Hillary Big Brother?

[Cate]

From the PR perspective, this guy would have just been fired for doing a really crappy job. The PR team's job was to build a solid brand identity (in this case, "Obama: Too Nice to Go Negative"), and this guy has, with one fell You Tube swoop, directly countered their efforts (by pushing a negative ad with Obama's name at the end). It would be like working on a construction site and, under cover of darkness, coming back and knocking down everything everyone had been building that day. If that's not a firing offense, I don't know what is.

 

[Recidivist]

I see absolutely no reason why this guy should have a right to his job. He's not being discriminated against, harassed, or otherwise subjected to unreasonable expectations by his employer. He's still free to express his opinion, he just can't do it under the auspices of the Obama campaign.

To go further, I believe that people need to respect their organizations more when they are not at work. I would never go to the bars or drinking when I was off duty, but still wearing a shirt with our Fire Department logo on it, and I'd give second thought to certain actions if my organization, team, etc were on my hat or shirt. It does matter. Not only is this guy calling somebody an asshole, he's also doing as if endorsed by Obama. I'd fire him if I needed to make the call.

Just to be clear on the above, I think that people do have the rights to their opinions and should have the freedoms to express those opinions, but if the expression of those opinions is detrimental to the employer or their reputation, Peace be the way, go work for somebody else.

 

[snizo]

@ Snizo: You may not agree philosophically with those kinds of stipulations, but when you sign your contract, it means you agree legally, as you know.

I sign the contract because it says "we will pay you ____ per month/week/year" all the rest is background noise.

 

[JIMC5499]

I never said that the guy had a right to his job. Since when does having been wronged have anything to do with a lawsuit? From what I have heard this guy did this on his own time and his own initiative.

The point of my comment was that if this guy had worked for a company involved with a Republican campaign and he put say Bush's or Cheney's face in the same video, there would have been a totally different response.

In my opinion there needs to be a clearer boundry between personal time and company time. I agree with the previous statement about not wearing a company uniform in a bar, but I think that things are being pushed a bit too far. I know of two people who have been fired from their jobs for things totally unrelated to their jobs, just because our local newspaper has a habit of printing the place of employment of almost everybody mentioned in the newspaper.

 

[Cate]

The point of my comment was that if this guy had worked for a company involved with a Republican campaign and he put say Bush's or Cheney's face in the same video, there would have been a totally different response.

I disagree completely.

 

[Brett327]

I disagree completely.

Ditto.

Brett

 

[JIMC5499]

Ditto.

Brett

Ok. Why? Enlighten me.

 

[Brett327]

Ok. Why? Enlighten me.

You imply some partisan influence where none exists. You also imply that there's some general "outrage" about this incident and suggest that there wouldn't be any if the video were directed at a Republican - am I hearing you right? If so, here's my take on things: There isn't any outrage about this - it's barely a blip on the radar on a slow news week. Who are all these outraged people? The guy rightfully resigned after he admittedly engaged in gross professional misconduct. The fact that his firm had been hired to represent Obama is completely incidental and had they been representing, for example, Giuliani and the guy had made a video supporting him by bashing McCain (or any other Republican candidate), it would have been no different. The misconduct would have been just as serious and the guy would have lost his job (voluntarily or otherwise). So, where's the big conspiracy? People on the fringes of both parties need to start thinking and behaving rationally if they want to be taken seriously.

Brett

 

[Cate]

Stuff

Ditto.

 

[JIMC5499]

The majority of what I know about this is what I have read on this site and heard on CNN last Tuesday night. I have also heard this mentioned on several other occasions including some of the radio talk shows in Pittsburgh. From what I've picked up I thought that it was alot bigger than what you both are telling me.

 

[Zilch]

People on the fringes of both parties need to start thinking and behaving rationally if they want to be taken seriously.

Brett

But that...would...make...sense. In my short life, it appears to me that politics and sense are mutually exclusive.

 

[HercDriver]

I have also heard this mentioned on several other occasions including some of the radio talk shows in Pittsburgh. From what I've picked up I thought that it was alot bigger than what you both are telling me.

A few of the conservative AM radio folks I've heard have been trying to whip up some interest...the so called MSM isn't buying it, I guess.