Last weekend during the Limbaugh furor, my phone rang. It was a fundraising phone call from Texas’ Lt. Governor David Dewhurst’s campaign. Dewhurst, a Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate. How the heck I got on their list of “conservative voters”, I promise I haven’t a clue, but there I was being somewhat befuddled about being called a conservative, as the nice young man chatted me up about what a great Senator Gov. Dewhurst will make.
When he paused to take a breath, I asked, “Does David Dewhurst agree with Rush Limbaugh that all women who use birth control are sluts and prostitutes?” I suppose that I was thinking that would end the conversation. It did not. He replied “oh Yes M’am” . Going from bemused to flabbergasted. I decided to take the next step. I went on to inquire if Dewhurst favored the personhood bills that would make many forms of birth control illegal, same answer. He then asks how much I want to give. By this time I am into the game. I answered 7500 dollars. He asks if I can hang on.
By this time I was kicking myself for not recording the call. By the time the next person gets on the line to make sure that it was okay to record the conversation and confirm my contribution I was ready. When I was asked if I minded if the call were recorded, I replied not at all, then advised that I needed to go get my credit card. This allowed me to find a damn house phone that had speaker phone capability and get my recording app going on my iPhone. The young lady then asked if I truly wanted to donate $7500 to the campaign and I responded by saying that first I needed confirmation of what I had been told by the first caller.
Specifically I asked if it were true that David Dewhurst agreed with Rush Limbaugh and thought that all women who used birth control were sluts and prostitutes. Confirmed. That David Dewhurst thought that contraceptives should be banned. Confirmed. David Dewhurst would do what he could to pass a personhood bill in the U.S. Senate. Confirmed. We then move into my concerns that it might be illegal for me to contribute $7500. She says she doesn’t know of any problem with any amount I wanted to give. What is my credit card number. I snorted--it is on the tape. Finally my questions must have raised some sort of red flag and she comes back confirms that David Dewhurst supports the Alliance for Life and the most I can give is $5000 if I am married and she was ready for my card number.
So the question is Does David Dewhurst really believe as Rush does that all women who use birth control are sluts and prostitutes? Does he really want to outlaw most contraceptives? Or do the young people on the fundraising lines just answer what ever way they believe will pull in the money? If so what does that make them?