The Phone Call

Like Wayne, this is my first blog ever!  I am a sixty one year old Teamster Truck driver who since the 1960’s has been a Conservative.  I am a Vietnam War Vet and like to speak my mind.  I would like to let everyone know about a phone call I received this past week.

   

I got a phone call from a pollster who asked me if I was going to vote in the November election.

   

I said, “Yes”.

   

Then they asked if I:

   

Strongly support Barack Obama

Moderately support Barack Obama

Lightly support Barack Obama

   

Or do I

   

Strongly support John McCain

Moderately support John McCain

Lightly support John McCain

   

I said I strongly support John McCain and there was a long pause. 

   

Then the voice said, umm”

   

She then said, “Is this Mr. Kolopsnski?”

   

(She could not pronounce my last name right, but Polish names can be tricky). 

   

I told her you got the name close enough and yes, this is he.

   

She then said, “You are a Teamster right?”

   

I said “Yes!”

   

She then said, “You do know that your Teamster union has endorsed and is supporting Barack Obama?”

    

I said, “Yes I do and I will tell you what, you can take the Teamster president and ten of the toughest teamster members and tie me up and drag me to the voting booth and try to force me to vote for him and I would not vote for him!”

   

She hung up on me!

   

In the America that we live in, everyone should be able to vote for who they want and no union, group or individual should make you vote for someone you do not want to vote for.

Comments

[grumps]

Yes, Jerry. You're absolutely right. Let me ask you this as a fellow Teamster in good standing with 344, why would you vote for a party who holds you and your fellow Union members in contempt?

I'm not asking you to vote for Senator Obama. It sounds as if you've made up your mind. If you read your fellow bloggers here long enough you'll see that they think you and I are, for no reason beyond paying our dues, thugs and low-lifes.

You can do as you wish, Jerry. It's a blessedly free country still. I just can't see why you'd cast your lot with a bunch who've said they'd gladly piss on you.

[Jerry K.]

I was a Republican and Conservative since before I was a Local 200 Teamster. During my life I have been pissed on, not literally, by Dems and Liberals. I have been spit on by protesters, which many of them were from the left because of the war.

You are right, my mind is made up! Do you know who signed the truck deregulation and who sponsored it on the senate floor?

How many Teamsters jobs were lost because of the deregulation?

[Amy L. Geiger-Hemmer]

Jerry K: Good for you! Wasn't it interesting that the person calling you wasn't interested in hearing why you support John McCain. You could have set her straight.
And wasn't it the Democrats who were pushing some sort of legislation that union votes could become open records, so the Union hacks that are in charge could see how their members voted? I might be wrong on that, but I seem to recall something like that being mentioned not long ago. Talk about trying to use methods of intimidation if this would be true.

[Buck]

Jerry you realize Grumps won't answer that question, I can but won't. He can't believe you would cast your lot with a group that would piss on you. I guess Grumps wants you to vote for the group that has pissed on you for years. Also I don't believe the people paying the dues are low-lifes or thugs. The ones in the $2ooo suits collecting the dues are the thugs, I can't say they are low-lifes because they really live the high-life with your money Grumps. By the way one of the answers to Jerry's questions is over 150,000 truckers.

[dad29]

I can tell you that UFCW has really gone full-bore this year--far more than for Kerry. 4-5 phone calls, (all recorded messages) and 5-6 mailings from National, not to mention the usual BS from the local.

[Wayne U]

Well done, Jerry!! You certainly defy the stereotypical image of a teamster. You're a hard working, conservative, outspoken veteran who served and loves his country. Salute!!