I used to do cold-calling for my mother's computer company before it was sold. This was in 1999 & my job was to call harried Y2K computer guys and ask them reams of questions designed by people who knew nothing about surveying.
Let's just say that I was not exactly popular at first.
But I do know something about effective survey and interview techniques & my mother was one of the company founders so I had a little latitude to, ah, "go rogue." I shimmied three pages down to about four questions & pumped the sales people with emails whenever I saw a glimmer of opportunity for company Y2K products.
But that's beside the point. The main thing I came out of (and you're talking to someone who has spent years in journalism here) is that cold-calling REALLY SUCKS.
So I'm always nice to cold-callers. Always. Even Republican GOTV callers, and especially if they're clearly intelligent and open to communication.
(More below the fold...)
I'm writing this now because I hope more folks here don't just listen to my tips and tactics but consider the motivations that drives them. I will describe my flip the script tactics, of course, but it's more then that.
It all begins with civility. I got a call from a Republican from Texas which turned into an engaging 45 minute conversation. He was, by his own admission, surprised that a staunch Obama supporter treated him with respect & he was a smart guy & a financial analyst. He fired off talking points which I gently but firmly deflected. I noted areas of McCain's record that I supported and disliked. Example: I know a lot about stupid military expenditures, an area where McCain, frankly, is quite knowledgeable & ethical. I mentioned Keating Five but also noted that McCain, at his best, truly does see people before party and that he was hamstrung, IMHO, but the Roadstain Jesus Republicans & that Sarah Palin, again, IMHO, was a bloody threat to the country with her rank ignorance.
My highly partisan but deeply engaged & considerate friend admitted that he had strong reservations about Palin himself.
He was the first and I'm not totally certain I flipped him, but he admitted he had his anxieties, particularly considering McCain's age. And he was very happy to be able to talk about economics with an Obama supporter who treated him with respect, listened to him & could discuss and argue on the issues.
The next two flips were far more certain, I believe. Palin was my ultimate Trump in each case & the second & third GOP GOTV stalwarts were actually even more open to what I had to say.
They were so used to being treated like human offal by Obama supporters that my effort to engage them respectfully on a human level almost seemed to put them in a trance. That I knew Obama's & McCain's talking points & had opinions on both of them & wasn't afraid to criticise my guy seemed to draw them in more.
In the end, the Palianation seemed to be the critical factor, but the fact that I was willing to listen and converse and debate & present a case without demanding capitulation & that I truly enjoyed the debate gave all these people pause to consider my position.
In the end, I definitely flipped two Republican GOTV callers and had a third thinking hard.
I did it with the carrot, not the stick (and I mentioned more then once the TR was McCain's hero).
Just something to think about folks. I'm not saying we shouldn't go after bad guys. In a lot of ways, I'm more aggressively radical then most folks here. I've got Maddow's political sensibilities coupled to KO's open disdain for idiots. I am a liberal hawk in many ways.
But I do know when to pull in the swords & I believe strongly that we need to remember that our fellow citizens, including those who disagree with us, came to where they are by some chain of events, logical or otherwise.
I prefer to lead with compassion and the power of persuasion and fellow-feeling and genuine consideration for dissident viewpoints.
If that doesn't work, I kick ass.
I just prefer not to.
Try to be reasonable first, and consider that maybe on some things you might even be wrong. And if that doesn't work, well, then you make them an offer they can't refuse.
Some people, well, there's just no helping them, but most people, ESPECIALLY intelligent people who have different POV who are used to being showered with hate from The Other Side, they'll listen to you if you just treat them decently, listen back and talk like a civilized person.
And regardless, and no matter what, always be nice to people who are voluntarily cold-calling you for whatever reason and behaving decently about it. It sucks & it frays the nerves. A little honey here beats a whole lot of vinegar.
Yo, I'm Graham and I'm out.