With Cosponsor.gov, Eric Cantor joins growing crowd of marketer-legislators
Noticed the trend of legislators going beyond issuing press releases and fully embracing social media to distribute and market their point-of-view?
Rep. Darrell Issa has been especially active in marketing himself and his committee’s activities, including design-heavy graphics and an active twitter account.
Today Rep. Eric Cantor’s office launched a new website, Cosponsor.gov, which allows anyone to show their support for bills by clicking a link to “cosponsor” a given bill. The site, which had a “soft” open about a year ago, uses a Facebook app, which you must authorize to access your email address and friends list, among other items, and then displays your “cosponsor” on your page.
In return, you are informed of the progress of a bill you have cosponsored.
Efforts like these to inform and engage Americans about the processes of government are positive, although I’m unsure it will reach beyond those already engaged in watching the political theater. The growing trend of marketer-legislators is more interesting to me; although it may seem off-putting for those representing us to focus on marketing, at the core of the discipline in the consumer and the consumer’s needs.
If we can return our representation to a more consumer-centric model, that can only be a good thing.
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