I come home from work today and checked my mail and noticed that I got a mail from John McCain and the Republican National Committee. This wasn’t unexpected to me. As an Independent, I know Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, et. al would love to get my vote. I was annoyed two years ago when I got endless calls on my cell phone (which was on the Do-Not-Call list at the time) from the RNC urging me to vote Rob Simmons in my House district. I think the Republicans may have gotten that message, and changed strategy. So, a mailing campaign seems fair and smart

Until I found out how that strategy may have changed.

When I came home from college, I had to mail in a new voter registration form. I’m done with college now, so I can no longer vote in my old precinct. When re-registering, I made it a point to make sure my form said that I did not wish to be affiliated with a party. When I got the confirmation from my town, it also noted this. So, there is no way I can be anything other than an Independent. So, I started scratching my head when I saw these.

When I saw the first letter, I started wondering, “Is this some kind of new appeal to Independents by McCain and the Republicans? Make them try to feel like they’re a part of the group?” By the time I got to the second letter I began wondering if it was a clerical mistake.

First off, besides my own blog, here at Poligazette, and some intermittent debates/discussions with my friends and my father and grandfather, I don’t actually have much political involvement. I’ve never worked for a campaign; heck, I’ve never even donated to one. The campaign and the RNC claim the letter (and the survey included with it) are only sent to a select number of people who have a good deal of political involvement. If blogger is involvement to the Republicans, then fine, blogging is involvement. Yet, the key part is the second phrase of the sentence, “commitment to the Republican party.”

Problem: I’ve never been a Republican. As I noted in one of my first entries here, I was originally a Democrat who quickly switched to no affiliation due to my dislike of both major parties. I have no Republican street cred of which to speak. So, this is why I think it’s a clerical error. Yet, how can you mess this up?

The RNC is clearly getting records from towns all across the nation of voters’ party registrations (the fact my information is being shared with someone without my consent is another issue). How can you mess this up? My name has to be listed somewhere in whatever they use for a database of Independents. If this letter really is meant to go out to those who’ve shown leadership in the Republican party, I shouldn’t have gotten it.

So, that kind of brings me back full circle to the Independent appeal theory. Could this be a way to try and get Independents? I’m not sure, but maybe. As I mentioned before, included with the letters in a survey with a number of questions about the issues of our time. Interestingly, the questions are worded in a way that is definitely biased toward Republican interests, which isn’t surprising. I’d expect no less of a DNC-backed survey as well. So, that kind of makes me think again of an error.

Note that I’m not offended of being called a Republican. I’m actually kind of flattered that they think of me as part of their party, and an involved leader in it no less. Makes me feel kind of special they think of me that way. The ball’s in your court now, Democrats. What am I to you?

On a final note, I point your attention to the first letter by McCain, where he introduced Carly Fiorina. I have never seen quite as much praise toward somebody. Could this mean Fiorina could expect big things in the near future? Time will tell.