The 2012 Obama campaign has more than dog accessories up its sleeve. A few days ago, the campaign launched an event registry, where American brides, grooms and birthday boys and girls can register to ask their party guests to donate to Obama instead of giving them presents. The rational economists told us gift-giving was silly, anyway, right?  If you don’t believe them, ask the official re-election campaign blog, which claims that “ask[ing] for a donation in lieu of a gift [. . .] goes a lot further than a gravy bowl.”

It may be the first time birthday bash attendees make a donation to a politician, but it won’t be the first time they’ve made a donation. Asking party guests for contributions to a charity in place of gifts is already a norm. The Obama campaign may be able to latch onto this standard and collect some extra bucks. Of course, if you have friends of a different political vein attending your milestone celebration, it could be an issue.

It’ll be interesting to see how much money this novel fundraising stunt raises for the campaign. Is it a clever marketing move or a campaign blunder? Tell us what you think in the comments.