Politically Correct

In this political season, it seems appropriate to mention that I once lost a job — well, I was fired, actually — over a political candidate.

The candidate was an evangelical Christian, very conservative. The owner of the ad agency where I worked had been a long-time supporter of him, and when he decided to run for president she was ecstatic. (Much of the agency's staff was less so, but that's another story.)

She offered the agency's resources — I believe she initially proposed charging $1/month — and we became his advertising and marketing agency. Immediately shredders, locks on doors and an upgraded security system appeared, and all employees were directed to drop what they were doing and begin working on his political campaign.

I, politely and professionally, asked not to be assigned to the project and, much to my surprise, wasn't. One other employee, an art director, asked for the same treatment, and he received.

Now, when you turn down the company owner's pet project, you can assume that you should update your resume, because your time at that company is about to come to an end. I redid my resume and cleaned up my portfolio, just in case.

The months went on, his campaign began to sputter, and despite the regular messages on our paychecks about who our next president would be, he withdrew. Life seemingly returned to normal.

A couple of months later I was suddenly dropped from the distribution list for memos that went to everyone in the department. My assignments dried up. Clearly, in the mind of the agency president I ceased to exist.

I bet someone in my department $50 that I'd be fired on a Friday two weeks in the future, at 3 p.m. The bet was that I was correct within an hour.

I actually got fired a little after 2, and collected the $50. More importantly, I was able to clean out my desk, say my goodbyes, and leave before rush hour (the agency, which no longer exists, was in Washington, D.C.)

Interestingly, when I told friends and family at the time I asked not be assigned to the account, I received all kinds of reactions. Some folks said, "Good for you." A few said, "You're an idiot." My parents, rabble rousers from way back, were proud of me.

My favorite part was trying to explain to the folks at the unemployment office why I'd been fired. This was one they'd never heard before.

The art director who'd also not worked on the account? He quit before he was fired, and hasn't worked on a political campaign since.

Nor, in fact, have I. Though, to be honest, no one has asked.