"DOOMED!"
"Termite, things are DESPERATE!"
"WE ARE GETTING ANNIHILATED!"
You have to hand it to the DCCC. They were right all along.
As someone with a direct marketing background I can tell you that these email campaigns would not have persisted and indeed proliferated like they did if they were not successful at getting opens, clicks, and donations. I suspect they performed well, even dramatically well, along those measures.
But what I wondered from the start, and what I hope the DCCC and every Democratic operative is asking themselves now, is "at what cost?"
Desperation and panic are profound turnoffs to voters and human beings in general. The Law of Attraction suggests that "like attracts like," and if you believe that sort of stuff as I do, then the people you're likely to hook with these campaigns will be those inclined to desperation and panic. Desperate, panicked people are often good for easy, low-involvement action -- clicking a link on a webpage and firing off $5 donations, which are well and good -- but when the fur starts flying and it's time to dig in and fight, they turn tail.
Meanwhile, every time the stouter, seasoned, and battle-tested Democrats go to check their email, they're told that the situation is desperate, bordering on hopeless, and maybe even beyond repair. Drip, drip, drip. Eventually, people start believing it.
Why in the world would we repeatedly imply that victory is all but out of reach... and then expect people to get off their asses and vote?
The hardest thing to accept is that this election was ours to lose. It was in our grasp, if we'd simply gotten the vote out. But the messaging wizards in the Democratic Party cast aside optimism, hope, and excitement for a few coins in a cup.
Live and learn. Or, don't.