How to Amuse a Voter

So I'm a pretty conscientious voter. I have voted at every election, even when I was in Alabama where I was aghast that the state did not send me a pamphlet of information on candidates and issues before the election date. I guess I'm not your average non-voting American and like to do my civic duty.

Like most people, I don't necessarily like getting phone calls at home that are not from my friends or my family. But I have this really bad habit of actually asking people questions if I get interested and answering surveys if I'm interested. One time, before the Do Not Call legislation got passed, I actually quizzed a telemarketer for about 30 minutes on the fine terms of long distance contract he was trying to sell me. Although I didn't switch contract, I have to give high marks to the poor young man who answered every single question I posed.

Tonight, as I was walking out the door to head out to a cafe to actually continue working =(, I got a phone call from someone who totally mispronounced my name. I knew right away that it had to be one of those "surveyors" (I love how everyone now tells me they don't sell things). It turns out the person was calling to see for whom I would vote as the mayor of San Diego -- the current mayor, Jerry Sanders or the challenger, Steve Francis. When I said I haven't made up my mind, the person then proceeded to tell me how Steve Francis is spending millions of dollars on campaigns. She politely pointed out how Mr. Francis received money from Chevron, oil companies, big corporations, etc. etc. Finally I interrupted her and asked her a blunt question -- how would Jerry Sanders do differently as the mayor? Meaning what would he do to change the present state of affairs?

This lady, who was so well versed in how Mr. Francis's campaign was financed and backed by multiple parties that presumably I shouldn't like, told me she couldn't answer that question. I asked her then who can answer my question. The reply? Mayor Sanders.

I was thoroughly amused. I laughed. Really, I was highly amused. So I asked her what was the point of her call, to which she said she was just taking surveys of who the voters were thinking of voting. THAT made me laugh even harder. Because obviously, she was calling to convince me that I should vote for Jerry Sanders! Come on... this was no survey. And yet when I tried to ask even the blandest substantive question, she had no answer. She, unlike the AT&T telemarketer, gets a failing grade as a "surveyor."

Well, I guess they don't count on voters actually asking substantive questions to these telephone callers. Did this encounter make me want to vote for Steve Francis or Jerry Sanders? Neither. I was simply amused. At least I didn't get a call at 7:30 in the morning on Saturday morning like I did from Steve Francis campaign a few weeks ago. That definitely did not amuse me.