One political party lacking in e-mail efficiency

E-mail lists are pernicious things. Especially when you don't want the e-mail that seems to have no end.

I keep getting a warning that my e-mail box is nearly full. Most of that is e-mail that I never asked for, on subjects I never cover, from people with whom I don't want to correspond.

I'm not talking about you readers. I like hearing from you, even when you don't like what I write. Feedback keeps me sharp, I hope.

I'm talking about PR groups or especially political groups, that get your e-mail address and then, without knowing your beat or expertise, send you e-mails with things to cover that are happening on the other side of the world, or subjects that have nothing to do with Lyon County or even Nevada.

The worst offenders are the political parties. From the beginning of this unending election season, I have received e-mails from every presidential candidate, which if I recall correctly was about 10 Democrats and eight or nine Republicans.

I wrote about how irritating it was back during the caucus season and I was glad when candidates started dropping like flies as the party regulars sorted out who they wanted.

Now, however, the two surviving presidential candidates' campaigns and the national party organizations have taken up the slack.

I kept getting e-mails telling me where Obama or McCain will be, what they think on every possible subject, and all kinds of smears against the other.

I will never cover these guys unless they come to Lyon or Storey County, and I don't believe most of what they say anyway, especially when it's about each other.

The e-mails have the option of unsubscribing, so I did that. I stopped getting most Republican e-mails right away. But the Democrats' e-mails keep coming.

So I called the party headquarters and ask to be taken off the e-mail list. I was helped, or rather not helped, by a young "Obama girl" type who couldn't believe that I didn't want to get Democratic e-mails.

I told her that as a rural reporter was never going to cover either candidate anyway, so I didn't want her filling up my inbox with her propaganda.

Her tone turned nasty and she said it takes six weeks to be removed from the Democrats e-mail list.

Six weeks? To delete a name from a computerized list? I can do that in less than .6 seconds, I told her.

"Well, we have a system and it takes six weeks," she responded icily.

"Is this how efficiently you folks plan to run the country if you win?" I asked.

She didn't answer that, just said you'll come off in six weeks and hung up and I am still getting their e-mails blaming John McCain for everything but original sin.

If this is an example of Democrats' efficiency and management skills, it's probably going to take forever to get out of Iraq if they win. They can't get a name off an e-mail list, much less 140,000 soldiers out of a country halfway around the world.

My delete button is going to be very busy.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.