Mr. Lowry:
A few weeks ago you stated that Hillary Clinton would come in third in Iowa. I responded with a snarky e-mail that said I’d subscribe for one year to NR if that happened.
It happened.
So fine. I’m a man of my word even though you probably have no recollection of the e-mail.
I’ve charged $29.95 to my credit card and all I ask is that you send the magazine in some sort of wrapper. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
ME: In the interest of accuracy, this e-mailer was reacting to one of my “I wonder” questions, not a prediction. But a NR subscription is non-refundable, so we’ll take it. It’s been a good time for me in terms of wagers, because I bet our Pats-loving tech guy Nate that the Patriots wouldn’t score 56 points against either the Jets or the Dolphins, and sometime soon, he’s going to have to wear a Yankees hat for a week as a result (I still need to get him the hat).
UPDATE
E-mail:
Regarding “Subject: A bet is a bet.”
In April 1989, a conservative friend of mine (and Michigan alum) bet at-the-time left-liberal me (a Seton Hall alum) that Michigan would beat SHU in the NCAA men’s basketball finals. The bet was if SHU won, he had to subscribe to The Nation for a year. If Michigan won, I’d have to subscribe to National Review. Michigan won in OT, and I signed up to read Mr. Buckley’s magazine.
Being a compulsive reader, I couldn’t just ignore the thing. There was something about it that got to me … I didn’t even know conservatives could argue — and certainly not be so erudite, witty and damned reasonable about it. I didn’t become conservative right away, but found myself adopting more and more conservative positions on things.
Anyway, thought you’d find it amusing that lost bets can create subscribers and eventually conversatives. Keep an eye on the fellow who emailed you.