Obama Email Analysis

Last night, the Obama campaign sent out an email to its supporters entitled Victories and attacks. I included the email below and I will analyze it at the bottom.

John --

It's tough to think of two states more different than Wyoming and Mississippi.

But we won Wyoming on Saturday, and we just learned that we won Mississippi by a large margin tonight.

Between those two states, we picked up enough delegates to erase the gains by Senator Clinton last Tuesday and add to our substantial lead in earned delegates. And in doing so we showed the strength and breadth of this movement.

But just turn on the news and you'll see that Senator Clinton continues to run an expensive, negative campaign against us. Each day her campaign launches a new set of desperate attacks.

They're not just attacking me; they're attacking you.

Over the weekend, an aide to Senator Clinton attempted to diminish the overwhelming number of contests we've won by referring to places we've prevailed as "boutique" states and our supporters as the "latte-sipping crowd."

I'm not sure how those terms apply to Mississippi and Wyoming -- or Virginia, Iowa, Louisiana, or Idaho for that matter.

I know that our victories in all of these states demonstrate a rejection of this kind of petty, divisive campaigning.

But the fact remains that Senator Clinton's campaign will continue to attack us using the same old Washington playbook. And now that John McCain is the Republican nominee, we are forced to campaign on two fronts.

It's up to you to fight back. Please make a donation of $25 today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

Thank you,

Barack

Why This is Persuasive

• It is personalized. John McCain's emails are not personalized.
• It conveys Barack's campaign not as an ordinary campaign, but as a historic movement--something that engenders far more support. Consider, for example, the use of the phrase "this movement"
• It links John McCain to Hillary Clinton.
• It makes Hillary's attacks personal--not just against Barack, but (more importantly), against Barack's supporters. This sets up Barack's eventual plea for money. In other words, the supporters will be more likely to give if they feel they are being personally attacked and need to personally fight back.
  
• "They're not just attacking me; they're attacking you"
• Similarly, it takes Hillary's reasons for loosing recent contests and makes them attacks against voters.
• "an aide to Senator Clinton attempted to diminish the overwhelming number of contests we've won by referring to places we've prevailed as "boutique" states and our supporters as the "latte-sipping crowd.""
• There is a direct appeal at the end that engenders action.
  
• "It's up to you to fight back."