I just received a call from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). The young lady on the line wanted to thank me for my “activism” this year. She then told me that it was Barbara Boxer (not Ben Nelson, who knew?) who delivered the 60th vote on health care to Harry Reid. Afterward, I was hit up for $375. Well, an attempted hit-up. Since taking over the editing gig at YBH! I’ll only donate to candidates if I know them personally before they declare to run.
Texas Senator Cornyn Heads Senate Fundraising for Republicans
Now, I have no problem with the NRSC calling me, I’ll even let the fact that they called my personal cell # go. But, seriously, a little background on who you are calling would help a lot. I held my tongue and didn’t get into it with the caller over the Barbara Boxer line.
If this is how the Republicans are attempting to win back the Senate, I’m concerned. Team Obama spent countless hours just listening to voters’ grievances on the phone. I’m sure they used white lies along the way as well. But, give me a break, Boxer did vote for ObamaCare and 60 people total voted for it, but it was Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman’s game all along.
The problem lies in the fact that Republicans have two sets of donors. Young and informed on one hand and the selectively informed older group on the other. Now caveats exist on both sides. The Democrats face a similar schism between their rich urban voters and their poorer voters. Again caveats exist. The problem for the GOP is that the younger voter demographic does not make up as much of the donor base as Democrats can claim.
In the end the caller didn’t know a thing about me, the dubious thanks for my activism notwithstanding. It was almost as bad as when a dude from Obama’s Organizing for America called me on my cell phone. My edited response was “Are you f%@#ing kidding me?” He didn’t call again.
The bottom line is the GOP needs to learn to speak the language of people like me pretty fast or 2010 and 2012 will be a missed opportunity.
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John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+John Romano article archive.
