The Peevish Penmen: Direct Mail and US Elections

Political direct mail is the best example of the transliteration of commercial ideas to political election salesmanship; it is a necessary adjunct and no campaign is complete without it, for mailings generate an independent, privatised source of campaign finance and instant if superficial loyalties. And they provide the precision targetting so crucial in modern America campaigns. Large-scale political employment of political direct mail began with Goldwater; McGovern exploited it well and since then political groupings of every tincture have assiduously sought to use it. Outside the United States British Conservatives have now made mail technology an article of their political faith. It illustrates how political merchandising techniques, once incubated in America, spread internationally.