Obama Telemarketers Armed with FISA Talking Points

Matt Stoller got a call from an Obama telemarketer. When he brought up the FISA issue, the caller was armed with talking points designed to smooth over Obama's position.

This is significant on a few levels. First, I think this is first-hand evidence that Obama's money crunch is real and is being impacted by his moving to the center on FISA and Iraq. In other words, it's not just the netroots. The Obama campaign wouldn't target a call like this to the netroots, because of the extreme likelihood that it would be blogged. It's likely that this is their general telemarketing script, and FISA pops enough as an issue with Obama's wide universe of donors to be included. That means, as Soren has written, that Obama may actually be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

It's also interesting that Obama is using telemarketing, usually the least efficient form of direct to market fundraising. Though he has to have used it at some other point in the campaign, I'm sure there was a great hope that the transition to online would obviate the need for more expensive fundraising techniques like mail and phones. This is also the first time I've heard of someone reporting an Obama telemarketing call. So, it looks like they're trying to squeeze out cash any way they can.

Combine that with the David Plouffe video, and the fact that Obama is actually holding back on ad spending (getting outspent by McCain three to one), and we can start to come to certain conclusions.