I owe the Obama re-election campaign $10 X 8

[JaneQPublic]

I decided last week that I'd contribute $10 to the Obama 2012 campaign every time I hear one of my co-workers make an anti-Obama remark. Sadly, my county is one of the redder ones in Maryland, and my professional community is redder still. So, rather than spend my work day having knock-down drag-outs with the dozens of Fox News loving teabaggers I work with, I devised this system where their political commentary pays the Obama campaign.

For the last two weeks, I was up to only $30... until today's staff meeting. The CEO of this (relatively small) company first blamed Obama for the pending rise in employee payroll deductions for health insurance. (My employer has raised these rates every couple of years for the 17 years I've worked there, but now it's time to blame it one president and "Obama Care.")

Then when discussing possible job layoffs actually resulting from the company failing to win its rebid of a long-held contract, the boss once again blamed the situation on Obama and "his rotten economy." And then for good measure he added that if our 401(k) accounts are going down, that's Obama's fault, too. So after he repreated a couple of those claims for emphasis, our CEO's personal tally of five, added to the previous three, brings me to a total thus far of $80.

Besides being a fun way to contribute, this approach has done wonders for my blood pressure in the workplace.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Good for you!

Are you going to tell your boss?

:evilgrin:

[JaneQPublic]

2. LOL! I am VERY tempted to tell them all...

...but then I remind myself that the whole point is not to get sucked into an ongoing political debate on company time. But maybe after Obama is re-elected.

[JoePhilly]

3. Regarding the 401k remark ...

I know you could not say this ... but it would have been funny to point out that your 401k recovered much of the losses it saw under Bush, given that on the day Obama took office, the DOW was at ~7500 ... and today it is at 12,000.

But you'd probably get fired for pointing that out.

And I must say, if your CEO is this dumb, I'm surprised his business still exists.

[JaneQPublic]

4. Trust me, I was reciting responses in my head to all his dumb-ass remarks...

...while also keeping a tally in the margin of my notes of the 10-dollar bills I owed.

You're right, tho: I've often thought the company succeeded in spite of him, not because of him.

[JoePhilly]

6. Its a shame when that is the case.

I have two friends who had a growing business moving furniture, for a bunch of furniture stores, at the end of Clinton's 2nd term. They had built it from the ground up in the late 90s.

It was growing, doing well until around 2001. Up til then, these guys were talking early retirement. They were going to be millionaires. By their account.

By 2004, they were losing business and having to cut their work force. By 2007, they "sold" their business to work doing deliveries for just one furniture store.

And who do they blame for the fact that middle class folks stopped buying new furniture in back in 2003 .... Obama. Their business collapsed long before Obama even took office, but apparently it was Obama who did them in.

I have tried to point this out ... their view is that Obama is the reason their failed business was unable to come back. The fact that it failed under Bush and GOP policies is something they do not want to hear. They think that the minorities are the ones who get all the breaks under Obama, and hardworking guys like them are screwed.

The fact that they got screwed under Bush is irrelevant. Its Obama's fault.

[JaneQPublic]

7. Yep, I know the type.

And presenting them with all the evidence in the world won't change their opinions. They blame the president they want, regardless.

That's why I decided it would be pointless to debate my coworkers.

[CakeGrrl]

5. Someone should tack the surplus/deficit graphic to the CEO's door

Though simple math might cause him a headache.

[elleng]

8. OMG, where are you? I'm in Hagerstown, Whats His Name is my rep!

Enjoy, JaneQ!

[JaneQPublic]

9. I'm in Southern Maryland

St. Mary's County, where most of the locals think our rep, Steny Hoyer, is an extreme-left liberal. :rofl:

[elleng]

10. I'll bet they do!

:hi:

[barbtries]

11. i like that

i hope that at some point you can let your co-workers know that their comments put money in the coffers for PO's reelection.