Dear John McCain
Oct. 10th, 2008 11:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naomikritzerPlease stop calling me. I am not an undecided voter, and even if I were, I would not be interested in listening to people who've been paid to read a script. (And I know they're paid, because the one who called yesterday told me so, apologetically, when I interrupted to ask why the Republicans were calling me. She also told me she's actually a Democrat and is doing this job because it's the first job she's been able to find in a year that at least had her working five days a week.)
Maybe someone did a study that showed that voters like personal outreach. And I do like personal outreach when it's the real thing. A couple of years ago my district had an open seat in the state legislature, and Patricia Torres-Ray knocked on my door when Ed and I were preparing food and cleaning the house to get ready for a party. We invited her in and she stood in our kitchen to tell us about herself and her goals while we peeled carrots and chopped onions. She's our State Senator now, and we both supported her in part because of that afternoon. I don't expect you to knock on my door, John -- I mean, I'm not an Iowan or New Hampshirite, I don't expect that kind of contact. But having a paid phone banker call people to read them a script over the phone is not personal contact: it's the political equivalent of those calls that say, "Your offer for lower interest rates is about to expire!" (Well, OK. I suppose it would only really be the equivalent of that if it were recorded. Let's say it's the political equivalent of someone calling me up to sell me vinyl siding.)
I have to wonder, wouldn't it be more cost-effective, in terms of dollars per ear, to buy radio ads? At least the radio ad is guaranteed not to break off midway through and admit to being an Obama supporter.
P.S. If you had Stephen Colbert call me, him I might listen to.
Maybe someone did a study that showed that voters like personal outreach. And I do like personal outreach when it's the real thing. A couple of years ago my district had an open seat in the state legislature, and Patricia Torres-Ray knocked on my door when Ed and I were preparing food and cleaning the house to get ready for a party. We invited her in and she stood in our kitchen to tell us about herself and her goals while we peeled carrots and chopped onions. She's our State Senator now, and we both supported her in part because of that afternoon. I don't expect you to knock on my door, John -- I mean, I'm not an Iowan or New Hampshirite, I don't expect that kind of contact. But having a paid phone banker call people to read them a script over the phone is not personal contact: it's the political equivalent of those calls that say, "Your offer for lower interest rates is about to expire!" (Well, OK. I suppose it would only really be the equivalent of that if it were recorded. Let's say it's the political equivalent of someone calling me up to sell me vinyl siding.)
I have to wonder, wouldn't it be more cost-effective, in terms of dollars per ear, to buy radio ads? At least the radio ad is guaranteed not to break off midway through and admit to being an Obama supporter.
P.S. If you had Stephen Colbert call me, him I might listen to.
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 04:33 pm (UTC)I'm surprised more people aren't more indignant that OUR GOVERNOR got strung along (and along, and along) and used as a decoy (!) and then shunted aside for Caribou Barbie.
Even if it's not like we'd really Pawlenty to leave right this moment since then we'd get stuck with Carol Molnau. McCain still would've won MN if he'd picked Pawlenty as his running mate.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 04:29 pm (UTC)Poor woman.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 04:31 pm (UTC)Actually, she works for a survey firm. She said that until this week they were doing calls for Democrats, and it was really a strange experience for her, getting hung up on by Democrats instead of Republicans.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 04:59 pm (UTC)A few elections ago we got some really exciting phone calls -- both Ed Broadbent and Stephen Lewis rang to urge us to vote for our local New Democratic Party candidate. (Okay, they were both recorded messages, but still.) This year it's been all poor downtrodden telemarketers-for-hire urging us to vote for our local Liberal candidate -- whom I have already not voted for, and DH intends to not vote for on Tuesday, but who will probably win anyway, because he used to be an NHL goalie.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-11 01:32 am (UTC)I've mostly been lucky to avoid calls, although the ones I do get called for are asking for money.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 01:52 pm (UTC)The recorded calls we get at least twice a week are from my union, urging me to vote for Obama. This annoys me mainly because I'm not in a union, there just isn't one for p/t technical writers and SAH moms. :(