TO:                     United States House of Representatives

FROM:               CafePress

SUBJECT:          Budgetary Savings Proposal – Government Portraiture

DATE:                 November 14, 2012

USA House of Representatives,

As you know, many Americans are concerned about the economy, government spending and the “Fiscal Cliff” our nation faces. As such, I’m sure you can appreciate the surprise many feel when hearing about unusual or unexpected government spending.

This week Jim McElhatton of the Washington Times wrote an article titled “Picture This: Cabinet Portraits For Big Bucks” – which got us thinking – we can help the government save money!

Sample Portrait of President Obama

We write this as an open offer to help the government realign spending on portraiture. We in no way intend to imply that portraits of outgoing Cabinet and top administration appointees are unimportant; to the contrary we are fans of art in all formats. We do however suggest that we can provide a model for saving money on this program.

As an example, the article notes that the Environmental Protection Agency spent approximately $40,000 on a portrait of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. CafePress can offer similar museum quality art at a savings of 99%. The math breaks down as follows:

• Government commissioned price: $40,000
• CafePress/Canvas on Demand 36X48” canvas – $350 (including shipping)
• Savings – $39,650 or 99%

In addition to cost savings, we can offer speedy service – no more waiting 8-14 months for delivery! All we’ll need to get going is a high-resolution photograph of each official, license to digitally manipulate that photo to create the desired artistic effect, and we can deliver finished art in less than one week.

Last, I would like to add that all canvas art created by CafePress and Canvas on Demand is Made in America, so each portrait purchase from the government helps the economy and helps keep jobs in America.

If you are interested in learning more or discussing this cost savings plan we can be reached at (502) 995-2220.

Sincerely,

CafePress

The GOP field is dwindling, and like in nature, its survival of the fittest – and only the strongest will survive in this race.

Earlier today, Rick Perry made the announcement that his presidential campaign is over – making him the second candidate in a week to drop out of the race (Jon Huntsman left the race on Monday). Perry also made a point to endorse Newt Gingrich, one of the four remaining candidates in the race.

That leaves Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul to duke it out on Saturday in the South Carolina primary. By Sunday, there may be another candidate we see drop out of the race.

While Romney may seem like the frontrunner, new news from Iowa shows that Santorum – and not Romney – was the actual winner of the caucus of their state by less than 40 votes. This may throw a wrench into what Romney saw as an initial victory, and may in fact boost Santorum moving into this Saturday.

Out of the remaining candidates, whom do you foresee winning? And who are rooting for to go against Obama in November? Keep up with our Cultural Barometer elections Meter graph for all the latest info in politics.

Well, the media hubbub surrounding Herman Cain’s decision to suspend his presidential campaign is starting to die down. And with Cain out, it may mean no more pizza for the former Godfather Pizza CEO – but in Willy Wonka terms, that doesn’t mean the race for the republican “golden ticket” is over yet. Especially with the newest candidate who just announced his intent to run.

Meet Marvin E. Quasniki – turquoise farmer from Nevada and newest Presidential hopeful.

For someone who is terrified of muppets (The Swedish Chef has NO EYES people), Marvin is actually OK in my book. He’s got some sass, some humor, and most of all, a personality that is likeable to the public. Ask him about his platforms, and you’ll get a simple answer: “No Bulls%*t!” Take a look at the official Marvin E. Quasniki video channel to see what Marvin’s really all about – and you can find all of his official merchandise on CafePress in the Marvin Quasniki shop.

So determine for yourself if you think Marvin is a good candidate for the 2012 election and get your vote in gear. Maybe you’ll see him on the streets near your town. And for my sake, let’s just hope he doesn’t bring The Swedish Chef on the campaign trail with him.

With recent allegations against Herman Cain from former employees starting to take its toll on the businessman-cum-potential Presidential candidate’s popularity, another GOP challenger is riding the rising wave – Newt Gingrich.

No amateur to politics or a presidential race, we’ve seen Gingrich’s recent acceleration in CafePress political-tagged merchandise sales on the latest CafePress Election Meter™ infographic, rising from an average of 2% three months ago, to an 8% jump this week, which puts Gingrich neck and neck in popularity with Mitt Romney (who also has 8%).

However, this jump is still not enough to surpass t-shirt front-runner Ron Paul, who maintains 43% of t-shirt sales from the week ending on November 20th.

Will Newt’s sales be steady on the rise, or will they falter soon to make way for another candidate’s turn in the spotlight? Tune into our CafePress Election Meter page next week to find out!

The Presidential Elections spawn a political revitalization of new opinions and platforms, partisan clashes, letdowns and triumphs over the course of months leading up to the most important political day: November 6, 2012 – voting day. The day we as U.S. citizens not only rally our support behind a candidate with our words, but with the action of voting. And for next year’s election, we’re already seeing some interesting metrics unfold within CafePress political sales of merchandise.

Back in 2008 as the race between Barack Obama and John McCain heated up, we took notice of the political designs by our community of users and sales from those designs. It was interesting to see how sales percentages of political-tagged products were on point with each candidate’s popularity in the polls – and we could try to predict who would win the 2008 Presidential Election. Hence, the origin of the CafePress Election Meter™ was born, and was correct in forecasting the inauguration of current incumbent, President Barack Obama, as well as showing CafePress as a Cultural Barometer® of trends in the election cycle.

Fast-forward to today – November 8, 2011. We’re 363 days away from the 2012 Election, and proud to introduce the 2012 CafePress Election Meter for your one-stop shop on politics updates and self-expression through merchandise. To celebrate, you’ll find a special $10 t-shirt available for each candidate, and you’ll also see some unique graphics and charts of trends based on sales percentages of political-tagged merchandise that will update each week on our election meter:

Overall candidate sales – 2011.  This graphic represents total 2011 political-tagged merchandise sales percentages to date for all candidates. This includes all GOP candidates plus incumbent Barack Obama. Ron Paul leads with 41% of the total, followed by Herman Cain with 21% and Obama with 14%. Interestingly enough, this is the first time since 2008 that another candidate (and in this case, two) took the #1 slot away from Obama. Does this mean Obama’s popularity is starting to weaken?

Pro-Obama VS. Anti-Obama. What’s more interesting than comparing Obama to himself? For those who support Obama, and those against him, this infographic conveys the sentiments of those who design and purchase Obama merchandise on CafePress. From sales percentages of Obama-tagged merchandise, 77% is anti, and 23% pro to date in 2011.

Weekly Results. On a weekly basis, you’ll be able to see which candidate saw the largest increase in sales from the previous week. This graphic can communicate what we’re seeing in terms of candidate popularity. Currently, the buzz is around Herman Cain, who dominates 50% of the total sales percentages of political-tagged products for last week; Ron Paul follows Cain with 24%.

Take a look at our elections meter every week to stay up to date on the current trends on the election cycle. Support your candidate of choice, and let’s see where these predictions will go on November 6, 2012!

There was much to discuss on Monday night, as eight Republican presidential candidates took to their microphones to speak up on controversial issues such as “Obamacare,” and social security in the first Tea Party debate in Tampa, FL. Candidates included Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and businessman Herman Cain, who offered their opinions on their platforms and jabs at other candidates. The main target of the night turned out to be Rick Perry; the Texas governor was asked about his views on social security and offering college tuition cuts to illegal immigrants but defended himself and his views to his opponents.

So here at CafePress, we took to our own Cultural Barometer poll – and we asked our Facebook fans whom they thought was the strongest contender from the Tea Party debate, and the result was obvious:

Our followers are feeling the Ron Paul revolution, as Mr. Paul received approximately 52% of the votes.

Similarly, we took a look at sales of CafePress products by candidate, and again, Ron Paul came out victorious this week with 51% of the participating Republican candidates sales to date:

What do you think of the latest debate? Are you Team Ron Paul, or see another candidate as the strongest and best leader for our country? Tell us your thoughts.

2008 turned out to be a year of triumphs, upsets, and a major historical milestone, in the form of the presidential election.

And throughout that year, our community created amazing designs for their favorite candidates – and we started to notice a very interesting trend. We found that we could make an educated guess on who would win based on the sales percentages of CafePress products for each candidate. And from every primary, to John McCain’s Republican nomination, to the election of Barack Obama as the next president, our theory turned out to be right on target. If we could – in a way – help predict the 2008 elections through the popularity of our products, we could measure CafePress as a Cultural Barometer for pop culture and current events. We built the “CafePress Meter” and became a straw poll of sorts.

This year, we’re sensing the anticipation of the upcoming 2012 elections – and we’re already seeing who’s being talked about, and who’s going to make it or break it. Take a look at who’s got the buzz, and who’s going to give Obama a run for his money:

Although Sarah Palin has yet to announce her intentions for the Presidential race, Sarah Palin products have been consistently up for the past nine months. To be or not to be – that is the Palin question. In addition, Ron Paul’s going strong, and Rick Perry has started to take over a bigger piece of the Republican challengers pie since his declaration for the presidential seat in June.

All in all, we’re keeping a close watch on what’s happening, and we’ll be your source for all things politics through products to sport your support. Who do you think has the biggest chance to run against Obama, and who is his biggest threat?

While east coast earthquakes and high-profile reality TV weddings may be a blip on the brains of some, the 2012 election season is certainly coming to a head – well, many heads – in the form of potential candidates planning their campaigns to run against President Obama. And CafePress users are following and creating the trends.

Take Rick Perry, the Texas governor who made his intentions of presidential proportions official this month – and soon after his announcement, Rick Perry gifts were as popular and plentiful as his state’s beloved longhorn.

And also making a splash on Cultural Barometer scene: enter Ron Paul. No stranger to the Republican race to the White House, the House representative has a strong following with Ron Paul Revolution gifts after formally announcing his candidacy back in May of this year.

Politics is already heating up for 2012 – and its only August. I wonder if all those politicians wearing suits in the summer heat has anything to do with it…

America themes continue to trend high as the summer days are longer and distance to the BBQ and swimming pool gets closer and closer. From Independence Day designs to patriotism, the colors of our flag are hot, hot, hot. Red hot, in fact.

But not to be out done, 2012 election themes are ramping up for the upcoming debates. Everyone wants to speak their peace on the best candidate and show what issues are important.

After the long cold winter, it appears that lots of little sisters and little brothers seem to be joining the world. This is pretty obvious from the number of big brother and big sister products that are selling. Lots of new designs in this area too. Must be a lot of proud parents out there?

The quickly-approaching July 4th celebration has people seeing red, white & blue. Independence Day designs and Americana themes are hotter than the bumper of a ’76 Buick cruising in a holiday parade. Hopefully the weather will be nice for people to get outdoors and enjoy their summer merchandise.

Also exploding on the scene are new Obama designs, pro and con, as the rhetoric picks up between Republicans and Democrats. Sales are starting to skyrocket as voters hope to spread the word on their unique assessment of the President’s performance to date – and chance for the 2012 election.

And because people need to relax and unwind with some less taxing matters, pop culture is a rising tide this early summer. The TV show Blue Mountain State is trending high, and designs are selling particularly well. Ditto for the daytime talk show The View, which continues to rack up significant sales.