The Daily Babble

In California Today, We're All Celebrities

The 2006 primary elections in California will go down in dubious campaign history as the first year of the Robocall. We've had them before, but this time they are numerous and nearly unrelenting.

For those who haven't gotten one, these are recorded messages--some will talk to you if you answer, and all will leave their message on your machine (that seems to be more comfortable for them--one machine talking to another.) Some are from union and environmental or other organizations' officials. Some are even from the candidates themselves. But to sweeten the experience, many come from the big name politicians (Senator Barbara Boxer is on my machine) and since this is California, from movie stars. I just got a message from Billy Crystal. Ed Begley, Jr. called yesterday.

They call on behalf of candidates (including state controller) and propositions (thankfully, there are only a couple this year.) It's all a bit goofy, but what's really sad is that these robocalls often provide the only information that's gotten through on candidates and propositions. The media has made a great deal for themselves by refusing to give any space to candidates unless they pay for it. You could read newspapers and watch TV news for days without learning that there even is an election (or, hereabouts, that there's anybody on the ballot apart from local candidates, especially for District Attorney.)

Lacking the information to make personal choices we tend to rely either on uninformed impressions or on endorsements. The Robocalls provide some of both.

And there is an undeniable something about hearing the voices of celebrities ostensibly talking to you on the instrument you couldn't use to talk to them in a million years. We're all celebrities until our answering machines turn back into pumpkins after the polls close tomorrow.