And I just don't know why. I am pretty careful about where I leave my email; I try not to just leave it lying about where any Teabag organizing scallywag can find it. But they did.
I went back and counted thirteen emails in December. That's when it started.
The only connection I am aware of is that I follow Dick Armey on Twitter.
The first emails were fundraisers for the end of the year. Helpful reminders of how FreedomWorks took the fledgling disorganized Tea Party movement and turned it into a mechanism for real change. They were looking for donations before the end of the year and FreedomWorks would match the donation. The emails are from Matt Kibbe rather than FreedomWorks proper. I had received one from Dick Armey and it got the spam button, but I kept thinking I must know this Matt person from a self-help newsletter or from one of the other liberal voluntary spam that I sign up for. Perhaps it's even that nice Matt who writes for Rolling Stone. The tone of the messages is so folksy and friendly. The latest one asked me all about my social media habits and gives me the opportunity to follow Mr. Kibbe on twitter and facebook. That's when the light came on and I noticed the domain name was FreedomWorks. Those happy fellows with the name that is crafted to be both a noun and a verb.
This email also provides links to join the Activist Network and click and take action to stop that pesky IMF funding; stop the dangerous "Jobs" act (their quotation marks must mean it should be pronounced with sneering disdain) and stop "forced unionization" by joining "National Right to Work" (my quotation marks because it's such bullshit I can't type it without feeling sneering disdain).
The last email of 2011 included a survey that one could enter their unique identifier number into the box and take the poll. I love taking polls, so I took the poll.
It was largely what would be expected; questions about rating which "political leader" was better- all the usual candidates- Perry, Cain, Beck, Paul and then the Dems thrown in there for counterweight. Yeah, the survey is already dated by attrition, Bachmann, Cain and that Beck is in the running as a "political leader" is a hoot, but I guess beggars can't be choosy.
The thing that struck me was the way questions are constructed to make the results predictable and malleable. For instance, when asked to list the most important issues, a list is given with choices like, "repeal/approval of health care reform" or "increasing/decreasing immigration quotas". So basically, the result is going to indicate that immigration is such and such in importance, and either side of the issue can be cited. A vote on the question could indicate either preference when the findings are reported. Pretty tricky, eh?
The friendly, concerned tone of the emails made me think of warm cinnamon hot chocolate, and stuff made out of gingham. I don't really know what gingham looks like and I don't use trivets or have lace things on the back of my chairs but I wanted to follow this nice man on twitter and if I did the facebook, I would friend him there, too.
He just seems that nice.
The Google is my friend so I got good information and sorted things out, but I didn't send Mr. Kibbe to the spam pile because he just seems so nice. I bet he even likes pooties.