Dave's Fiction Warehouse

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So where are the damned magnets?

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Um, how about you send the magnet first?

Personally, I have never contributed a dime to any political campaign. That’s mostly because I’m so cheap, but also because I believe that all campaign contributions — from the Koch brothers’ millions to the 10 bucks somebody diverts from the grocery budget — only reinforce the concept of ad-based government. When you give to a campaign, you’re helping pay for half-truths to offset the other party’s outright lies. I know: that’s kind of how it works, but I don’t want to be a party to it. I will let my vote speak for itself, and hang on to my cash.

Besides, there is the matter of the missing magnets. A couple of people I know quite well keep getting e-mails from the Obama campaign, no doubt because they have donated in the past. Recently, the solicitations have promised exciting campaign swag like bumper stickers and magnets in exchange for a small donation.

Fair enough. Except that the campaign gets the donations, and never sends the magnets. It’s been a couple of months now. The only acknowledgement of the cash is an impersonal e-mail requesting more. And another offer of another freaking magnet.

It’s such a small thing. It’s ridiculous to complain about it, which is why neither of these people has complained, except to mention it in passing. It’s not like their votes are contingent on receiving a stupid magnet. But here at the Warehouse, no subject is too trivial to blow out of proportion. I’m wondering about a campaign that can’t fulfill such a small promise. It is complacency? I know Romney has been making things easy for the Democrats, but still.

Look. If you can’t do the little things, it casts doubt on your commitment to the big ones. Maybe the DNC can blame a tepid first term on GOP stonewalling, but I don’t think Republicans are pulling any strings at the magnet factory. My advice: Get those things in the mail, pronto.

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Comments

  1. John H. says

    I’m afraid that this might be a lost cause. Attention to detail and following through are just not considered important anymore (if they ever were). At work I try to tell people that we should reject applicants if the resume or cover letter has typos, or if there is no cover letter. I think that if the applicant won’t put in the effort to get those things right, it says something about how they will perform on the job. But I’m in the minority.

    • Dave Knadler says

      When I looked at resumes from copy editors, I would allow one typo on a resume — as long as it seemed a genuine typo as opposed to a misspelling.

      You’re right: If you can’t attend to detail when you’re seeking the job, you probably won’t improve any after you’ve got it.