plea to those who feel compelled to call offices of GOP operatives:

[bertha katzenengel]

Please do not offer secretaries or assistants your angry diatribes. You have no idea how unfair that is. Many of us accept employment at large firms without knowing whom we'll be working for. Many of us don't share the same politics as those we work for.

Even if we do share their views on politics, it is (A) a waste of your time, (B) a waste of the secretary's time, and (C) incredibly unfair for you to unload on someone who is not responsible for the boss's work.

[electropop]

1. It's counterproductive to rant at the staffer.

I always just say something like "Hello, I'd like to ask Senator So-And-So to vote yes on S1234. Thank you." They thank me, hopefully tick off another mark in the yes column, and the job is successfully completed. Any unloading is worse than useless here, folks. Remember, we're supposed to be the intelligent caring side.

[Joyce78]

2. Well, what exactly do you do with your time?

Apparently, you have plenty of time to waste. Your boss should know this.

[bertha katzenengel]

5. Oh, I'm so sorry, Joyce . . .

I should've just kept my mouth shut. Obviously, I'm not young enough to know everything.

GOD, I love GD.

[pearl]

3. I respectfully disagree

These people need to know who the hell they're
working for and honestly they need to be confronted by this and if
they are troubled enough by what they hear, their boss might get
wind of it.

I do understand your opinion here and the front line people on
the phones are part of their team, their product so to speak.

Have you noticed also, that a lot of their pr people are gay?
Very Roy Cohn of them.

[bertha katzenengel]

6. "need to know who they're working for" -- an excellent point, pearl

but trust me -- they DO. One of the people I filled in for years ago was the son of 70s CA representative John Schmidt (sp?) - the guy so far to the right that the John Birch Society kicked him out.

Believe me, we know who we're working for.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. A waste of the callers time perhaps, but hardly unfair. The person

who answers the phone is paid to deal with anyone who calls, good, bad or ugly.

That said, I've always felt I could make good strong points without being obnoxious. It is more effective.