GEICO vs. FreedomWorks?


Last week, Matt Kibbe posted the voicemail from voiceover actor Lance Baxter (A.K.A D.C. Douglas). The voicemail was very calm, very steady, asking how many FreedomWorks employees were “mentally retarded”, and then goes on to ask what our spin will be when one of our members finally kills someone. And then he left his name and phone number.

Let’s state the obvious: This is sheer stupidity. If you’re even remotely recognizable and you are representing a company, you don’t alienate customers. It’s as simple as that. GEICO obviously saw the damage, and fired him.

D.C. released a press release today – because, well, why not. Here’s an excerpt:

“I called as a private citizen to make a complaint,” explains Mr. Douglas. “Racism and homophobia are my Achilles heal, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions.”

First, it’s “heel.” And no, it isn’t disproportionate. If he called to make a legitimate complaint, it most certainly wasn’t made clear in the voicemails. I was under the impression that he was “writing a paper” and “needed to know the number of mentally retarded people that worked for FreedomWorks and were following it?” And when we called back to verify, he said his “questions had been answered.”

So conservatives are now applauding Geico, liberals are now slamming them for caving to the “teabagger” pressure, and poor D.C. Douglas is wailing away on his blog about the injustice of it all. Here’s an excerpt:

Unfortunately, the radical majority is provoked to racial paranoia and mob mentality by unethical Washingtonian operatives like Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe.  If we do not confront these kinds of groups, we risk letting a hate movement gain a dangerous level of influence in our country.

I’m sorry, who’s the one calling people retarded? There is no basis for the accusations of violence among conservatives. Sorry, D.C., you’re wrong.

Kibbe posted his follow up piece today at BigGovernment.com. Go check it out for more examples of the violence directed at FreedomWorks.

Who’s right? The bottom line is the GEICO has a brand to protect. If the voice of your company is leaving nasty messages that target a large portion of the population, you have to make a business decision. Good on GEICO for being smart.


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"Poor" D.C.

Erick Brockway (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 3:32PM EST (link)

To add insult to injury, I don’t know if Douglas was “the Caveman”, “lizzard”, or announcer for the Geico commercials.
After hearing what he said on the phone, I don’t care either.

Actually he was the voice at the end of the commercials

erod (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 5:21PM EST (link)

So we won’t be seeing the Geico lizard going anywhere anytime soon! :D

Thank God because I love those commercials, I always thought it would be funny if he wore the suit.

Geez I’m such a dork.

So this is the guy who says...

Erick Brockway (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 7:18PM EST (link)

“15 minutes can save you 50% blah blah”?
Totally replacable.
In fact, they just did it!

Expendable

indyjohn Thursday, April 22nd at 8:57AM EST (link)

Mr. Baxter is obviously an arrogant, silly twit who thinks that he is the only person in the world who can speak in a lower-class English accent. One would hope that he might apologize, make amends, and express a degree of humility. Instead, he is threatening to sue Freedom Works for…um…I’m not sure what exactly. Another dumb lefty hoisted by his own petard. Doesn’t it always make you smile?

But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.
Edmund Burke

 
 

Some people can't stand prosperity...

trutexan Wednesday, April 21st at 7:32PM EST (link)

Here this guy has a big fat contract with a national insurance company and he goes and gives his home phone number. Well, you can’t fix stupid.

Oh, and it’s a gecko – not a lizard! :)

I was anti-Obama before it was cool.

 
 
 

"I always feel like, somebody's watching me-ee!"

Locked and Loaded (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 3:51PM EST (link)

Just look at all the money you could have saved by staying with Geico, DC.

bwahahahahhhhaa!!!!!!!! 5555

kyle8 (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:12PM EST (link)

too funny

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

 
 

Jeez and I was gonna leave GEICO..

uselogic Wednesday, April 21st at 4:19PM EST (link)

.. so I could stop sending money into Warren Buffett’s looney lefty pocket. Might have to stick with ‘em awhile after all.

Leave them anyway

Jeff Weimer (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 8:39PM EST (link)

I saved more than 15% by LEAVING them and going with USAA. That, and USAA doesn’t drop you when it finds out you have a radar detector while outfitting police departments with radar guns.

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.
-Voltaire

 

I saved 50% over Geico going with Progressive

Raven (Diary) Thursday, April 22nd at 9:47AM EST (link)

Though I’d really like to go back to State Farm. Too bad they spent as much on my car as I did…

“If you do not have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
Luke 22:36

 
 

GEICO, Beck, Douglas...

rightklik (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 4:33PM EST (link)

After joining the left-wing Beck Boycott, I don’t see how GEICO could have avoided firing D.C.

The sword is double-edged.

 

Suprising....

jimc1969 Wednesday, April 21st at 4:37PM EST (link)

Geico is owned by Warren Buffet, suprised this guy did not get a raise or promotion or something !!!

 

Suprising....

jimc1969 Wednesday, April 21st at 4:37PM EST (link)

Geico is owned by Warren Buffet, suprised this guy did not get a raise or promotion or something !!!

 

Lack of common sense

LD Jackson (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 4:46PM EST (link)

Mr. Douglas showed a complete lack of common sense when he made those comments. I just finished listening to the voice mail and I can’t believe he would show such poor judgment.

One other thing, why is it that someone like him automatically assumes someone is going to resort to violence if they disagree with his viewpoint? Just wondering is all.

because he is filled with hate

kyle8 (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:13PM EST (link)

oooh I said the H word.

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

 
 

His Achilles "heal" pierced by DC's forked tongue

daveinboca Wednesday, April 21st at 4:53PM EST (link)

Here’s a guy with more than spelling and “proportion” issues. The “racist” calumny just doesn’t stick, and even those three CBC black congresscritters couldn’t come up with one audio or YouTube proof of a racist epithet on Capitol Hill, although it sure looked like Nancy Botox and her outsized-gavel parade of malefactors were looking to provoke some sort of incident by parading through a hostile crowd. So it’s all “he said, she said” by three politicians, a profession disproportionate, if we are to use that word correctly, in prevarications, BS, and outright lying.

If the vast majority of Tea Party activists are as elderly, well-off, white, tax-paying, law-abiding as the New York Times investigation seems to indicate, why would they “shoot somebody” unless the loony Mr. DC Douglas was projecting his own twisted mental retardation onto his moral and civic betters? The Tea Party people I have met in my few demonstration activities are above average in intelligence and in civic activism, although they never indicated any intention to break the law, even the vaunted “civil disobedience” so revered by Democrats and progressives of all stripes and shades of blue.

 

Thank goodness Geico did the right thing.

Scott Wednesday, April 21st at 4:58PM EST (link)

I just recently switched to them, so I am glad they didn’t force me to change all my insurance policies after only a month. Even though Progressive had a little better pricing, i will never give business to companies that traffic in dealings that are not in line with my values.

FWIW, I also won’t ever patronize Ben and Jerry’s. My girlfriend thinks i get a litle over the top with my personal boycotts sometimes.

I'm not big on either GEICO or Progressive

Richard Mullins (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 5:22PM EST (link)

so I’m more than liekly not going to be a customer of them. I don’t boycott much although the MoveOn.org supporting P&G is a special case. As for Ben and Jerry’s, it’s a sin for a Texan to touch something from an unholy cow. It’s Blue Bell or nothing. I hope you understand.

Richard Phillip Mullins BlogThe Squash Satire SiteNews on Happy Jet Airlines
Rmullins Pics
Rpmullins Twitter

Joe Biden is like a Decrepit Park owner with a Meth lab that happens to not only be a dealer but a user.

Let’s Bankrupt the Democratic paty. Make spend all the money to defend thier candidates.

Yeah, how could you buy anything with the

throwback59 Wednesday, April 21st at 6:22PM EST (link)

name “Progressive”? :-)

I don't really care for there insurance

Richard Mullins (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:39PM EST (link)

I prefer Liberty Mutual and have a 6month policy with State Farm(my grandmother bought that insurnace for that hooks on her insurance. It’s for my 2003 GMC Sierra I inherited from my late grandfather. $660 for a Truck in Texas is a steal but being 80 has it perks). My parents have Mercury(via the Texas affiliate Concord) and like it a lot. I don’t eat Ben and Jerry’s ice cream because it goes against eatting righteous ice cream from Blue Bell.

Richard Phillip Mullins BlogThe Squash Satire SiteNews on Happy Jet Airlines
Rmullins Pics
Rpmullins Twitter

Joe Biden is like a Decrepit Park owner with a Meth lab that happens to not only be a dealer but a user.

Let’s Bankrupt the Democratic paty. Make spend all the money to defend thier candidates.

Ben & Jerry's?

throwback59 Wednesday, April 21st at 8:42PM EST (link)

More like Marx & Engels’

More like don't touch

Richard Mullins (Diary) Thursday, April 22nd at 8:51AM EST (link)

The stuff in the store is made by unilever, but for me it’s Blue Bell or nothing. Can’t be a good Texan and not like Blue Bell. The Cows in Brenham aren’t wanting to move anytime soon.

Richard Phillip Mullins BlogThe Squash Satire SiteNews on Happy Jet Airlines
Rmullins Pics
Rpmullins Twitter

Joe Biden is like a Decrepit Park owner with a Meth lab that happens to not only be a dealer but a user.

Let’s Bankrupt the Democratic paty. Make spend all the money to defend thier candidates.

 
 
 
 
 
 

It is so much fun to be a "hate group"

kyle8 (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:11PM EST (link)

while the left wingers accuse you of evil, fanaticism, lewd homosexual acts, mental retardation, racism, and violence.

But none of that is hate I guess.

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

 

As A GEICO Customer, I'm Pleased

BigGator5 (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:18PM EST (link)

I like GEICO, good customer service.

The guy was an idiot leaving his name and number in the voice mail.

Educated (About The Issues Facing Us Today), Dedicated (To Making A Difference), And Highly Motivated (To Getting Things Done)
@biggator5

Big Gator5 You do know that

Scope (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 7:55PM EST (link)

from what I’ve read is that Soros is the biggest owner of Geico.

 
 

Am I reading this wrong?

jdw4america (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 6:24PM EST (link)

“Unfortunately, the radical majority is provoked to racial paranoia and mob mentality by unethical Washingtonian operatives like Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe. If we do not confront these kinds of groups, we risk letting a hate movement gain a dangerous level of influence in our country.”

The Radical Majority? By definition, if they are the majority, how can they be radical? Would not their opposition to the will of the majority make them the radicals? For all you lefties that just realized dictionaries exist, I’ll give you a minute to look it up.

A hate movement will gain a dangerous level of influence on our country? You just called us the majority – remember? That presumes we have influence over our country.

Not only can’t he spell, he can’t form a coherent thought.

Yeah, that's kind of a problem

merryj1 Thursday, April 22nd at 5:49AM EST (link)

A lot of actors and wanna-be actors think their ability to convincingly repeat some writer’s words, translates to an ability to think coherent thoughts. Not to try to detract from the very real talent many of them have, but it would be nice if those who ride their entertainment popularity into the political arena, would take someone along to think.

 
 

He is gearing up a lawsuit against GEICO

grandma Wednesday, April 21st at 7:23PM EST (link)

Sounds a little bit like the discrimination suit brought in the U.K. by a bloke.

He won his lawsuit because his company wasn’t tolerant of his “religious” convictions about global warming.

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/warmer-gets-150k-for-discrimination

I wonder if that he'll win or lose

Richard Mullins (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 7:36PM EST (link)

because it might be fun to see the the loss of money if he wins. Self inflicted economic injury to GEICO and Mr. Douglas. That’s so much fun to see.

Richard Phillip Mullins BlogThe Squash Satire SiteNews on Happy Jet Airlines
Rmullins Pics
Rpmullins Twitter

Joe Biden is like a Decrepit Park owner with a Meth lab that happens to not only be a dealer but a user.

Let’s Bankrupt the Democratic paty. Make spend all the money to defend thier candidates.

Spokespeople-Type Contracts Are Written Up Quite Strictly

IJB Wednesday, April 21st at 7:43PM EST (link)

My guess is that there’s clause in the contract he signed that allows Geiko to fire him if he as much sneezes wrong.

I feel relatively certain that he won’t have a legal leg to stand on, and if he can find a lawyer foolish enough to litigate this, they are very, very likely to lose to Geiko.

Well he might not have a leg to stand on

Richard Mullins (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 7:49PM EST (link)

but the details of the lawsuit might get fun to watch. I think that might be worth the price.

Richard Phillip Mullins BlogThe Squash Satire SiteNews on Happy Jet Airlines
Rmullins Pics
Rpmullins Twitter

Joe Biden is like a Decrepit Park owner with a Meth lab that happens to not only be a dealer but a user.

Let’s Bankrupt the Democratic paty. Make spend all the money to defend thier candidates.

 
 

I'm no expert, but isn't it a spokesman's job to increase sales?

6eorge Jetson (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 10:35PM EST (link)

Something about pissing off half of your company’s customers somehow doesn’t seem consistent with that role.

He's not the spokesman

Raven (Diary) Thursday, April 22nd at 9:53AM EST (link)

He’s just the guy with the last 5 seconds of time on the commercials, including the disclaimers, if any.

They didn’t fire the gecko or the pile of money with googly eyes…

“If you do not have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
Luke 22:36

 
 
 
 

I waded through his blog

NRPax (Diary) Wednesday, April 21st at 8:28PM EST (link)

And it was about what I expected. A lot of self-pity wrapped in righteousness, smothered with a lot of posts screeching about his rights getting trampled on. Hopefully he learns about actions and consequences from this.

Don't bet on it.

davesinsanantonio (Diary) Thursday, April 22nd at 7:07AM EST (link)

The “entitled” think that they are entitled to avoid consequences also. And, if there are negative consequences, someone else is supposed to fix them. Their arrogance would be despicable if they weren’t so pitiful. It must be tough to go through life without a brain.

 
 

Where Geico got it's name:

snopercod Thursday, April 22nd at 8:00AM EST (link)

Originally, it was the Government Employee’s Insurance COmpany.