I just received a call from one of the worst telephone representatives for a political candidate I’ve ever heard. Not only did he speak quickly and mumble–even after I pointed out the fact that he was doing so–he wouldn’t say anything about the candidate’s policies when I asked him directly in response to one of his inflammatory rhetorical questions. When he requested my e-mail address (ostensibly to send campaign literature, although I’m hardly naive enough to believe it wouldn’t soon be overflowing with propaganda from the leader and the interest groups that fund the campaign) I instead asked him if I could visit the candidate’s or the party’s website; he was either unable or unwilling to provide the information, and instead gave me an 800 number to call.
Did I mention the candidate’s name? No? Funny, the caller hardly did either, preferring instead to rail on against the federal Liberals. What galls me even more is that, through the wonder of caller ID, I saw that the call was placed from the 416 area code, i.e. Toronto, which means the candidate’s team didn’t even hire local people to do his electioneering.
I don’t know who I will ultimately support in this election, but I’m absolutely certain now of who I won’t. Tim Gatten, you’ve lost any possibility of receiving my vote through your staff’s ineptitude, your lack of constructive policies and ideas, as represented by the script given to this phone monkey and the rhetoric spouted by your party’s leader, and your obvious lack of loyalty to your own community. I’m taking the advice given in your own campaign slogan: I demand better.
I am sure you have heard of Rob from Cockeyed… http://cockeyed.com/citizen/telemarketing/dental_plan_source.html
Ahem… http://www.canoe.ca/LondonOpinions/what_you_think.html
Incidentally, my boss got into an “arguement” with (DND) Minister Pratt the other day. He’s the MP for Ottawa South. Basically, he would only talk about how dangerous the Conservatives are and wouldn’t answer any direct questions about his views. Not exactly as bad as your experience, but not exactly a good showing by a cabinet minister either. (I should point out that my boss traditionally votes Liberal and probably won’t now.)
What’s even more galling is the candidate’s statement in today’s paper that I thought campaign promises were supposed to be broken after the election.
Never heard of that site, but that’s a good link, Donna. 🙂 I got an automated call from a candidate during the last provincial election and had the same reaction. (The most frustrating thing about auto-calls, content aside, is that they don’t drop the line when you hang up. I’ve hung up, looked up a number in the phone book to complain to, and then picked up the phone again, only to find the message still blaring away.)
It gets better. I got a form letter (from the CPC office in Ottawa, of course, not the candidate’s local campaign office) thanking me “for speaking with a representative of our campaign team”. It’s sprinkled randomly with my name–to show I’m “important”, I guess, just like the thousands of other people who got the identical letter–and continues in the same tone as the guy on the phone. It’s full of Capitalized Bold Text that Makes Things Look Important. Worst of all, there are spelling and grammar mistakes.
As I wrote above, and as should be blazingly obvious by now, I Demand Better than the Conservative candidate, the Conservative leader, and the Conservative party as a whole.