Frisbees, water bottles, magnets and jar openers

Want to see a candidate cry ? Stand next to the trashcan at your local post office and systematically weed through the political mailers in your stack of mail, dropping each smoothly into the trashcan, pausing only to ensure that it IS political mail before you toss it. Oh, the heartburn! Each beautiful mailer represents thousands of campaign dollars in photography, design, printing and postage to the hopeful candidate but junk mail to the average recipient. Seeing it in the trashcan (before it even makes it to your home) is enough to make any candidate cry.
But stuff is different. Giving away stuff is a good thing. The candidate is happy and the recipient is happy. Generally, "stuff" has a longer shelf life too.
OK, so it has nothing to do with qualifications, positions or votes, whether you want "change" or not, but if it's useful, people accept it gratefully.
I am always on the look out for "stuff" that's not too expensive, not too heavy, and, in some way, useful and long-lived. At an event I attended recently, Todd Stephens was giving out "Todd Stephens" bottled water. I am sure he borrowed that idea from Dr. Gordon Clement, last year's candidate for County Coroner, but it's a very good example of "stuff." I myself borrowed Senator John Rafferty's idea to give out "Kate Harper" Frisbees, and that's a good giveaway at events that draw children or dogs (but the shelf life with dog lovers is not so hot for my Frisbees). Refrigerator magnets are always a good idea since they are small, can carry printing, and "stick around" for a long time on metal surfaces.
But my best giveaway is the one I inherited from my predecessor in office, former State Representative Joe Gladeck. He gave away those rubber jar openers that lasted so long they acquired a life well beyond campaign season. One GOP supporter from Plymouth Meeting told me her family used the thing so often, they called it "The Gladeck," as in "I have to open this jar of spaghetti sauce--give me the Gladeck." Of course, Joe served 22 years, and probably only ordered the things once or twice. That's how long they last!
I have also heard them called "rubber husbands" (?!) or "grippers," causing me to wonder if The Gipper might also have given away the gripper ?
Anyway, I give away Kate Harper Grippers with the slogan "Kate has a GRIP on the issues." Duh. No, I did not pay anyone to think up that slogan, but when they ask, "Why do you give these out?" My answer is swift and sure: " Because they work and so do I."
Works for me.
Kate Harper