"If you knew (candidate's) wife had an abortion..."

[trof]

Welcome to Push Polling 101.

This actually happened to a guy I know in the last elections.
He was running for city council.
It was his first and last time in politics.
He told me about a phone call from a friend one night.

"I just got off the phone with a pollster."
"Oh?"
"It was about you."
"I'm not running any polls. What did they say?"
"A lady asked if I would vote for you if I learned your wife had had an abortion."
"You're NOT serious. Betty, you know that..."
"Of course I know that your wife was killed in a car crash almost 2 years ago. It was horrible. I know you're still coping with the loss."
"Yeah. Jesus, I can't believe this. Thanks for letting me know."
"I really hated to call, but I knew you'd want to know."

He's a decent guy and a Republican.
This was a primary where he was running against the repug incumbent.
His opponent disclaimed any knowledge of the poll.
He lost and decided that if this was the way you had to play the game he didn't want to play.

If they'll do it to one of their own, well...
:-(

[Demit]

1. I can see how he would be utterly sickened by it.

The shame of it is that, if decent people are driven out of politics because of it, guess who all will be left. What a dirty world it is.

[niyad]

2. assuming I had stayed on the phone (I hang up on pollsters in

general) my first question would have been, "how in the HELL did you find out?" and then, "why in the HELL do you think this is any of MY business?" and then hang up.