The Kindle as Political Tool


Talk about bi-partisan support.

First, it was the New Democratic Leadership Council with their cockamamie “A Kindle in Every Backpack” proposal. Granted, the textbook landscape is littered with unfair practices and is in dire need of reform, but before we throw the book out the window for good we should spend some time trying to make right the inherent injustice of the textbook world. We need to make them affordable and relevant before we start talking about abolishing them. Of course, the e-reader provides certain advantages but just like its relationship to the printed book, it is a complement not a replacement.

Not to be outdone the National Republican Senatorial Committee has just announced a new contest. Donate $20 to the cause and be entered to win a brand new Kindle. Winners will also receive a $50 gift card “to stock your Kindle with conservative authors of your choice”

Here is the full text of the email sent by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to the faithful:

Dear Republican Friend,

Are you looking to enhance your summer reading?

How about books by such conservative luminaries as John Bolton, Newt Gingirch, Senator Orrin Hatch and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell?

The NRSC wants to help you expand your summer library, while at the same time we look to grow the number of Republicans in the U.S. Senate.

As always, your contribution to the NRSC will help us rebuild our Republican majority in the Senate in 2010. As the past few months have shown, the stakes are high and we cannot afford to lose. From socialized health care to economically disastrous environmental policies, liberal control of Washington is destroying our economy in ways that cannot be quickly or easily undone.

From now until the end of July, if you contribute $20 to the NRSC, you will be entered for a chance to win a brand new Amazon Kindle – a ground-breaking wireless reading device that gives you instant access to over 300,000 books plus newspapers, magazines, and blogs. I’ve owned a Kindle for some time now, and enjoy that I can stay up-to-date on the latest news, or relax with a book on an airplane, all with one small device.

Additionally, we’ll also give you a $50 gift card to stock your Kindle with conservative authors of your choice.

For the first 100 supporters who contribute at least $50 by the end of the month, you will not only be registered for the Kindle drawing and gift card, but you will also receive a copy of the book “Republican Leader: A Political Biography of Senator Mitch McConnell.”

While many will be taking time this summer to relax and catch up on some reading, the NRSC will continue to work hard to achieve strong Republican victories in the 2010 elections.

Help support these efforts with your contribution of $20 or more by the end of July, and you could win your own Kindle! Or, be one of the first 100 people to contribute $50 or more and also receive your own copy of “Republican Leader: A Political Biography of Senator Mitch McConnell.”

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Senator John Cornyn
Chairman


The email comes to us via Jeff Muskus’ piece at the Huffington Post “Win A Free Kindle, Courtesy of Republican Fundraising Arm