Calling Floridians Political Phone Calls

Now that the Sunshine state is in the spotlight, I volunteered two hours today and made some phone calls into Florida. Here are some of the conversation highlights from talking with real people in Florida. I always introduce myself and then ask how they are doing - almost everyone was sick of political phone calls.

Conversation A:
I talked with a sweet woman who had been tracking the number of phone calls she had received. She said she had received 19 so far. When I expressed surprise, she said she realistically was expecting around 30 before Tuesday's primary. As a registered voter, she recognized that political phone calls are part of the process.

Conversation B:
I talked with a man who started out saying he didn't care what I thought about politics because it was the candidates that needed his vote. I agreed and asked him what he thought (he also mentioned it was nice to talk to a real person) and then he unloaded. His main concerns had to do with raising his family and getting his kids through college so they could get a great job. At a jab at McCain and Giuliani he said he didn't care about terrorists, even though he lived by a military base. He wanted economic prosperity so his kids could move out of the house and find a job that would provide for their needs. He really got worked up and before I knew it he was using cuss words, then he dropped the f-bomb and hung up.
Well, I didn't find that very fair, I didn't even get to tell him that I was a student with three kids living in an apartment and knew exactly what he was talking about. So I did what any good phone person would do, I called him back.
He was completely surprised. He talked for another ten minutes about the economy and his worries about his family and the future. Finally, I was able to tell him my story. As an MBA and an MHA student, I support Mitt Romney because of his economic policies. A strong economy begets a strong military, and both of those provide protection for my family, both financially and economically. I then gave him the local phone number and suggested he call them and say, "These are my concerns, I'll be watching closely over the next few days to see what Romney says about this." Our conversation ended very well, "God bless you" he said.

Conversation C:
I talked with a lady who said she had already made up her mind. I asked if I could share with her my reasons for supporting Mitt Romney. She reluctantly agreed. I explained the US spends 4% of GDP on the military and 16% on healthcare. It takes a strong economy to support the military and only Mitt Romney has the real world experience to help America prosper. Economists estimate 80% of jobs in twenty years haven't even been thought of yet. Only Mitt Romney can position America to take advantage of those jobs. When I finished, she seemed very impressed and said, "That was very convincing." I think she will be checking that box for Mitt Romney on Tuesday the 29th of January.

Conversation D:
I talked with a young lady who answered the phone, "Victoria's Secret, how may I help you?". (I think they were tired of political calls.)

Conversation E:
A man answered the phone and said he had already cast his ballot, but that his wife hadn't. In the background she protested, but he finally got her to answer the phone. After a brief conversation, she wondered aloud, "My husband voted for John McCain, can he get his ballot back and change his vote to Mitt Romney?"

Conversation F:
A woman asked me right off the bat, what is Mitt Romney's position on pro-life issues. I told her about how Mitt Romney converted to the pro-life stance as Governor of Massachusetts. As a governor he came down on the side of pro-life issues over and over again. His Presidential platform is pro-life and pro-family values. She said those were the issues important to her and I suggested she check out mittromney.com for more information.

Conversation G:
I talked with a man who was one of the most polite people I've talked with. He was debating between Giuliani and Romney. He said, "I would never vote for McCain - even if he won I would vote for the democrat, unless it was Hillary Clinton." He thought McCain was one of the most liberal political figures to call themselves a Republican that he had ever seen in politics. We had a great discussion, talking about healthcare and some of the trends in Florida hospitals. As an MHA student I promised to look into fellowships in Florida. We ended the conversation very well - sometimes I wish I could keep track of some of those people. Good Folk!

Anyway, I've never followed politics, but I must admit that people are excited and enthusiastic about Mitt Romney. Over and over people admired his economic knowledge and admitted the fact that we need a great economy to support our soldiers in the field with the best equipment and technology, people also admired his family values, and his great example for MBA students across the nation. Every MBA student wishes to be successful like Romney. As an economic conservative, I strongly endorse Mitt Romney for President of these United States.