"Horrible for Democracy, Good for Business"

That quote is from a Chicago democratic consultant. He and is partner are advising dems on the Walker recall, and I think they make an important point. Looking back to last year's senate recalls they argue that the oversaturation of advertising "becomes wall paper. So what really matters? Their answer:

"When it's wall-to-wall, then it becomes a field campaign," Liston said. "Boots on the street. Knocking on doors. That's where I think the labor support is really going to matter in the Walker recall. Because everything else becomes wallpaper, and person-to-person is the only thing that makes the difference."

This is known as a battle that's fought in the air (advertising) but won on the ground. And I agree; I think that's going to be critically important. And not surprisingly, they see the social media as being vital:

Over lunch Tuesday at Coco Pazzo Cafe, Liston and Adelstein explained that Facebook is central to their work. During the Walker recall, for example, they used the social networking site to line up supporters at rallies, where they could sign recall petitions.

"Me coming to you, and asking you to be involved, I'm much more interested if you and I are friends and I ask you," Liston said. "And I'm much more comfortable doing that on Facebook than I am going to a candidate's site."

Adelstein said targeted, digital marketing is the future.

"The holy grail, which nobody has gotten to yet, is the direct targeting of a single voter," Adelstein said. "We're not there yet, but whoever cracks that. … If I know I can talk to Dennis, who has these voting habits, who goes on these sites, who responds to this kind of content, I can microdeliver that message."

Liston added, "We're getting close to it."

And they give up some important inside info:

"Here's where Walker screwed up," Adelstein said. "It's the corporate tax breaks. You sit in focus groups and see the polling. … And the voters understood that the budget was bad and everybody had to take a haircut. What pissed them off was, 'Why is it all on our backs? Why is it on the backs of teachers, firefighters and cops, and corporations are getting tax cuts?'"

I think the Walker camp has to do more to dismiss that notion. It's false, but it has stuck.