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Richard Crowson: Politicians On Facebook? No Thanks.

There’s a local businessman who’s running for Representative Todd Tiahrt’s congressional seat.  This guy is apparently just nuts about me. He really really really wants to be my pal. I know this because he’s tried three times to “friend” me on Facebook. Each time I turn him down and it never hurts his feelings. He just comes back again with another request. He’s positively smitten with me, I can only surmise.

I have a rule about polticians who want to be my Facebook friend. The rule is no—even to the ones whom I know to be sincere, hard-working, wonderful human beings. I don’t do politicians on Facebook. I’ve spent 30 years following politics as part of my job and I have learned that politicians don’t really value my opinion whatsoever. They practically always side against me and in favor of those things that I don’t believe in. Why would I want to share the intimate Facebook details of what I had for breakfast or how glad I am that the weather is nice today with someone who’s just going to turn around and legislate against my oatmeal and pretty blue skies?

So anyway, this politician guy, he even started calling me. Well, robo-calling me. And is if that weren’t enough, he has apparently researched what times of day I am most likely to watch t.v., and he runs advertisements for himself at those times, day after day after day.

There was a report on NPR’s Morning Edition this past Monday about a dear little girl who was born with a genetic disability that kept her from being able to discriminate against strangers. She loved everyone she met, much to her parent’s dismay, and often told people so. I wonder if that’s why some politicians keep trying to be my buddy. Maybe they have that same disability.

On the other hand, if they really loved me they wouldn’t write anti-oatmeal legislation, now would they.

Richard Crowson is not only a editorial commentator for KMUW. He's also a cartoonist, an artist and a banjo player.