Volunteerism

We’ve received several calls of late from folks who want us to volunteer for political campaigns. I won’t name them, because I don’t mean for this to come off as a partisan rant. And besides, what I’m here to complain about has nothing to do with planks or platforms.

Today’s moaning has more to do with gall. Not bile but rather, the inflated sense of self-importance that so many wannabe politicos seem to sport.

So, this friendly-enough-sounding guy calls to ask for Mary, who wasn’t home and would not have been receptive at any rate. He wants to let her know that an opportunity has arisen to volunteer for Jane Doe’s campaign for U.S. Congress. Yowser! And if she doesn’t feel sufficiently honored by the fabulous offer –he called three times without getting through to my lovely spouse - perhaps I’d like to seize the day for mine own self.

Now, what you need to know about candidate Jane Doe is that she’s a fairly young former Microsoft exec who exercised a gadzillion dollars in stock options, retired early and is now on her third attempt at using her hard-earned wealth to fund a run for the House.

We could talk all night about her qualifications (scanty, in my estimation), her vision (skewed, I’d say), or her propensity for running slam ads in the last couple of days before we go to the polls (including accusations that have in the past been proven specious within days AFTER the election). Let’s just say she’s not someone for whom Mary or I would probably choose to vote.

What she does have is money. Lots of money. Lots and lots and lots of money.

I won’t go into our family finances in this venue. Let me just say that the money Mary and I have could not accurately be described using even a solitary ‘lots.’ 

There is something out of touch about a bazillionaire candidate who thinks her best bet is to ask barely-middle-class folks with two kids in college to volunteer time to help her  get elected to an office for which she’s so ill-suited.

We believe in volunteerism. And I suppose there’s some irony to be found in the fact that I believe there should be much more grass-roots volunteerism and much less money in U.S. politics. But Mary and I tend to step up for things we believe in. Like the daughters’ schools. Friends with needs. Habitat for Humanity. Stuff like that.

We’re not inclined to volunteer to help seat yet another lackluster legislator. Particularly not one of questionable ethics who I suspect of viewing politics as some sort of rich person’s hobby.