astroturf

Slang for an online grassroots effort in which special interest groups and lobbyists send massive amounts of e-mail to politicians in an attempt to sway their vote. This tactic doesn't always work, however, since members of Congress have practically given up on trying to read the approximately 80 million e-mail messages they receive each year.

See also : grass-roots campaign  
NetLingo Classification: Online Jargon

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