Would That More Fundraisers Showed This Much Creativity

There’s plenty of humor in politics, much of it unintentional.

The prevailing attitude among politicians, at least where their public persona is concerned, appears to be that the people’s business is extremely serious and can only be conducted at the epicenter of a vast, levity-free zone.

All of which makes even more delightful the recently e-mailed fundraiser invitation from Todd and Jennifer Kaufman on behalf of Don Saylor, a candidate for Yolo County supervisor.

Beginning with the headline:

“Solons, Mentats, Wonks and Geeks for Saylor!”

Solon, the person, was an Athenian lawmaker and poet back around 600 BC. Solon, as the word is used today, is a synonym for legislator although it connotes one who is either wise or senior or both.

Mentat is a bit more obscure. It’s a word coined by Frank Herbert in his Dune series of novels. Mentats are humans trained to mimic the analytical capabilities of computers.

Wonks and geeks need no explication.

The invitation, created presumably by Chris Jansen of Chris Jansen Consulting, describes the characteristics of these different categories of persons and assigns each a contribution amount.

For example, it costs $500 to be a “Solon.”  Solons are described as “Been there; done that. Decides which room to use. No use for details.”

Mentats pay $250. They are: “Coffee stained. Has keys to room. Others insist on waiting until she is in room to start.”

A wonk wins entry for $100. “Expert on entire category of details. Reads blogs to see if they are mentioned. Prepares the room.”

Finally, a geek — $50 – “Would like to be wonk. Strives to know details. Created own blog. Looking for the room.”

The event is Wednesday, January 6.

One hopes the candidate appreciates the droll wit of his supporters.

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