In the summer of Astroturf, handwrite your postcards?

A former student of mine interned for a U.S. senator this summer, which POLITICO.com calls "the summer of Astroturf." He wrote:

I found that interest groups would be wise to direct their members to handwrite their messages. That was one characteristic that could take your note to the Senator's desk or earn the constituent a call back from the Senator.

The POLITICO story gives some recent examples of Astroturf ...

The summer of Astroturf—and of accusations of Astroturf—hasn’t been limited to health care. In the single most egregious incident, Bonner & Associates, a lobbying firm, forged the signatures of local ethnic and senior citizens organizations under letters opposing a bill to regulate greenhouse gases. In another, the chairman of the American Conservative Union appeared to ask for cash in exchange for taking sides in a dispute between FedEx and UPS carriers. And the New York Times reported this week that the coal industry has taken to busing its employees, on company time, to raucous rallies against the climate legislation.

... which in this instance is of course not the stuff on which you play football, but rather is faked grassroots activity. As a University of Texas political terms glossary defines it,

The term ‘grassroots movement’ implies a broad based, deeply rooted sentiment and action among the populace. An astroturf campaign, by comparison, is artificial—i.e., it may look like the real thing, but it is orchestrated and directed by a few well-placed interest groups. In a democratic system, grass roots support is an essential legitimizing force, so political and corporate economic campaigns often subsidize or even manufacture the appearance of grass roots activity to advance particular interests. Thus, the creation of the appearance of grass roots support has gained its own label: astro turfing.

Notes to my POLS 235 students:

1. This is a good example of the Astroturf concept from your "Kingdon Summary" reading in Unit 2.


2. It's completely acceptable to write a post for your own blog, as I've done here, and then post it on the class blog. Be sure to post the whole thing on the class blog, not just a link to the post on your own blog.