In a move to boost relations with the country’s Asian neighbors, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is now posting videos on YouTube — in English as well as Japanese. English is apparently widely used in Asia for cross-cultural communications, and the PM’s New Year’s Greeting (below) is an attempt to reach an audience outside of Japan’s borders. This example is more than just a bit dry, but like all online video, it has the advantage of bypassing mainstream media filters and reaching viewers directly.
If you’d prefer the Japanese-language version, which has been viewed more times than the English one at this point, here it is. You can also check out other videos from the Liberal Democratic Party, which has had a YouTube channel since November.
According to figures from Nielsen, several demographic groups that have traditionally donated disproportionately to Republicans switched allegiances in the first half of the year and became more likely to give to Dems. Overall, Democratic presidential candidates have raised significantly more money than Republicans, and these January-through-June numbers show that it is in part a result of their finding a route into the wallets of the well educated and affluent as well as suburbanites in general:
The study showed that 64 percent of the donors in the top 10 donor segments gave to Democratic candidates compared to 36 percent for Republican candidates. The numbers were also similar for donations, with Democratic candidates receiving 62 percent of the donated dollars and Republicans receiving 38 percent.
Nationally, Democrats are out-raising Republicans, capturing nearly 60 percent of all donated dollars. This capture rate is even more acute in urban segments where Democrats average closer to 70 percent across most segments. Suburbia is more varied, from a high near 70 percent to a low of 38 percent, but an overall average capture rate of 55 percent for Democrats.
For bonus numbers, check out the MarketingVox analysis, which breaks down the support by candidate for the leaders. Gotta love the names of some of these segments — Kids & Cul-de-Sacs? White Picket Fences? Low-Rise Living? Not sure if that last one refers to a choice of living arrangements or of jeans. If it were Low-Rent Living instead, it’d sum up the e.politics style quite well.
