JennetteFulda

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Archives
    • Travel and Adventure
    • Weight-Loss Blog Title Generator
  • Books
    • Books
    • Half-Assed: A Weight-loss Memoir
    • Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest for Relief from the Headache that Wouldn’t Go Away
  • Timeline
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Advertising

August 5, 2014 7 Comments

I’m on Bo and Sunny’s mailing list

Last fall the Democratic National Committee called asking me for money. They must have caught me in a good mood because I said, “Yeah, sure,” and shocked the hell out of the caller who sounded notably surprised. I must have been that one person out of a hundred who didn’t tell him where he could stick the Declaration of Independence. I don’t donate that much money to charity or causes, but the Democrats really did me a solid when they passed the Affordable Care Act, so I figured the least I could do was send them twenty bucks.

Of course, that donation meant I was immediately put on several Democratic mailing lists. They even sent me an official membership card, which I don’t think I’ve received for anything since I was a member of the Strawberry Shortcake fan club as a kid, and in that case the membership card was scented. I was not surprised that the Democrats had added me to their mailing list, but I am sort of surprised by how many “gifts” they keep sending me.

First there was the 2014 Commemorative Presidential Print…

2014 Commemorative Presidential Print

..that came with a Certificate of Authenticity, as if I’d ordered something from the Franklin Mint.

Certificate of Authenticity

Then there was a birthday card for the president, which I think I was supposed to sign and mail back with another donation, of course, like I was his grandma sending him a fiver.

Happy Birthday from Bo and Sunny

They also sent me a picture of Obama and one of the dogs.

Obama and Bo

So many of these items have featured the presidential dogs, that I have to wonder if my twenty dollars secretly went to Bo and Sunny’s kibble fund. It is quite possible they have their own SuperPAC. More likely it’s because anyone standing next to a cute dog instantly becomes more likeable, even if you’re a cat person like me.

North Carolina Democrats bumper sticker

It hasn’t stopped yet either because this week I got a bumper sticker from the North Carolina Democrats, which I will not be putting on my car because I’m at an age where I care about my car’s trade-in value.

All of this leaves me wondering, at what point will the Democratic party spend so much money on postage and swag that they will have actually lost money on me? My curiosity is the main reason I have not asked to be removed from any of the mailing lists. I’m waiting to see what they will send me next. If they truly knew the way to my heart they’d send me candy, maybe some blue gummi jackasses. Then I could go around telling people to bite my ass in a totally patriotic way.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Leave a Comment (7) Read more about: bo, democratic national committee, democrats, fundraising, mailing list, obama, sunny

Jennette Fulda is the author of:

Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest for Relief from the Headache that Wouldn't Go Away

"Smart, unflinchingly honest, and laugh-out-loud funny."

- Lisa Genova, New York Times best-selling author of Still Alice

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Powell's
  • Indiebound
You may also like:
  • Bump
  • Guest post: Help my cousin Allison cure type 1 diabetes (and get a link in my sidebar)
Post navigation
Later: If you’ve ever used a smartphone at a movie theater, please tell me why
Earlier: Get off my lawn!
Home: Main blog index

Comments

  1. Natalie says

    August 5, 2014 at 11:26 pm

    I have recently stopped financially supporting one cause I believe in because of the constant harassment for more money. Or it felt like harassment, anyway. Not just letters (no interesting free stuff, unfortunately) but also phone calls which I utterly detest. I asked to have a note put on my file to not call me (several times) and that worked for a while before it started up again. So I cancelled my regular payments to them.

    I do quite like getting sets of Christmas cards from various charities I have never given money to, I give the cards to the kids to hand out at school. I’m not sure how I got on those lists, but as long as it’s just free cards once a year they’re welcome to keep sending them. Just don’t expect me to feel obligated over something I didn’t ask for.

    Reply
  2. Natalie says

    August 5, 2014 at 11:28 pm

    Oh, I forgot to say that my first ever job was cold-calling for a charity. I lasted into the third morning – I think a total of ten hours work. I got two donations in that time, not enough to pay my wages plus the phone bill! I don’t think the charity was sorry to see me go. Obviously didn’t have the right friendly/bullying/guilt-tripping manner the job needs.

    Reply
  3. Tracey from Melbourne AUS says

    August 6, 2014 at 3:52 am

    Maybe it’ll be like Reader’s Digest – once they’ve got your name they never let you go. That “Presidential print” is well, sort of funny – it is like the Thomas Kincade collection from Franklin mint. I wonder if Australian political parties do the same – hope Tony Abbott doesn’t have a card with his photo on the front wearing his budgie smugglers…

    Reply
  4. Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says

    August 6, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    I am quite certain that overall these types of tactics work for all sorts of fundraisers because of the feelings of guilt, obligation, happy mood, etc. Plus, there’s always that rare person who just hit the lottery or inherited money and gives beaucoup bucks. So, overall, they never lose money and all those mailings are tax deductible for them, right?

    Shirley

    Reply
  5. Debbi says

    August 7, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    We’re on the same list. Except I’m voting for West Virginia Democrats, of course. I never want the swag to stop, I’m a campaign stuff hoarder.

    Reply
  6. Jessica @ Absurd, She Wrote says

    August 8, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    I don’t like “stuff.” Cause then I just want to throw it away, but I feel guilty about wasting it, and then I’m irrationally annoyed with them sending it in the first place and putting me in this quandary.

    That said, I like that picture of Obama and his dog.

    Reply
  7. Rebecca says

    August 13, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    “most dedicated supporters”…doesn’t take much, does it?

    It does make me sad, though, to think that one donation put you, apparently, in the front lines, when he has such dedicated opposition.

    Oh, well. The dogs are cute!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I wrote some books

Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest for Relief from the Headache that Wouldn’t Go AwayHalf-Assed: A weight-loss memoir

Follow Me

Jennette Fulda on Facebook

Recent Posts

  • That billionaire brat made me feel bad that Twitter is imploding
  • No one grows old on DVD or CD-ROM
  • Losing more than 100 pounds…again: Part 3 – The Differences
  • Losing more than 100 pounds…again: Part 2 – Losing Weight
  • Losing more than 100 pounds…again: Part 1 – Regaining Weight
440

Travel and Adventure

Weight-Loss Blog Title Generator

Most Popular Posts

  • Two weeks of Blue Apron: Six recipes, one blogger, and not enough bowls.
  • Remind me never to go off my meds again
  • Like the back of my hand
  • The Big Move in Retrospect: Everything good and the bad about moving from Indianapolis to Chapel Hill
  • It’s hard to type when you break your arm
  • My health insurance denial letters. Past or future?
  • Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: Day 1, Getting there is half the fun!
  • Not a picture I’ll be bragging about

Blog Archives

Search

Know thyself, quiz Monday

Jennette Fulda tells stories to the Internet about her life as a smartass, writer, chronic headache sufferer, (former?) weight-loss inspiration, and seemingly nice person (who is silently judging you). You can contact her if you promise to be nice.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for keyboards ruined by coffee spit-takes or forehead wrinkles caused by deep thought.

Follow Me

Blog Archives

Newsletter

One day I might actually e-mail something to my mailing list. If you want to be there for that moment, sign up below.

AS SEEN IN

  • The Washington Post
  • The Today Show
  • The New York Times
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Globe and Mail
  • Associated Press
  • Women's Health
  • Glamour
  • Shape Magazine
  • Runner's World
  • Health
  • The Early Show
  • MSNBC
Copyright © 2023 Jennette Fulda • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site design by Makeworthy Media