Candidates: Run Home to Mama

Joanne Bamberger, on Huffington Post and her own blog, PunditMom:

I am newly motivated, though, to start a PunditMom coffee campaign here in my neighborhood. What if I could convince a good number of my friends to chip in $27 to a fund for a candidate we could all agree on? I know things aren't going to change overnight, but it might be a good start to raising our profile and getting the attention of those who think we're just not that important.

This means two things to me.

First, moms are getting more involved, thanks to the online channel. Virtually any increase in civic engagement is a very good thing, and more involvement from moms is a great thing. They're putting a little coin on the table - and thanks to the 'net, you don't need huge dollar amounts, you just need groups of people - and this will get candidates' attention.

Second, the rhetorical bar has been raised for the candidates. It will no longer suffice to say the other side stinks. "Political blogs," whose stock in trade has typically been discussing the latest outrage from the other side, will see a new kind of blogger enter their space - one who isn't as interested in anger and vitriol but one that demands specifics on policy. And since they have kids, they know when they're being hustled.

It will take time for the candidates to figure this out. It will also take time for companies and trade associations that want to have political discussions. You can't market to this crowd like you used to. There is a huge opportunity out there for the candidate that seizes it - and gets it right - first.