More on Polls

Today, I received a “poll” from the Interfaith Alliance, an association that promotes the worthy goals of religious diversity and tolerance. The cover letter leads off with quotes from Jerry Falwell (blaming “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians” for 9/11) and Pat Robertson (on the necessity for women to subjugate themselves upon marriage), and then asks me to complete a poll and give them money. Like the GOP poll, the penultimate question even asks me, should I elect not to give, to submit $10 to cover the cost of processing and tabulating the survey. But at least there is not a box saying “No, I favor restarting the Crusades”.

In another mailing, Bill Clinton sends me his regards, writing inter alia

Whatever qualms you might have about how strongly Democrats stand on this issue or that one pale in comparison to the across-the-board damage four more years of right wing Republican policies would do to everything we believe in.

and

Maybe you’re not sure we can win. That was the conventional wisdom when I took on a President named George Bush…[we won and] our 1992 campaign helped launch an era of Democratic leadership and Democratic values in the White House.

Clinton then asks me to give to the Democratic Party’s “Victory in 2004” campaign, which I will probably do. You can do the same here. This makes me realize another problem with the Republican ascendancy: it’s costing me money. Sure, I’m saving a lot in taxes, but I’m giving a lot more to political causes than I otherwise would, which probably explains the ever-increasing number of solicitations I receive.

AB