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Political Cards

09 Dec 2002 by

So, Bush and company sent out 1,000,000 Christmas cards this holiday season. But, the best part of the story is how even the selection of the manufacturer of the cards is a political decision. Bush picked Hallmark…

For Hallmark, the order also marked a return from its exile during the Clinton administration, which for eight years turned to the company’s chief rival, American Greetings, to print the White House Christmas cards… During Mr. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, Hallmark gave $110,000 in soft-money donations to the Republican National Committee, and no money to the Democrats… In that same time, the chief executive of American Greetings, Morry Weiss, gave almost as much to the Republican National Committee, $100,000, and also no money to the Democrats - even though American Greetings had lavishly contributed to Democrats when Mr. Clinton was in office.

Ahhh, American Greetings was just $10,000 short. Guess that makes Hallmark an easy decision. Only in America.

31 comments so far (Post a Comment)

12 Dec 2002 | pd said...

Wonder if Michael Moorer will make a movie out of this?

12 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

What I love is that part of all those cards is from me and I didn't get to sign them.

12 Dec 2002 | COD said...

I had my "what a waste of taxpayer post" all ready to go, but unlike many people, I actually read the article before I posted! It's all paid for by the RNC, which is actually good news.

12 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

Well, if that's true (still haven't read the article), I apologise for not first reading the article.

Bad faj. No bloggie-snacks.

Although, the great thing about assumptions is that they are true until proven wrong. ;)

12 Dec 2002 | hank said...

Is it safe to assume that Hallmark supports the war on terror? That would make a nice card.

12 Dec 2002 | Don Schenck said...

This is one of those "Who frickin' CARES!"-type of articles.

I drive a SAAB.

12 Dec 2002 | JF said...

I agree Don. I just found it kinda funny that even the card companies have to pony up.

I drive an Audi.

12 Dec 2002 | indi said...

I thought it was funny, tacky, yet uncharacteristically honest that Clinton had "Paid for by the DNC" on the back of his cards.

I drive an Avalon... haven't run into Arthur yet...

12 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

I didn't read the article and I think it was a good post and I drive a BMW. I drive it on the autobahn - sometimes, 190 k per hour - I could also drive 210 if I wanted. In fact everyone has nice cars here and everyone drives fast here. This post is for Don :-)

12 Dec 2002 | Don Schenck said...

Alisha, I love you. I'm SOOOOO jealous!

12 Dec 2002 | indi said...

... but if I do, I hope he has his towel...

12 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

I was hoping to make you jealous :-)
you love me? thats pretty kinky. does your wife know?

12 Dec 2002 | Don Schenck said...

Alisha! SHHHHHhhhhhh...

12 Dec 2002 | nerdy said...

this is actually pretty cool. i think as of late i come to read 37svn for the Don & Lisha soap instead of the blogs...

no sarcasm. really.

:)

12 Dec 2002 | pico said...

I agree nerdy. An regular Taster's Choice flirtmercial. The sexual tension is thick, but can definitely be watered down by the Super Nintendo heads from the other post.

12 Dec 2002 | Mrs. Schenck said...

Don never makes a second post at home...

12 Dec 2002 | Hagbard Celine said...

I wonder who paid whom to put a million stamps on envelopes. And who ran the signature machines, and the envelope-stuffing machines, and compiled the list. Does the president's party pay for all that, too, or do they just spring for the cards and let the taxpayers pick up the labor?

Oh, I drive a Jeep and ride a Moto Guzzi...not simultaneously.

12 Dec 2002 | huh? said...

Don never makes a second post at home...

There is medicine for that...

12 Dec 2002 | David said...

JF, if you had two customers in the same sector, and one of them gave you 10% more business than the other, you too would be inclined to go with client B over client A, no matter what size the dollar value.

Not that this has a place in Washington (although it always has). I'm just sayin'.

12 Dec 2002 | Don Schenck said...

I'm just trying to get into Alisha's ... car.

12 Dec 2002 | JF said...

David said: "JF, if you had two customers in the same sector, and one of them gave you 10% more business than the other, you too would be inclined to go with client B over client A, no matter what size the dollar value."

Perhaps, yes, but we're talking about campaign contributions here. Otherwise known as bribes.

12 Dec 2002 | Invisible Cheney said...

JF said: "Otherwise known as bribes."

In this case, otherwise known as business.

As Olivia Newton-John should have once said, let's get cynical.

OMG XBox is HUGE LOL!!!

12 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

I found this White House Christmas message quite moving:

"With the lighting of the National Manger Scene, we observe one of the great traditions of the Republican Party - liberating Americans from the shackles of the Constitution - and throughout the Christmas season, we shall recall that Jesus' love can radiate even from a hollow, Chinese-made, machine-painted lawn statuette - unless of course you're an Allah-lover, Moses-hugger, Buddha-slave, or any other inherently false religion that guarantees you a seat in the devil's eternal jacuzzi of molten rock and abortion doctor blood..."

http://www.whitehouse.org/news/2002/120802.asp

14 Dec 2002 | p8 said...

"unless of course you're an Allah-lover, Moses-hugger, Buddha-slave, or any other inherently false religion that guarantees you a seat in the devil's eternal jacuzzi of molten rock and abortion doctor blood..."

What the ..
Is this for real?

14 Dec 2002 | p8 said...

Ok, whitehouse.org isn't the official website.

16 Dec 2002 | solane said...

for the record, hallmark has printed at least one xmas card per presidential term since 1953, except for clinton's administration. i think his sexual exploits constituted a big no-no for hallmark's "family values" sort of image.

20 Nov 2003 | medicaid information said...

anything for the right number of dollars

08 Jan 2004 | ijoo said...

GBU

12 Jan 2004 | long distance said...

I will look into this matter and let you know. I think you may be right.

13 Jan 2004 | tapety said...

Mein Hobby ist es Gästebücher zu besuchen. Das ist immer ganz interessant und widerspiegelt so, was die Leute im Internet wirklich denken. War auch interessant bei Dir ! Bis zum nächsten Mal. All The Best OfNew Year. Sorry for my english i'am from Germany.

13 Jan 2004 | logo said...

Mein Hobby ist es Gästebücher zu besuchen. Das ist immer ganz interessant und widerspiegelt so, was die Leute im Internet wirklich denken. War auch interessant bei Dir ! Bis zum nächsten Mal. All The Best OfNew Year. Sorry for my english i'am from Germany.

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