# Was this the correct thing to do? (Geico announcer fired over call to Tea Party org.) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 22, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037 "2010-04-22T21:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/81 "2010-04-26T18:11:07Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > So, **Lightnin** , FreedomWorks did not call and have Baxter fired. Baxter called and insulted their press office. The press office, being the press office, published it. And they also posted the guy’s phone number on the interwebs and told people to call him. You know, cause that’s what press offices do. In dipshit land. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/82 "2010-04-26T18:56:04Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > And they also posted the guy’s phone number on the interwebs and told people to call him. You know, cause that’s what press offices do. > > In dipshit land. You’re a moron. But we all knew that didn’t we? They did not post his goddamn phone number. They posted Geico’s customer service line. You can get that by opening a fucking phone book. There’s a _huge_ difference. It’s the same number **Lightnin’** is going to have to call to cancel his motorcycle insurance. So in the end, what do we have? Conservative PAC makes fun of Geico employee’s recorded message to them asking how many retarded people they employ, and publishes Geico customer service line for conservatives to annoy Geico by asking how many retarded people Geico employs. Liberals are outraged! Outraged, I say! So the liberals call the customer service line just published by the conservative press office to boycott… _Geico_. That’ll show the teabaggers! What the fuck!? Some of you idiots just can’t seem to get the fact that Baxter getting fired is his own damn fault, and his own damn fault alone. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/83 "2010-04-26T19:03:42Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > You’re a moron. But we all knew that didn’t we? > > They did not post his goddamn phone number. They posted Geico’s customer service line. You can get that by opening a fucking phone book. There’s a _huge_ difference. It’s the same number **Lightnin’** is going to have to call to cancel his motorcycle insurance. So in the end, what do we have? Conservative PAC makes fun of Geico employee’s recorded message to them asking how many retarded people they employ, and publishes Geico customer service line for conservatives to annoy Geico by asking how many retarded people Geico employs. Liberals are outraged! Outraged, I say! So the liberals call the customer service line just published by the conservative press office to boycott… _Geico_. That’ll show the teabaggers! Well, like all teabaggers, your factual contentions are, shall we say, bullshit. Let me quote for you: [[QUOTE=BIGGOVERNMENT.COM](http://QUOTE=BIGGOVERNMENT.COM)] [The Blog Post](http://biggovernment.com/mkibbe/2010/04/14/is-the-geico-gecko-a-tea-party-crasher-too/): **Feel free to contact Lance. He was so kind to provide his number in the voicemail.** Call his employer too. The customer service line for Geico is 800.871.3000. [/QUOTE] Chalk one up for research and factfinding, something you redneck child molesters seem to fail at. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/84 "2010-04-26T19:19:55Z")
You’ve convinced me. I’m not a teabagger, and never was, but I’m convinced anyway. Now my liberal self is off to boycott Geico because a conservative PAC doesn’t like 'em. I feel smarter already. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/85 "2010-04-26T20:05:29Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Baxter was certainly allowed to call up Freedom Works and ask them what their plans were for when one of their members kills someone. It was a pretty stupid thing to do, but hey, people are stupid. > > Geico was within their rights to fire him, as his behaviour brought bad press to their brand (even if he was not representing the company at the time). It’s their decision to make. > > Freedom of speech does not really enter into it. He was free to make the comments to Freedom Works. They were free to repeat them to the public. Geico was free to ask Baxter to seek new employment. > > Are you happy with this **Clothahump**? Or do you require us to condemn Baxter with the outrage of 10,000 suns? And I am free, of course, to find another auto insurance firm. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/86 "2010-04-26T20:14:19Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Can’t say I’ve heard of “FreedomWorks,” let alone heard a compelling argument why I should give a shit about them being verbally abused by a talking gecko. [FreedomWorks.](http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Freedomworks) ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/87 "2010-04-27T12:47:34Z")
Of course Geico was right to fire the guy. You can’t go around insulting the mentally retarded by comparing them to teabaggers and not expect to suffer the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/88 "2010-04-27T13:09:39Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > I keep seeing this idea in this thread and it says to me that some of you just have to blame something on the tea partiers. Let’s review the facts: > > Baxter calls up the press office of a PAC and leaves a smarmy and accusatory recorded message with his freaking contact info. They publish the phone call because that’s their job. It’s perfectly “cool” to do your job. Third parties bring the now published story to the attention to Geico and Baxter is fired. The blame lies with Baxter alone. He had to know that the goddamn press office is going to publish what amounts to a letter to the editor. > > So, **Lightnin** , FreedomWorks did not call and have Baxter fired. Baxter called and insulted their press office. The press office, being the press office, published it. \*Somebody \*called Geico to get him fired- who did it, exactly? And, as \*\*ivn1188 \*\*pointed out, Freedomworks added his employer’s phone number. Almost like they were, oh, I don’t know… \*trying \*to get him fired. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/89 "2010-04-29T06:14:43Z")
Gecko shedded his job, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/90 "2010-04-29T18:17:52Z")
Do as I did and call Geico and give them an earful of grief. Costs nothing, and lets Geico know there are two sides to any politically based decision. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/91 "2010-05-17T11:45:07Z")
Absolutely fucking _brilliant_! [D.C. Douglas PSA For Tea Party And FreedomWorks Critics](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMUVFctJ2Xw&feature=player_embedded) It’s a five minute clip, but worth every second through to the end. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/92 "2010-05-18T23:16:40Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Absolutely fucking _brilliant_! > [D.C. Douglas PSA For Tea Party And FreedomWorks Critics](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMUVFctJ2Xw&feature=player_embedded) > It’s a five minute clip, but worth every second through to the end. * * * Absolutely fucking stupid. But we already knew that. Now we know that he hasn’t got the balls to admit he made a serious mistake and to live with the consequences of that mistake. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/93 "2010-05-18T23:27:09Z")
I’ll repost what I said in the MPSIMS thread regarding Baxter’s youtube response, with some minor edits: That guy is a whiny douchebag. He blames it on the martinis, which is the same dodge that bigger name actors who said something stupid will use right before they check themselves into “rehab”. Then he crawls up on the cross to say that he was “blacklisted”. He wasn’t blacklisted; he was fired from one job for doing the equivalent of vandalizing a politicians office by spray painting his name and contact info on the wall. That’s like a juvenile delinquent leaving his report card at the scene. Then he goes on to claim that the original call was making some deep political point about health care reform or something, when in fact all it really consisted of was him passive aggressively calling people murdering “retards”. He’s a douchebag and his response is just further evidence of his passive aggresive douchebaggery. Now, I don’t support Freedom Works in any way shape or form. The tea partiers are a bunch of douchebags, too, but let’s not make a drunken phone call into some rallying point for truth, justice, and the American way. There are three threads praising this douchebag’s “brilliance” now. That’s absurd. This is not the guy you want as a standard bearer. Besides, the guy was drinking an appletini with a caramel floater. Nothing says “I’m a douchebag” more than “I’ll have an appletini”. Did I mention the guy is a douchebag? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/94 "2010-05-19T02:40:14Z")
I don’t see why the guy is stupid. I don’t think he did anything wrong. He has the right to say what he wants. Yes, the company has the right to fire him. So what? There are a lot of things I have the right to do that I would not do. I honestly don’t think a commercial organization should be able to control speech not on the clock any more than the government can. All it is is trading one type of tyranny for another. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/95 "2010-05-19T05:29:48Z")
Just curious, **BigT** - regardless of the effect you feel GEICO’s action had on free speech, do you think it was a good, bad, or neutral business move to fire him? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/96 "2010-05-19T10:44:38Z")
It seemed the consensus was a person should accept the consequences of their actions/speech in the [A public service: Names of Proposition 8 supporters](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=504986) thread, including being fired. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/97 "2010-05-19T12:24:56Z")
> [@dba\_Fred](#): > > It seemed the consensus was a person should accept the consequences of their actions/speech in the > [A public service: Names of Proposition 8 supporters](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=504986) thread, including being fired. I let a realtor who contributed to Prop 8 know that I would not be requiring her services when I looked for a house, and why. I did not call her employer in an attempt to get her fired, nor encourage others to use another realtor. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037/98 "2010-05-20T00:02:33Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > … > But what gets me is that the protectors of the You’re-with-us-or-against-us, gays-undermine-marriage-and-the-miltary, liberals-pander-to-terrorists-and-hate-America ideology are such tough butch patriots when it comes to starting wars and waterboarding prisoners, but get in their grill by leaving a dissenting, insulting voicemail and they turn into the frailest little set of boo-hoo pantywastes… Don’t forget the macho bad ass gun waving too. Fucking pansies. Can’t even take any insults without wetting themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-the-correct-thing-to-do-geico-announcer-fired-over-call-to-tea-party-org/537037.md?page=4)