The practice of politicians sending people emails asking for money for their campaigning is not a new practice at all. It is a very common means candidates use to raise funds. That is why I wondered why this email couldn't have been done better. When I initially read the email my first thought was how non-persuading it sounded. It was as if whoever wrote the email on Obama’s behalf (or Obama himself, though I doubt it) had no idea how to persuade someone to donate. They were short and unemotional. The wording had no appeal to it whatsoever. To me, it seemed like the only thing the author did that might be in the spirit of persuasion was refer to the reader as “Friend.” Otherwise, the text is very bland, vague, and not persuading me in the least bit to donate. Also why was three dollars chosen as the minimum? I was wondering that as well. Anyway, this is my viewpoint. Maybe it is just me, and everyone else is content with the author’s text.