Dubious Honor

I recently received a phone message from Jackie Davidson on behalf of Congressman Tom Reynolds, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Apparently, they had selected moi to receive their National Leadership Award, and needed to speak to me right away concerning a press release they wanted to send out, no doubt to let the local community know about my prestigious award.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I had to give them a call.

When I called them this morning, I didn't speak to Jackie, but instead conversed with one of her colleagues. Before giving my name, I asked the representative how the organization got the information to decide who should receive these "awards." I wondered whether they got my name off the ACLU membership list, or the HRC membership roll.

The representative told me that she couldn't tell me how I was selected for the award without learning my name, so I reluctantly gave it to her. (They knew it anyway; they'd said my full name on the answering machine message.) When I told the representative my name, she sprang to life, feigning recognition ("Oh, yes, hi!" was her response -- apparently the list of finalists is short indeed). She let me know that business leaders in Illinois had been selected based on their contributions to the local economy.

Apparently, my shopping habits have gotten me into trouble again.

She went on to tell me that the organization was hoping I would attend the next presidential dinner when Bushie next comes to the area, and started to play me a message from Congressman Reynolds himself. At this point, my rational mind took the reins away from my curious mind and cut the representative short. I informed her that I had never voted for a Republican candidate (I know you're shocked) and likely never would. Without animus I asked her to remove my phone number from her records. She cheerfully agreed to do so, and thanked me for calling in so that they could better decide what to do next. (Umm, that would be never call me again in hopes of getting my support for the Republican Beast.)

I'm guessing my status as an important businessman has something to do with the WHOIS registry for my website. I get all kinds of crap for health insurance, business credit cards, etc. I guess marketers are desperate enough for business that they'll send out crap to anyone with the $10 (or less) required to register a domain name. The Republican party, given the latest poll numbers, must be equally desperate.