My phone rang tonight, it was a right-wing pollster.

[LAGC]

Interrupted me right in the middle of dinner. It didn't take long after answering to realize it was a jaded "push"-type poll, where they were gunning for certain answers. It began innocently enough, the gal on the other end asked me about my political preference: "Liberal, conservative, or moderate?" then onto a few questions about my job situation, income level, type of work, etc. Then she hit me with a wammy: "On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being highly dissatisfied and 10 being highly satisfied, what do you think of the recently passed Obamacare?" OBAMACARE?! No respectable pollster would call it that, maybe "Health Care Reform" or "Universal Insurance" or something, but OBAMACARE?! I hesitated, and answered "5" -- right in the middle -- as I'm not satisfied that there was not even a public option, and it just seems like a big pay-out to the insurance industry more than anything.

Then came the million dollar question: "Do you approve of the job President Obama is doing so far?" I had to think about that for a second, as disappointed as I've been with his cabinet picks, his outspoken advisers and mouth-pieces denigrating the left, the escalating war in Afghanistan, Obama's still out-spoken opposition to same-sex marriage -- but then it hit me, if I answer "NO", its just going to play right into their hands and make it look like Obama's poll numbers are still tanking because of his bold stance on the "Ground Zero Mosque" position -- so I reluctantly said "YES."

She asked me a few more unmemorable questions before politely letting me go so I could get back to dinner.

I should have asked her what polling firm she was with, but she hit me so hard and so fast and hung-up on me just as quickly, it didn't leave me with much time to think. But I try to never let a good poll go unanswered, so I engaged.

Have any of you experienced anything like this lately?

[SheilaT]

1. Not lately.

Several years ago I got what I realized midway through the call was a push-poll about some kind of issue (I forget all the details, so I'm not going to say what it might have been, in case I'm wrong.). At the outset, with the first question, I'd answered that I didn't agree with the essential premise of whatever it was. The person on the phone kept on pushing, and I kept on getting angrier. "I already TOLD you I didn't agree with your premise," I said in great frustration. They were pushing the candidacy of someone, for some office -- again I forget the details -- and I was quite furious, because I realized my responses weren't really going to go into the mix.

Were I to get a call such as the one you've just described, I'd wind up saying I think Obama is fantastic and is doing the best possible job, even though in reality I'm quite disappointed with him, because I'd rather my response being 100% in support of him than giving any indication of anything else.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Nope, I haven't.

But I'm no help. We normally keep our phones turned off, and if by some mishap one of those jokers calls, I tell them politely to get lost.

We want no part of this crap. We keep our number unlisted too, for the same reasons.

Sorry you had to endure that.

[pansypoo53219]

3. i had a non partisan media + other stuff poll.

hey! he asked about the onion! it's officially a paper! he was quite a pleasant college student in texas. it was quite long. so not GOP.

[bluestateguy]

4. I like to mess with their framing

So I'll say, "Yes, yes I support higher taxes, less freedom and Obama's socialism".

At that point the pollster will decide that he doesn't have any more questions for me.

[LiberalAndProud]

5. I got one of those once.

Hanging up on him was the only thing I could do. It felt like an obscene phone call to me. Seriously.

[otohara]

6. I Got One - Debt, Deficit, Taxes

it took forever and it was totally slanted to achieve a negative...nasty results towards President Obama.

[Caretha]

7. First

you let someone interupt your dinner due to their agenda.

This is how I handle those type of phone calls:

Does your mother know how you are earning a living and are you proud of yourself for being a tool...go flip burgers, I'd be more impressed. Then I procede to give them the education in morals they missed. If they are calling on my time, then It's my agenda not theirs.

Think about it, how in the hell is your opinion going to change anything, when hardly your vote will. Take the time to educate & berate. It might do more good.

[butterfly77]

8. I have gotten them before...

and mine was on gay marriage and civil unions. They asked me how I would feel about gays in general and in specific situations on a scale of 1 to 5 and this is where I became a little angry and kept interrupting to ask why or why not or how certain situations related to being gay. I can't remember all of the questions it was a while ago but I have been polled on other things. Lately,some of it was about oil companies other products.

All during my child hood I have grown up with gay friends and neighbors and it meant nothing to me people are people. Me and my friends and neigbors knew who was gay or not gay this was in the late 60's and early 70's. We were all friends and neighbors and it didn't matter but when the pollster asked questions (this was sometime during 2007 or 08 so I don't remember the questions but some were the same just framed a different way.

The questions were on the line of how would you feel if someone gay lived in your building or moved next door to you? How do you feel about gays concerning religion? How do you feel about gays in the work place? etc..

[Brickbat]

9. I never answer any poll question until they tell me who the poll is for.

[eleny]

10. Yes

A few years ago I was push-polled regarding abortion.

One question asked if I was either for or against late term abortion in any circumstance. I answered yes and the caller acted astonished and started to debate me a little trying to get me to change my answer. I simply told her that I trusted women to make the right decision for themselves.

[HillWilliam]

11. My very best friend is a supervisor in a call center

These "pollsters" aren't right or left wing particularly. They get a contract and a script. The center hires a bunch of people to read the script on the screen. I hear every day how they hate what they have to read, but the campaigns and think-tanks throw tons of money to put butts in seats to read whatever they're being made to read. For most of these callers, it's the only job available and they've got no dog in the fight except a paying their rent this month or not. Most of them are temps and may not be employed tomorrow, let alone next week.

There is another side to the story. Let me help, if I can.

There are a few tricks to handling this. You can put your number on the national Do Not Call registry. Call centers must respect this list. It's free, but it does take 30 days to take effect.

You can fail to answer a number you don't recognize. They may redial up to four times per campaign/script. That's a pain in the ass.

You can let the call go to voicemail or your answering machine. They may redial once or twice more per campaign. If you answer, you're either at square one or the next step:

If you pick up and they light in, interrupt them politely and say "I don't want to participate and put me on your Do Not Call List". This does two things: it's a "first refusal" and stops that questionnaire cold. The call center MUST put you on THEIR Do Not Call list, but that doesn't stop some other call center from calling you.

Your best bet is to put your number on www.donotcall.gov and let it take effect. It free, it works, and it stops all that shit from interrupting dinner.

Sorry you got bothered and I hope this helps.

[depakid]

14. Political calls aren't covered by the do not call lists

[HillWilliam]

20. True

but I have noticed since I put my phone numbers on the list, I have received no poll calls of any kind. Anecdotal, but true. I haven't been bothered in years.

Now, when my office moved across town and we got new outside numbers associated with our internal extensions because of the new VOIP service we got, I started getting poll calls and marketing calls. I cut them off at First Refusal and asked them to put my number on their DNC list. I also put that outside number on the national DNC list.

I haven't been bothered since. Well, except by our customers who won't listen to the menu heh, but that's a different story.

The point is that it's pretty simple to have peace with a small effort.

I talk to my bud every day. I can query him (he's always willing to share tips) and re-post if anyone is interested.

[Cosmocat]

22. I give the phone to one of my daughters ...

4 and 6, really chatty kids, too ...

I know it is only a job for the person making the call, but for telemarkets or any kind of poll like this, it at least makes me feel good to give them a little torture back ...

[HillWilliam]

23. Hehehehhee

I just talked to my buddy, the call center manager. He just had a go-round with a caller from another call-center ringing his cell-phone. He's just as evil <LOL> I don't have kids and somehow my doggies aren't inclined to chat with pollsters at all, not even a little.

[Politicalboi]

12. I had one call me Sunday about the Ca Governor's race

She asked me who I voted for for President, and if I like Boxer, Pelosi, and of course Brown. She was hoping I was a right wing nut, or someone who had no opinion so she could mold my voting in November. She spewed the crap about how bad Brown is and Democrats could have "secret" meetings. LOL! I told her for the last 8 years Bush had no problem pushing his agenda. She said she wished she could talk more to me about how Meg is the better candidate. LOL! I told her me and my brother go through this all the time, and that she would be wasting her and my time. She also told me how Meg intends to fight for Prop 8. LOL! I told her I was gay, and that is another reason I am voting for Brown. I told her I wished Brown supported Prop 19.

[depakid]

13. Obviously, it wasn't a "poll" but a campaign call

and unfortunately, I've heard all too many of them in the states over the years.

[lynne]

15. Why would anyone answer their phone during dinner -

- especially for a stranger? If its my kids or family calling, I'll answer but the phone is a convenience for ME - not something that I will allow to interrupt my dinner or other family time.

[DemocraticPilgrim]

16. You gave the right answer as the lower his numbers go the less power we have.

[JoePhilly]

17. The media reports almost every poll they way you described this.

They take the 40% on the right who oppose Obama on everything (this group is a constant regardless of the issue), and the 10-12% on the left who oppose Obama on some issue (the people in this group change depending on the issue), and then the media reports that "a majority opposes Obama because he's going TOO FAR" on that issue.

They've been doing it for months and months. And as a result, we have been weakened. People who are actually in the middle, or who don;t pay much attention, follow "the majority".

And then moderate Dems in Congress pull back because they don't want to be seen as "going too far".

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Do these so-called polls ever call black people? Because as politically active as I am,

I have *never* gotten a push poll call or anything like it. That's why I think they're all full of shit.

[depakid]

19. They redline areas where people who probably won't respond to their pitch live

The ROI isn't worth it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. You are probably right. I live in one of the most progressive areas in the D.C. region,

so, they probably see us as an outlier.