospects, but Wednesday he started a two day run on behalf of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

McDonnell joined two local business owners to keep up a chorus of attacks over a line in President Barack Obama‘s speech in Roanoke earlier in the month.  The attacks have been so fierce that the president himself responded to them directly in a TV ad.

At a local small business, McDonnell was joined by two local business owners who claimed they were offended by the comments.

But the Obama campaign is not just allowing the attacks to go unanswered.

Here is my report for NBC12:

  It was one line in a speech delivered by president obama here in Virginia and it has quickly become a key battle point in the presidential election.

 The president was talking about the importance of the government’s role in creating and helping businesses survive. But his remarks have offended some small business owners and the Romney campaign is seizing on the opportunity.

 It was one line that has transformed into a campaign slogan for Mitt Romney.

 ”If you got a business,” Obama said in Roanoke.  “You didn’t build that.”

You didn’t build that, has become “we did build it” and on a banner behind a Governor Bob McDonnell at a Romney event in Richmond. 

“This is a president and an administration that is out of touch, out of ideas and as far as I am concerned out of time,” McDonnell said.

The president has personally responded to the attack line with a new campaign ad.

“Those ads taking my words about small business out of context;” Obama says speaking directly to the camera, “They’re flat out wrong.”

But, local business owner Melissa Ball, said reading the entire speech, made her even more upset.

“The one phrase wasn’t even as bad as the whole together,” she said.  

Democrats counter that Ball is the perfect example of a business owner who has directly benefited from government help.

“The recovery act helped some small business get access to capital,” among other things, pointed out Obama supporter Del. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond)

read and see the full story on NBC12.com

 Meanwhile, McDonnell heads to Iowa tomorrow along with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Both are considered contenders in the VP stakes.

McDonnell won’t talk about VP prospects

Despite my best efforts, Governor Bob McDonnell refused to entertain any notion of his prospects as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney.

The Governor was hosting an event Wednesday for Romney at a Richmond small business. He is headed to Iowa on Romney’s behalf on Thursday.

He did make a few jokes, perhaps hinted at a future presidential run, but flatly refused to talk about any role he may play on the GOP 2012 ticket.

Here is our exchange:

But we did learn that he thinks Iowa has nice cows this time of year.

Buying A Voice: Restore our Future

Many of the ads you see supporting republican candidate for president Mitt Romney or hammering president Barack Obama come from committees that raise big bucks, but aren’t officially part of the campaign.

One of them is the group “Restore our Future”. They have already spent close to $54 million dollars in 2012.

One of their ads running in Virginia picks up on a claim President Obama made during a White House briefing. The president said the private sector was “doing fine”. It accuses the president of being out of touch, for claiming the private sector did not need help.

You can see the ad below:

So who is “Restore Our Future?”

They are a “Super Pac” with the ability to raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash in support of candidates legally. Something they have done incredibly well to this point.

“Restore Our Future” has spent a little more than $53 million, all to help the presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

The bulk of their spending, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, has been to hit republicans. They have spent more than $39 million used to attack Romney’s primary opponents.

Now they are focused on the president, investing close to $7.5 million on ads like the “doing fine” ad, attacking his record.

“Restore Our Future” has picked up big donations. From a relatively small group of donors, among them is Las Vegas tycoon billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miram.  According to the NY Times the two have collectively they have invested $10 million dollars in “Restore Our Future”.

But that is actual a small part of the Adelson’s contribution to the 2012 campaign. Up until Romney secured the primary the two invested heavily in his opponent Newt Gingrich. Their total spending has been a whopping $35 million dollars, so far.

Adelson is not the only big money donor. Restore Our Future has also picked up checks of $3 million dollars from Texas housing billionaire Bob Perry, and $1 million from New York hedge fund manager John Paulson.

All told, Restore Our Future’s piggy bank has raked in close to $60 million dollars, and there is still three months to go before Election Day.

————————–

Here is where we got our information:

*The Center for Responsive Politics has the list of Restore our Future’s known donors.

*The Center for Responsive Politics has a breakdown of how Restore Our Future has spent it’s cash.

*The NY Times reports on the donation given by the Adelson family.

*Restore Our Future’s web site can be found here.