Facebook shortcomings

Just a taste of political scuttlebutt for you night-owls and third-shifters out there...

I just recieved an invitation to join "Sam Brooks for DC Council" on the FaceBook.com:

"Sam Brooks, who is attempting to become the youngest member ever of the DC Council, is a lifelong Washingtonian and veteran of Democratic politics -- having worked for John Edwards, Bill Bradley and Howard Dean. Sam is running to bring new energy and fresh ideas to the council. Join the group to keep up to date with the campaign, show support for Sam Brooks, and join the most exciting campaign in Washington, DC."

Well, I'm comforted and intrigued by this message. While the group only has 44 members right now, it's clearly a good move for Brooks to play to his most sympathetic electorate, young people. Not only is it advantageous for the candidate, but also surprisingly enough, while college students like knowing the candidate they work for, few actually work on local campaigns. It seems to me that local colleges are a largely untapped resource for local candidates. Perhaps my perception is narrow given the political atmosphere of DC and our colleges here, but kudos to the Mr. Brooks for giving it a shot.

However, I should note that FaceBook has "filters" for the political ideology of students (my profile lists me as "very conservative"), so it's funny that Sam Brooks is inviting everyone and not just "liberal" or "very liberal" students. DC colleges, while liberal for certain, are not the 92% Democrat composition like the city. He's just convinced me to look up his Republican challenger. I hope my peers that chuckle at this invitation do the same.