# Quit asking me for money, Obama **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 10, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594 "2008-12-10T19:23:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/21 "2008-12-11T22:42:09Z")
Mmm… bat hoils… The thing is, I don’t mind getting emails from the Obama campaign or transition team or whatever. Sometimes they have neat videos, or a heads-up about an upcoming event, or there’s a survey to get my completely valuable and interesting feedback. I dig all of those things. I just would really like it if, for once, these emails didn’t end with – or revolve entirely around – a red “donate now” button. I’m sure they have a lot of cool ideas they’d like to do if only they could get enough money. So do I. So does every single person, ever, in the history of money. But also like every single person, ever, in the history of money, I know that if I constantly hit up everyone who once did something nice for me, I’d quickly run out of people who’d associate with me. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/22 "2008-12-12T05:20:25Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > Obama, darling, you know I love you. I caucused for you… Caucus Whore . ! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/23 "2008-12-12T12:42:23Z")
> [@Influential\_Panda](#): > > sensible, I suppose. For 1997. Real sensible folk like me setup filters on g-mail and don’t bother with multiple logins. But then you can’t tell who sold your email address. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/24 "2008-12-12T20:29:27Z")
I’m shocked, _shocked_, the people are receiving bulk e-mails asking them to by things or donate money. ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/25 "2008-12-12T22:06:20Z")
I am also being asked to attend meetings, etc. I almost want to pay the money out of guilt for not wanting to go to the meetings. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/26 "2008-12-13T02:20:13Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Doesn’t he need to money to pay off Hillary’s campaign debt? No, he (or his campaign) can’t give any more than the same legal limit that applies to any contributor. That amount would hardly make a dent in the debt. He can, as Sampiro said, suggest that others, like his supporters, contribute to her. Enough of them could indeed pay off the debt. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/27 "2008-12-13T04:35:53Z")
Hee hee. When I donated to the Obama campaign, I wrote them a check at their stand at the farmer’s market and blacked out my name, address and phone number. I did not give them an email address. I learned my lesson when I donated to the ACLU. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/28 "2008-12-13T17:41:00Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > But then you can’t tell who sold your email address. What would I do with that information? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/29 "2008-12-13T17:57:02Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > But then you can’t tell who sold your email address. You should probably just assume that _everybody_ sells your email address. Including the state government, right off your voter registration card. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/30 "2008-12-13T18:28:41Z")
It’s annoying, but every email has an unsubscribe link on the bottom, pretty much like every other opt-in email out there. I often get these opt-in emails from other organizations I’ve done business with (so I can get their latest sales, special offers, etc.) and, when I get sick of them, I just click on the unsubscribe link. Without fail, I’ve been unsubscribed. It’s not that difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/31 "2008-12-13T19:09:28Z")
Lots of spammers will include a fake unsubscribe link with their spam, which is really just a “confirm that this is an active e-mail address, keep sending spam” button. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/32 "2008-12-13T21:24:26Z")
> [@Influential\_Panda](#): > > Lots of spammers will include a fake unsubscribe link with their spam, which is really just a “confirm that this is an active e-mail address, keep sending spam” button. Of course. But this is from an official organization you’ve done business with before, so it’s rather unlikely. If you knowingly gave them the email address to begin with, they would presumably already know it’s an active email address (or don’t particularly care), especially since they’re sending you email after email after email. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/33 "2008-12-13T21:25:34Z")
If unsubscribing doesn’t work, you could always try blocking them. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/34 "2008-12-13T22:08:40Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > But then you can’t tell who sold your email address. [tangent] Actually, this is exactly what I use [“plus addressing”](http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1865178,00.asp) for. [/tangent] ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594/35 "2008-12-14T00:12:05Z")
> [@Influential\_Panda](#): > > What would I do with that information? Stop doing business with the ones who do. > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > You should probably just assume that _everybody_ sells your email address. > Including the state government, right off your voter registration card. Some do, some don’t. It’s easy to find out for sure. > [@LilShieste](#): > > [tangent] > Actually, this is exactly what I use [“plus addressing”](http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1865178,00.asp) for. > [/tangent] Only if both sides of the equation accept the plus sign as a valid part of an email address. It’s impossible to tell this _a priori_ for the majority of people you might want to give an email address to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-asking-me-for-money-obama/476594.md?page=1)