Thank goodness it's primary election day in the District of Columbia. Maybe now I'll stop hearing from a lot of my new "friends." Every day I've been coming home to recorded messages on my answering machine from DC mayoral and council candidates. And many of their wives, friends, proteges. The messages start out something like, "Hi. I'm so-and-so's high school history teacher and I think he's a great candidate because blah, blah, blah."
I can't imagine that this is useful, unless name recognition is the total name of the game. I didn't find it particularly annoying although a friend of mine was ready shoot his phone. Mostly I just deleted the messages as soon as I heard, "Hi. I'm so-and-so..." And then got miffed because none of my real friends had actually called.
I guess this method of campaigning doesn't cost the candidates a whole lot of money and reaches a whole lot of people. How effective it is is another story.
Ellen Perlman was a GOVERNING staff writer and technology columnist.
