For the last 2 election cycles, it has gotten worse and worse. Waiting for that text from your spouse about picking up the groceries? Want to know when your daughter will get home from college for the weekend? Expecting an urgent update from your doctor, lawyer or other professional? Nope, this is just John Ossof, Roy Cooper, Sherrod Brown, or Mary Peltola asking for more money. Again.
“Wait! We really need your help this time! Trumpety trump mctrumpersen, write us a check now or we’re all gonna hold our breath!” It’s so exhausting to deal with all these hyperbolic text messages, not to mention the emails, but at least email spam filtering seems to be up to the task. Text spam filtering is failing, and so are our politicians addicted to consultants and easy money.
Andy Kim was my stalker from a couple years ago. No matter how many times I unsubscribed, blocked him, and marked his texts as spam, somehow he had a new number and texted me again. I imagined him around every corner, peeking into my window. Hey Eagle, won’t you give us some money? Oh hey, I’m going to be in your neighborhood, please give me money to keep me away. Are you home, Eagle? I’m knocking on the door! I can see your lights are on, is that NPR you are playing??? No, I never met him, and I’m glad he’s a Senator now, but his texts were stalker vibe. This year, it’s a battle between Roy Cooper and Josh Shapiro for who is stalking me more.
Unfortunately, this onslaught of texts has gotten to the point where text messages and their notifications are becoming less and less useful because 75% of the time it’s just one of my political stalkers begging for money again, not someone I know or care about. Unsubscribing, blocking, and reporting spam does nothing, they just text from another number.
Even worse, we have significant evidence that this type of consultant-driven fundraising is both horribly inefficient and targets seniors and the vulnerable like a predator. It saps the energy out of a movement we are trying to grow while mostly fattening the wallet of the consultant class. How can we stop this when our party leaders look the other way? We need to start asking our candidates to support a national do-not-contact registry.
Introducing the NO CONTACT Act: National Opt-Out Campaign Outreach Notification & Telecommunications Accountability Control Act. Yes, a very wordy name, but a very catchy acronym! Individuals should be able to register their number to receive no political texts or calls soliciting for money. Political consultants, campaigns, and PACs must check a number against that registry before texting them and, if present, may not text or call that number. How do we enforce this? Well, I have some great ideas!!! Parties found in violation of this act must have their personal cellphones taken away from them and smashed into tiny bits in a public spectacle with school children throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes at them. That’s on top of draconionally expensive fines of $5,000 PER TEXT PER PERSON. Whew! I am drunk with power!
I know, Team DKos Wet Blanket will swoop into the comments any second to tell me why this can’t happen. But it’s fun to imagine stupid new laws that will never pass. I really like that rotten egg part and the smashing of the phones. Perhaps we could get traction with more modest fines, and leave out the public shaming part? Whatever punishment you think is best, but do it now. Let’s make it a campaign issue and start asking our candidates for some relief while they are still running for office. Please ask your candidates to cosponsor the NO CONTACT Act.
We’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.
We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.
