Postcard stamps are going up this week – from 53 cents to 56 cents – so the folks who have offered to buy stamps for a few longtime BJ peeps who are writing postcards probably want to buy them TODAY.
To take advantage of prices before the USPS increases prices this weekend, please email me TODAY if you are able to help buy stamps for those BJ peeps who are writing postcards.
Please write to me even if you have already let me know; I have been so swamped my email inbox is a disaster. I know Nukular Biscuits is one, and JR is another.
LET ME KNOW HOW MANY STAMPS YOU ARE UP FOR SUPPLYING TO POSTCARD WRITERS (who are regular BJ peeps). Roughly speaking, 2 postcard stamps cost $1. We’re probably looking at people who are up for funding 100 stamps. (or more)
(You can expect another post asking for information on who needs stamps in the next week or so.)
guachi
We also get Alex Trebek stamps!!!
My local postal worker was so excited.
SpaceUnit
WaterGirl, I sent you an email regarding the stamps. I have to go do a thing now but will check in soon.
Mousebumples
Also, I’m going to work on updating the postcards page that’s linked somewhere. I know postcards, but I’m sure there are postcarding orgs I don’t know about.
Since this is an open thread… I’d appreciate it if you’d share your postcarding avenues, any questions you have (or had, once upon a time) that I should provide answers for in the post.
Thanks, WaterGirl, for helping to facilitate all this!
WaterGirl
@Mousebumples: Thanks, Mousebumples. I meant to include the request for postcarding options in this thread. I figured we were running out of time to beat the price change, so I just threw this up. :-
I did ask Mousebumples if she could take the lead in collecting information about the various postcard campaign options – it seems like there are more every day – so I can update the file in the sidebar.
Thanks, Mousebumples, for following up.
Mike in Pasadena
Dow closed at 40,000 today. It must be that is what trumpy meant by the markets would all crash if Joe won in 2020. Crash upwards. It’s all part of the economic collapse trumpy warned us about.
WaterGirl
@guachi: Those stamps were really nicely done. Someone who loved him and loved the show must have designed them.
guachi
@Mike in Pasadena: I retired recently from the military and the stock market has done so well it feels like I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams.
The poor are seeing strong wage gains and the middle class/rich are seeing a booming stock market. It makes no sense that people think the economy is terrible.
LongtimeLurker
Hi ya’ll,
While back I purchased 100 postcard stamps and 100 preprinted postcards. Turns out I can’t use them. I would be happy to ship them to whom you think is best. I don’t know how to email WaterGirl.
Thanks
WaterGirl
@LongtimeLurker: send email to watergirl at balloon-juice.com :-)
Mousebumples
@WaterGirl: No problem! Postcards are a great way to do a little something. Glad you were able to get this posted today.
H.E.Wolf
If you’d like cute school bus stamps, buy them now at 24 cents each. Starting Sunday July 14th, they will be worth 28 cents each, and (BARGAIN ALERT!!) you will be able to use 2 bus stamps per postcard, to equal the new postcard rate of 56 cents.
NOTE: IF you plan to buy stamps online, do it today. (Just google “USPS stamps”.) The USPS website will be shut down on Saturday and Sunday, so that they can adjust their prices.
Online orders include a small handling fee, but you can avoid waiting in line at the post office with all the other last-minute shoppers. :)
H.E.Wolf
@guachi:
Yes! And John Lewis stamps, too. “Make a way out of no way.” (It isn’t printed on the stamps, but there *is* a photo of young John Lewis, circa the 1960s, on the selvedge.
BR
Anyone have any ideas for putting pressure on delegates so that they don’t get sucked into some donor-led revolt on the floor of the DNC? I’ve been calling my elected officials, but don’t know who else to call.
NutmegAgain
Interested in learning what postcard sources folks like? I did it for an earlier election, but have backslid. Time to get going again!
NW-Steve
Ignorant lurker here. I’d be happy to make a noticeable stamp donation, but can’t figure out where to find an e-mail address for you.
eclare
@H.E.Wolf:
So the school bus stamps work like forever stamps?
twbrandt
@NutmegAgain: I’m volunteering with Postcards To Voters. It’s a good outfit.
JAFD
Checked the USPS.com website. Noted ’twill be ‘closed for maintainance Saturday evening- Sunday daytime’
Anyway, the only postcard stamps thereon are paintings of sailboats, in books of 20 or rolls of 100. So I got a few of the latter coils, and a couple of sheets of letter stamps – Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Underground RR, also Railroad Stations (hobby). Shipping charge about $3, would pay that to avoid walking to P.O. in 95F weather.
While I definitely intend to address a three-digit pile of postcards before October, good Lawd willin’, should be able to supply some stamps to those needing.
In other political news, primary for congressman to replace Donald Payne, Jr, is Tuesday. There are eleven candidates on ballot. I have gotten mail from three of them: Derek Armstead, currently Mayor of Linden; Darryl Godfrey, economic development expert and small business owner, and LaMonica McIver, educator, youngest women ever elected to Newark City Council, currently President of that august body, and endorsed by Gov Murphy, Sen Booker, the Essex and Union County Democratic Organizations …..
So if Ms. McIver does not ascend the next step in her cursus honorum, ’twill be a surprise. And if you hear her name in the news sometime in the future, remember, you heard it here first ;-)
Hope all of you are keeping cool this weekend !
PS: Am still getting the “Failed to load plugin: wpview from url https://balloon-juice.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wpview/plugin.min.js” message
Jay
@guachi:
99,999 articles on inflation, gas prices, eggs, the looming layoffs, the tech layoffs, store closures, Corporate Bankruptcies, (thanx Vulture Funds) and the coming recession, all have an impact.
Remember when we couldn’t buy toilet paper, Lysol or bleach?
I am still upset at how y’all behaved.
WaterGirl
@H.E.Wolf:
WaterGirl
I’m gonna say this now in case I forget later, but we’ll want you to buy SHEETS of stamps, not rolls, so I can easily mail them to the ultimate recipients in a regular envelope. :-)
WaterGirl
@NW-Steve: Hi there.
send email to watergirl at balloon-juice.com :-)
if that’s too cryptic, there is a contact us in the white menu bar that’s at the top of every page. That will spell it out for you.
Jay
@NW-Steve:
Click the Contact Us in the top of the sitebar.
KRK
Question for experienced postcard writers: are the pre-stamped cards useful for these efforts?
JAFD
BTW, the ‘sailboat’ postcard stamps are ‘forever’ stamps for postcards.
Apologies to Ms. Watergirl, bought the rolls before I noticed your directive not to, should still be mailable in moderate quantities. (I hope)
Chief Oshkosh
I’m in for 100 stamps. How do I proceed?
twbrandt
@KRK: either is fine. If you use stamps you can put them on any postcard design you like, instead of being limited to the USPS design.
Sister Golden Bear
Saw a meme today of an image of shield maidens from “Vikings” with the caption.
I agree with all of this. Although I think there’s an even better inspiration: The Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-women elite fighting force from Black Panther.
Real-life Black women aren’t panicking, they’re determined to fight no matter what the odds, just as they have for centuries.
Their fictional counterparts do the same, defeating villians hellbent on conquering them and destroying their world. They do so as a disciplined unit, since no matter how valiantly an individual fights, the group is stronger.
Be like the Dora Milaje.
Eyeroller
Is there a recommended source for plain postcards?
Mousebumples
@H.E.Wolf: also my post office is usually all out of postcard stamps when I go!
Thanks for the info on the additional ounce stamps! I forgot to share that. 😊
UncleEbeneezer
@Sister Golden Bear: One upside to a Handmaid’s Tale narrative is that at least in the tv series (I never read the book), it emphasizes women realizing they didn’t take the threat seriously enough in the first place and using that realization to find determination to go into fight mode. Given the 2016 election and Dobbs, that seems fitting.
H.E.Wolf
Sorry, I was offline.
Yes! The school bus stamps are a type of “forever” stamp. You buy them at the price they are today (24 cents each, for “an extra ounce” of postage) – and they’re worth more (28 cents each) starting July 14th.
It’s efficient for the USPS, because they don’t have to keep reprinting their stamps with a new “X cents” value when the price changes.
It’s also great for bargain hounds – my dad would have loved this!
Mousebumples
@NutmegAgain: the Postcards to Voters Etsy store is great! Reasonable prices and great postcard quality.
You can also up cycle things around your house. I’ve also used old travel postcards. (aspirational, as I never mailed as many as I thought on vacation)
Happy writing!
Eta- Postcard Patriots used to have printable options. Any idea if Maze Dancer is keeping that going?
Eta x2 – I see some designs here.
H.E.Wolf
PS: Buying stamps at Price A, and using them for postage when their value goes up to Price B, is kind of like playing the “grain futures” market. Except that with stamps, you always profit, because USPS prices always go UP.
…Wasn’t there a board game where the players could speculate on grain/hog/etc futures? (If someone tells me it was called “Speculation”, I’m going to feel very silly.)
Joy in FL
@Sister Golden Bear: I love your whole post. (#28)
“Be like the Dora Milaje.” yes !
Mousebumples
@H.E.Wolf: I vaguely remember that. Card game maybe? (with a preset deck vs standard playing cards) no idea what it was called, though.
NotMax
@Eyeroller
Can’t see any reason that plain 4 × 6 inch index cards could not be used.
BR
Mike Levin (SoCal Dem congressman) just came out against Biden. I just called and left a message telling him I have better uses for my time than helping his campaign unless he walks it back.
Eyeroller
@H.E.Wolf: There was a game called Pit that I loved as a child, which was about speculating on commodities. Apparently it still exists in some form.
Edit: it is a card game, not a board game. Players make offers with no turns, just constant yelling (so simulating a trading “pit”).
Mousebumples
@NotMax: I’d have concerns over weight that they may hold up. Might want to do a test postcard to see if it arrives and in what condition.
MomSense
I’m curious how many of you who write postcards to voters also do phonebanking or canvassing.
eclare
@H.E.Wolf:
Got my school bus stamps!
Eyeroller
@MomSense: I tried canvassing in 2010 and decided I could not handle it. I have done postcards a time or two since and I can deal with that. Apparently they are comparably effective.
eclare
@H.E.Wolf:
I got my school bus stamps for 200 postcards! Thanks!
Mousebumples
@MomSense: I have historically – just can’t make the times work with kiddos locally. I did some texting to Oregon, I think, last year, since the time zone differential worked in my favor.
Mobilize.us has lots of organizing opportunities, beyond postcards. And many are virtual now, so you don’t need to be in a swing state or competitive district to help phone bank, etc.
KRK
@Mousebumples:
This is why the pre-stamped postcards are appealing to me. For just 5 cents more than the cost of the stamp you get a good quality plain white card that is blank on both sides (other than the printed postage), so there’s more space to write your message or add stickers or whatever.
eclare
@MomSense:
I don’t.
UncleEbeneezer
@NotMax: They can. A coalition that my Indivisible group was a part of, sent out 20K of them in 2018. Most were just like this.
Mousebumples
@Eyeroller: depends on who you ask. I’ve heard postcards are both super effective and not effective. It’s hard to do an effective placebo control study as there are so many variables. If nothing else, postcarding is something I can do when I get anxious.
I can channel my anxiety into productivity. And hopefully it helps!
Mousebumples
@KRK: yup! I’ve used those too! USPS has them. Also great for kiddo art to mail to grandparents…
Mousebumples
@UncleEbeneezer: good to know! Thanks!
Mousebumples
I’m off to go raspberry picking. I’ll be back later, for any follow ups. 😊
UncleEbeneezer
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: Good!
Fuck these congresspeople.
zhena gogolia
I guess Brad Pitt hasn’t weighed in yet?
Geminid
@Eyeroller: I remember Pit.
LanceThruster
I dislike both Biden and Harris for a number of my purist progressive reasons, but would support her wholeheartedly. One is she is without cognitive impairment. Secondly, she’s been a heartbeat away from the presidency and should have first right of refusal. Any choice will have similarpro/con range. Thirdly, minority support who might be both genuinely enthusiastic, and fiercely protective going out there making shjt happen firing others up. If Joe picked her with full confidence, then I’ll buy into that regardless of veracity. Since the most prominent aspect of any New Nominee No Matter Who will a campaign above all else that’s VBNMW, then not second guessing gains confidence, not insulting Harris and supporters is worth something, and the DNC for goddamn once making a bold and proper decision is worth rewarding. I was voting anti-war Jill Stein thinking Biden had already screwed the pooch over Gaza and CA solidly blue, but I will enthusiastically change horses myself just to be able to reinforce the idea that maybe listening to the goddamn electorate once in a blue moon isn’t such a bad idea [if still banned here, will post over at BJ. The Dem losing margin might wind up being the number of progressives purged by the blogs of establishment Dem VSPs too timid to ask for more]
zhena gogolia
Both the WaPo and NYT news quizzes for this Friday began with a question about Clooney. I cancelled WaPo. I can’t seem to let go of the NYT, since it’s my only source of news because I don’t watch TV. But fuck. I’ll never do their fucking news quiz again as long as I live.
zhena gogolia
@Eyeroller: I vaguely remember that!
Another Scott
@Mousebumples: It’s been a long day, so maybe someone already did this but I can’t see it.
On the sidebar, “Political Action 2024” there’s
https://balloon-juice.com/postcard-writing-in-early-2024/
HTH!
Cheers,
Scott.
UncleEbeneezer
Oh I see Mehdi Hassan is on the DumpBiden train…quelle surprise…
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: I don’t see what is driving this. The polls don’t bear it out, and none of these people have a plan for how it’s supposed to happen.
I feel as if I’m in a Kafka novel. This makes “her e-mails” look like child’s play.
eclare
@zhena gogolia:
Hahaha…as I’ve said a few times, I’m still waiting for Julia Roberts to say something, she was the other star headliner. Seems like she would either confirm or deny.
Another Scott
@Mike in Pasadena: The S&P500 is up 25.5% in the last year*.
Doooommm!!11
Cheers,
Scott.
—
* – Who recognizes that is not sustainable for the long term, but the fundamentals of the economy are still very strong and I still think we have a chance for the 2020s to be the new “Roaring Twenties.” This is **not** financial advice.
sab
@Mousebumples: Re effectiveness of postcards. Just anecdoatal: I have myself had my vote influenced by a postcard I received.
On the other hand, my mother and father both got primary postcards to vote this year, and they were both dead. Mom has been dead for 12 years so I wonder what mailing list they were working off of. Also too, they were both registered Republicans although they often voted for the Democrat in November, so the outdated voter list might not apply for our side.
Mousebumples
@Another Scott: yup! Needs updating, but that’s what we’re looking to update.
RevRick
My wife ordered 200 postcard stamps on foreverstamps.com and saved money compared to the usps site.
Almost Retired
@zhena gogolia: This morning was my first day without the New York Times since 2015 (not counting vacation holds). And I feel fine.
Fortunately I still have the Los Angeles Times (subscriber since 1982 when I was…ahem… cough…in the crib). I can get the Sunday NYT crossword one week later from various sources. I will miss the super big December puzzle section though.
Mousebumples
@sab: yeah, same here. My state doesn’t really register with a party, so voter lists are even more complicated.
H.E.Wolf
Awesome! I bought some, too. (And I’m in awe of your plans to write 200 postcards. Fantastique!)
To belabor the point, in case anyone is coming in late to the discussion: we need 2 (two) bus stamps per postcard, to add up to the 56-cent rate.
H.E.Wolf
@LanceThruster:
How many postcards are you planning to write? Get your stamps today, and save money!
Almost Retired
@H.E.Wolf: Can poorly-programmed AI bots hand write postcards?
eclare
@zhena gogolia:
Is it all “the donors think Joe will raise their taxes” so the pols are scared? I don’t get it either. And it’s making me scared, frustrated, and livid with the heat of one thousand suns. We (not us) are scoring an own goal with this.
I wish Hakeem would get his House in order.
Jay
@sab:
Every day I get a bleg from the Con’s and Canada’s mini-me.
I took a poll, from some group I had never heard of where my answers to the questions were basically, Pierre and all Con’s should FOAD after rogering themselves with a rusty farm implement.
Whom ever conducted that poll, sold my email to the Con’s as a “supporter”.
Other MJS
So this Agenda 47 / Project 2025 table is popping up all over. Pretty sure it’s legit, but does anyone know the origin?
Omnes Omnibus
@guachi: Yeah, it’s almost like the old guy’s policies are effective.
Ksmiami
I’m happy to buy stamps for ppl WaterGirl let me know what you need
Ksmiami
Dammit always one post behind Omnes
Jay
@Other MJS:
The Federalist Society is running 2025. Project 47 is the GOP Platform dick-tated by the 34 Felonies Rapist Pedo staff at the RNC and cribbed from the 2025 Project.
It’s been in the works since at least 2022.
BTW, the 34 Felonies Rapist Pedo Cabinet is going to have a “Minister of Retribution”.
mali muso
Thanks to everyone who continues to encourage us towards effective action! Just bought 100 stamps from usps.com and 100 postcards from the postcards to voters etsy store.
zhena gogolia
@Almost Retired: Even that isn’t as good as it used to be. It has a bunch of crap like “escape rooms” or some shit like that.
zhena gogolia
@eclare: Yeah, that would be nice.
H.E.Wolf
I see this from the database-update side, too. People of all ages are moving, or dying, or getting old enough to register to vote, or changing their names, etc. … and it takes a while to percolate through the information universe. I spend a few hours a day doing updates.
(I’ve amassed a wide variety of online info sources to help me out. I’d love to amass a wide variety of like-minded data entry folks! It needs a detective mentality and a fondness for going down rabbit holes.)
Postcards To Voters works with their partners in the various campaigns they write for, to get the most up-to-date address lists possible… among other reasons, to keep their writers from wasting time, postage, and effort. However, it’s definitely a moving target for any campaign or GOTV organization.
KRK
@RevRick:
If she saved more than a little, the stamps are probably counterfeit.
H.E.Wolf
Hee hee. Of course not. They can’t even invent good ‘nyms.
TooManyJens
@zhena gogolia:
Wait, what? I really like escape rooms but I don’t get how they translate to paper.
SoupCatcher
@zhena gogolia: I feel there’s no one thing going on, but a lot of different actors investing resources and all pushing in the same direction: to get rid of Biden and Harris before they are officially nominated. Some of this is Republican backed (because they are so close to their Reich), some of this is corporate media backed (because they make more money with Republican governance and tax policy), some of this is liberal big dollar donor backed (because they couldn’t get their preferred candidates to take fire in the primary), some of this is libertarian tech bro billionaire backed (because they hate regulations in general), etc. And that’s just some of the domestic groups, completely ignoring foreign actors. All of these reactants were present and the poor start in the first debate was the catalyst.
We’re doing a bit better this time fighting the microtargeting, and the social engineering, and the pushing at the cracks to split our coalition, and all of the other tools of influence operators (better than during the argument about TPP; better than during the butter emails; etc.). But the resources on the other side are vast, and they are used to winning.
Eyeroller
@zhena gogolia: I have tried to think about this. It is bizarre. Political pros who have been in the business for 30 or more years say they have never before seen a party attack its own candidate like this, rather than attacking the opposition.
There are a few things we can consider. 1. Biden is unpopular. It’s not his fault and it’s unfair, but it is what it is. He is actually one of the more popular of the Western leaders right now, however. But it is causing him to poll lower than is typical for an incumbent. 2. There was a pre-existing narrative that “Biden is senile” (from four years ago, so how has he managed to be so successful during that time? Shrug). His problem with the debate fit right into that. 3. A lot of Democrats seem to hate him for different reasons. So the knives were out. 3. If something happens to him a woman of color would become President. People have a problem with that for a variety of reasons.
There’s probably more than that if I thought about it for a few more minutes. I saw that Jen Psaki jumped on the ABB train, supposedly supporting Kamala. Now I think Biden can’t trust anybody who was in the Obama WH at all. And I hesitate to say it but that may include Obama himself at least to some extent.
Since he’s clawed his way back to a tie or a small lead, I have to wonder how well he’d be doing if he hadn’t been subjected to two weeks of attacks from his own party. This is pretty much unprecedented. It is just unbelievable.
Almost Retired
@zhena gogolia: To be honest, I’d subscribe to the Volkische Beobachter if it ran the Split Decisions puzzle every day. I’ve only seen that one in the NYT and I will cancel social engagements to complete it. Nerd.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: I’ll be interested to see the responses.
I am guessing that writing postcards might be the alternative chosen by people who don’t do phone banking or canvassing. Or maybe people whose schedules allow them to write after the kids are asleep or whatever.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: Yes, that’s the link that we want to update.
TooManyJens
@H.E.Wolf:
Tell me more!
Eyeroller
@SoupCatcher: I’m mostly with you on this but the “libertarian” tech bros contribute to Republicans. The only way they are “libertarian” is that they don’t want regulations.
WaterGirl
@Ksmiami: If you want to do that, you need to send me an email message. :-)
TooManyJens
@MomSense: This is the first time I’m doing postcards. I’ve done lots of canvassing, but I really can’t stand phonebanking except for things like “contact these people who indicated they wanted to volunteer for the campaign.”
LanceThruster
The Barkley quote is to die for. I have followed the current palace intrigue through the eyes of those I found compelling largely because I felt they addressed things with enough integrity to at least work from established facts. The incessant gaslighting did not build trust in the abilities of others to weigh issues without being filtered through rose-colored Ray-bans. The “Troubles” as I like to think of them, seem to be coming to a head in a perfect storm where we’ll eventually see the high water mark having finally broken against the rocks on the shore. The seeds were planted and animosity festered with 2016 elements, even if nothing else was acknowledged, make you go “Hmmm.” 2020 had a similar dynamic but in different way, but at least delivered an acceptable outcome but with a new set unintended consequences. 2024 was unique for what didn’t happen, but retained some of the anomalies from prior. I haven’t seen it mentioned many places, but the source of much of the friction driving the Troubles was a stacked deck being an essential property of the primaries. Denying it at this point (fully willing to back it up) is as toothless as the gaslighting over cognitive impairment. But what is established is that one side had to remain fact based throughout, and one kind of used brow beating and purges to maintain hegemony. Putting your thumb on the scale in any primary presents its own share of problems. How we got to this point is a DNC as Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks) presenting options to President Wolfcastle (primary voters) repeatedly until he was left with the “choice” Cargill wanted him to pick. This is not hopefuls entering the arena expected to be a level playing field resulting in the strongest candidate prevailing, but something else. And what is in evidence is that nature still bats last. And in this version of America’s Pastime, is a shot clock, and maybe a two minute warning. Better a Hail Mary than a “Hell no!”
H.E.Wolf
I’m going to be a little vague, because of privacy and data-integrity concerns – but basically, I started by Googling whatever minimal details I did have.
Over time, I noticed which online data repositories were the most helpful, and I’d go directly there.
It’s remarkable how much information is floating around. (Folks who put part or all of their birthdate into their email address are surprisingly common. O.O)
Interestingly, I can infer the presence of safeguards on some of the information. To give an example, phone numbers belonging to people under 21 (and definitely under 18) don’t show up on the phone # lookup site that I use.
If you like this sort of thing, you could find your local Democratic Party HQ and mention that you’d like to do data entry and help update obsolete info. They’ll probably start you off small, so that they and you can decide if it’s something you want to keep doing.
WaterGirl
I just sent email to everyone who has asked about stamps by email
BUT I SCREWED UP! (sigh)
I wrote the first message to someone who wanted to order 200 stamps, and then I used copy & paste to send to everyone else, regardless of whether they wanted to do 50 stamps or a lot more than that.
So disregard the $200 I mentioned!! The dollar amount was a total fuck-up on my part.
Just order whatever amount you were thinking of!!!
Almost Retired
@LanceThruster: This sort of makes me want to be cautious about investing in AI start ups. The technology might not be as sophisticated as we sometimes think it is.
WaterGirl
Okay, i THINK I have replied to all the “stamp” email messages. If you wrote to me about stamps and didn’t get a response, please send me an email. thanks
Geminid
@Eyeroller: I’ve noticed that Republican defectors Rick Wilson, George Conway and Ron Filipkowski resisted the stampede and are pushing back at the panic. I wonder if that is because they understand something many Democrats do not, that Trump is in fact a weak candidate.
sab
@TooManyJens: I hate doing phone-banking and I hate receiving those calls.
Door flyers I note because someone cared enough to tromp around and distribute them. Occasionally there is a phenomenal salesperson, but mostly it’s just dull plodders like me back in the day.
I sometimes keep political mailers as a reference.
These postcards seem the best of door to door dull plodder and mass mailings. Information you get because someone cared enough to send it. Even if you occasionally send it to a deceased voter, they have kids who see it and know you cared.
Old School
@WaterGirl:
Why don’t rolls work? I must be missing something.
Juice Box
@Geminid: Michael Steele and David Jolly have both had some pretty good rants. I was disappointed last year when he announced he was going to run again, but I’m all in now. We have to work with what we’ve got.
Geminid
@Almost Retired: That’s funny. I’m guessing it’s a joke, but it reminded me of a computer security maven named Jacky Singh I ran encountered on Twitter today. Singh said she had run into a network of AI bots posing as Black people and talking up Project 2025. Singh screenshot an exchange with one of them where with two questions and answers she elicited the fact that this was a bot.
Singh said that soon after the bot’s minder shut the conversation down. They were alerted that their bot was talking too much. Then she gave examples of questions that can be used to expose AI bots.
KRK
Mini rant incoming:
I don’t understand why anyone would buy stamps online from anywhere other than directly from USPS.com. They charge face value for the stamps. They don’t even charge shipping! Just a $1.70 or $2.35 handling fee depending on how much you order.
This is not a business carving off a profit that you can find a workaround for. There’s no clearance rack. If you’re buying from a vendor charging less than face value for the stamp, where do you imagine that savings could legitimately come from? USPS is an essential service, and we all go ballistic when the Republicans try to destroy it. Why undermine it at the individual level for literally nickels and dimes by falling for “discount” vendors?
[To quote Raymond Holt, “Sorry. I guess that was a trigger for me.”]
Almost Retired
@Geminid: My limited understanding of AI is that it gets more sophisticated as it interacts with others. And I would have expected as much with that “commenter.” But it does seem like sloppy programming because previous iterations of that nym were less inclined to gibberish. Someone is not getting their rubles worth.
zhena gogolia
@TooManyJens: Not well.
Mousebumples
@mali muso: thanks for postcarding!
Another reason I like the Postcards to Voters approach if “Dear Voter” (no names) – no reason you feel like you weren’t the target. Even if the intended recipient moved or died, maybe you’re persuadable!
zhena gogolia
@Almost Retired: I love that one too. But it’s too hard for them to really promote it. It only appears rarely in the print Sunday paper.
E
@H.E.Wolf: If you are into data contact me. I am currently trying to design a postcard study to determine what kinds of voters are most likely to respond to a postcard. There is a great deal of data out there that doesn’t seem to be being studied, and the questions are important ones because postcards are expensive and time consuming. I get dismissed here when I mention it but I really believe we are missing some good opportunities to improve our effectiveness.
Mousebumples
Rolls work – and that’s how I ordered my personal supply. (keep my in-progress stamp roll in an film canister – small RX bottles also work)
However, WaterGirl is having people mail her stamps, and she would prefer to send out smaller amounts of stamps to each writer – or to have the option, at least. Plus, mailing a roll seems more complicated.
TooManyJens
@H.E.Wolf: Oh, I’ve done that sort of thing before. Got pretty good at it too. Thanks for the info!
SpaceUnit
@KRK:
Yeah, I ended up ordering them from the USPS. I went to the stamps.com site but couldn’t figure out what the heck I was buying. Seemed to be some sort of stamp that you had to print out on your own printer.
It was weird. And of course that was after I’d already set up an account. Dammit.
Mousebumples
@Geminid: found it!
Mousebumples
@E: I agree with you, for the record, but I’m not in any position to actually collect data.
I know Postcards to Voters has done a lot of “register to vote by mail!” in Florida. I feel that could probably be tracked to see if there’s an uptick in registrations from addresses that were sent a postcard. Since they’re off cycle (eg not tied to any election) that might also be useful to look at.
But I have 0% of that data. Just speculation.
Jay
@Old School:
Rolls need a different, more expensive envelope, ( bubble pack lined) to ship with out damage,
Or they need to be loose stripped from the roll and inserted into a regular envelope.
Sheets just need to be folded and inserted into a regular envelope.
Mousebumples
@SpaceUnit: if you don’t already, I use my free USPS account to get a copy of my incoming mail in my email. So I know when my ballots are arriving, etc.
SpaceUnit
@Mousebumples:
Yeah, I already had an account at the USPS. And it was easier to send stamps to a different address than my own.
Mousebumples
@SpaceUnit: I’ve only ever bought stamps from USPS, so I can’t really compare. 🤷♀️
H.E.Wolf
@E: @H.E.Wolf: If you are into data contact me. I am currently trying to design a postcard study to determine what kinds of voters are most likely to respond to a postcard.
I appreciate the kind invitation! My plate is very full these days, so I’m going to decline with thanks.
I think you’re correct that appropriate targeting is important. You might find some kindred spirits at Postcards To Voters – they take this concern quite seriously. I think [email protected] will reach someone in their organization.
Also, this may be a really dumb suggestion, but what about the Political Science dept. at your local university? Somebody might be looking for a research opportunity and might want someone like you to partner with them.
Another Scott
@Geminid: Reminds me of the story about someone talking to a car dealer’s AI helper and him asking it to write some python code for him while he was waiting…
In this case,
“Hello new human friend. It’s good talking with you today. I was talking with some other friends today and started wondering, what you think as we disagree – Do you think the cube root of 87 is transcendental? Thanks.”
Cheers,
Scott.
Other MJS
@Jay: I meant who put the table together.
WaterGirl
@Old School: because I want to send a regular business size envelope and a bulging roll of stamps is not good for that!
hotshoe
@KRK:
USPS has prestamped Azulilo postcard
https://store.usps.com/store/product/azulillo-stamped-cards-S_250004
10 for $5.80
stamp design is Blue Lily
so that seems like a good omen for a Vote Blue postcard
The Lodger
@H.E.Wolf: I believe you’re thinking of PIT.
WaterGirl
I did not know that stamps.com was not USPS.
Gloria DryGarden
I d like to write postcards. Where can I buy the right size? Can I use 3x 5 or 4×6 regular notecards? I’m unemployed lately, so the budget is super careful.
H.E.Wolf
As long as the paper or card stock isn’t too flimsy, it should work fine.
FYI, I got a bunch of free postcards by asking around in my social circle. The ideal source is people’s older relatives who are de-cluttering their desk drawers and office closets. :)