Today I got a phone call which really pissed me off, from people who SHOULD have respected what I had to say and backed the fuck off when I told them to. Hey assholes, you are not going to get what you need from people by forcing a hard sell on folks who have had it with slick politicians ramming shit down their throats or pressuring them with guilt trips.
Like many Americans, I am struggling financially and every single penny I have goes to just getting by, trying to keep the wolves away from my family's door for another day.
Anyone who knows me is well aware that I have been an outspoken advocate for getting rid of the
CRAPTASTIC elitists who are currently running our country into the ground. I spend many hours every single day getting the word out on the
ANTI-CRAPTASTIC facebook page I founded (which reaches nearly 500 people as of this writing and we're growing every day), this blog, social networking, and the types of articles that I publish for public consumption. I do what I can when I can and I can not do any more than I am already doing. I've got family responsibilities which leave me pretty much housebound, so I do all my activism either online or by phone, including participating in telephone town halls with various candidates running in my area.
Just a little while ago today, a young man called my house asking to speak to me. He said he represented the NY Republican Senatorial committee and asked what I thought was the biggest threat to our country. As you can probably imagine, I had a lot to say. But the guy cut me off and started a fast talking sales pitch pressuring me to donate money which I do not have. I explained to him that I have no money to spare, but that I am a woman whose resources are not of little consequence and I can support them in other ways by giving them free publicity. That guy would hear none of it and went on with his high pressure tactics telling me that if I didn't give them money NOW NOW NOW, all would be lost and the Republicans would not have a snowball's chance in hell of wresting power from the
CRAPTASTICs. No matter what I said, he stuck to his script, (although I did make him st-st-st-stutter) first asking for $500 then $100 and then the bargain basement offer that "Even twenty five or thirty dollars...bla bla bla..." Uh...
NO, you little bastard, $25-$30 is a week's worth of milk for my children, you can't have it. The little SOB stuck to the script like a tick on a dog and went on to imply that if I didn't pony up the cash it would be MY fault if the Democrats held power in the midterm elections. Hey, asshole, if the Republicans hadn't fucked everything up in the first place by trying to clone themselves into the image of the liberals, the CRAPTASTICs never would have gotten into the powerful positions they have now! If republicans are not smart enough to prove themselves worthy of the American people's trust again it is not my damned fault and my fucking grocery money ain't gonna change that!
I've already been called racist for not supporting Obama's horrible policies, I've been called a bigot for not supporting the terrorist funded victory mosque at Ground Zero. I have been called every name in the book by the angry left for daring to dissent against their agenda to destroy our country, I am damned sure not going to let some telemarketing flunky use those kinds of tactics on me to get money for people who I ALREADY support to the best of my ability! Propaganda doesn't work on me, it never has. The people I choose to support have my voice behind them and my vote, but I can't give them what I don't have (I have NO money to spare) and if what I DO have to offer isn't good enough for them, they had better tread lightly or I will withdraw THAT support from them as well.
I will be voting straight Republican this election, even if I have to hold my nose to do it, because it is imperative that we break the left's strangle hold on our government. However, once they are elected, I will be JUST as harsh on them when they screw up as I am to the Democrats because if they don't do right by us this time around, they will prove that they are useless CRAPTASTIC bastards as well and I'll use the coming years and my growing platform to help get rid of THEM too.
I will never give money to any political party, ever. If I had money to spare and found a candidate worthy of that kind of support, I would send it directly to them, because the party leadership is part of the problem, not the solution.
If anyone is working for a campaign where they are calling people, they would do well to heed my warning: Don't try to force a hard sell on people who have had their fill of being railroaded and pressured by politicians already. No means no, learn to accept that gracefully or you'll lose a lot more than potential financial donations. Be careful who the fuck you talk to and how you talk to them, and, as I advise my children, "Don't be a jerk".
I ended up having to hang up on the little fink while he was still yammering away. I know he's probably just some tool with a pre-written page in front of him including a list of rebuttals for those who try to decline. I hope his supervisor was monitoring the call and learns that this is NOT the proper way to garner support. It's a new age and old tactics are no longer the best ones to use, if they ever were. Campaign managers need to treat potential supporters with RESPECT, because the lack of respect from current elected officials is a big part of the reason we're all so pissed off in the first place.