What Would Obama Do? Purple Wrist Bands Help Obama Supporters Stay Positive and Respectful

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 22, 2008 – As a Republican for Obama, Chuck Lasker had to choose, continue the old school attack politics he has used for the past 27 years, or follow Barack Obama’s lead into a “new kind of politics” that is respectful and positive. It was a much more difficult decision than it sounds. Having gone as far as handing out “Get Our Of Jail Free” cards to smear Dukakis, to spreading photos of John Kerry in the famous clean suit that were PhotoShopped to make him look like a bunny, Lasker followed the lead of the “right wing smear machine” his whole adult life.

It was through Senator Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” that Lasker decided to support Obama for President. During the primary, it was very tempting to attack the other Democratic candidates. When Obama came to Indiana, and Lasker volunteered at a speech, he was instructed in the positive ways of the Obama campaign, and got to hear Senator Obama speak of the new politics he is trying to create. Lasker made his decision.

Old habits died hard, so as “self therapy,” Lasker created a Web site and blog of “What Would Obama Do?” (http://www.whatwouldobamado.info). Of course, this is not a religious reference, it’s simply a reminder to think twice when tempted to go negative. Further, Lasker created a rubber wrist band with “What Would Obama Do?” on it to wear as a constant reminder to stay on point. It's purple, to represent the "No Blue and Red States, just Purple States" idea.

After people started asking for a wrist band, he had them produced in bulk and is now selling them on his site as a fundraiser for the campaign. Half of the net proceeds go to the campaign, while the other half helps slightly cover his time that he’s taking away from his consulting practice.

“Some people have commented that it’s too similar to the What Would Jesus Do concept, and that it would make it appear that Obama’s supporters worship him,” says Lasker, “However, the What Would something Do concept has been used for everything from What Would Oprah Do to What Would Ozzy Do, so I think the simple purpose of reminding us to campaign as Obama does, positively and respectfully, is clear enough.”

Because producing the wrist bands gets cheaper with quantity, the site offers quantity discounts down to $1.95 each including shipping, so some people have ordered both as giveaways at private campaign events, and to sell outside Obama events, alongside those who sell buttons and t-shirts.

“I hope people remember it’s .info, not .com, since someone already owns the .com version,” says Lasker, “It was a tough decision, but I felt the expense of buying the .com version was prohibitive compared to donating that money to the campaign.” The fundraiser is on track to raise thousands of dollars for the campaign, with a goal of $5,000 by November.