Voting Spam

In the past three days I have received no less than ten phone calls from political institutions telling me to vote.  Or telling me for whom to vote.  Or telling me all kinds of bizarre and nasty things about various officials who are running, so presumably I won’t vote for them.  All these on my CELLULAR PHONE.  All were pre-recorded.  Some even left VOICEMAILS.  I do not want to use my minutes to listen Daisy Carpenter from the Democratic party tell me about a man who abused his wife and gave literal meaning to the "wife beaters" he wears and is running for Deputy Sheriff.  Or that I must vote.  Or that Joe the Plumber is the hero of America.  I could go on all number of soap boxes right now- perhaps about how less than 10% of the country lives in towns smaller than 50,000 people while nearly 170 million (yes, that’s 50% of Americans) live in urban areas, yet our presidential candidates spend more time in diners and bowling alleys in Podunk middle America than anywhere else. And that somehow if you can shoot your own moose, you’re more able to relate to “real” Americans than if you eat arugula.  Or perhaps a soap box about how our system of elections is convoluted, antiquated, and ABSURD.  Shall we take Tuesday voting, the electoral college, and idiosyncrasies and variables in the ways in which voting happens to name just a few?  And these absurdities are brought up in countless articles every four years, and yet nothing happens.  Seriously?  Seriously.  But I won’t get on any of those soap boxes. 

I will however express my great disdain for receiving six phone calls in one day on my personal phone, injecting all kinds of unwanted negativity into my chi.  And I am particularly annoyed when, as on Friday, I have five missed calls in the span of three hours from the same phone number.  Give.  It.  Up.  What I want to know is who is influenced by those last minute automated smear phone calls.  If you are one of those people, please let me know.  I have a used car to sell you.  Because I’m pretty sure the answer is NO ONE with half a brain cell.  And I know I’m giving my fellow Americans a lot of credit on that one.  Don’t get me wrong- I am all about political discourse.  ALL ABOUT IT.  I am known in these parts as “that girl” who brings up politics as frequently as the weather.  Who asks people totally casually where they stand on abortion and gun control and expects an honest and well-thought-out answer.  Call me invasive, but I just want DISCOURSE.  Opine.  Posit.  Discuss.  But I simply don’t want to listen to some dude read his schpeel into my voicemail so he can check my number of his list.  And not be able to respond, ask clarifying questions, or even have a clue what he’s talking about.  I would love for someone to give me a reasonable explanation as to why this method of “canvassing” is used.  Or if and how in the world it is effective.  Because it clearly must be effective in some way, because other wise I wouldn’t get 10 calls in 3 days from 8 different agencies, right?  Right?  Nope, didn’t think so.