Geico Voice Fired For Tea Party Insult

[Peace God]

The man who does voice over work for those popular Geico commercials says he was fired after calling Tea Party members "retarded" on a voice mail.

The group Freedom Works organizes Tea Party events, and it posted a voice-mail message from actor D.C. Douglas, who is better known for voicing the phrase, "15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on your car insurance."

Douglas asked in his voicemail what "the percentage of people that are mentally retarded who are working for FreedomWorks and who are following it."

He also asked how the Tea Party would "spin it when one of your members does actually kill somebody."

Freedom Works then published the audio and ask members to call GEICO to complain.

Douglas has acknowledged it was his voice on the voice mail.

Douglas said in a press release he was dropped from the upcoming GEICO "Shocking News" campaign because on the voice mail, and he said he left the "private" message because of what he called anger over anti-gay and racist comments made by Tea Party members.

Douglas also said he may sue Freedom Works for publishing the voice mail without his permission.

His press release says, "Mr. Douglas consulted with several Los Angeles attorneys and has been advised that FreedomWorks' actions were questionable. Though he's not planning on spending money to sue the organization, he's open to any attorneys taking on this case pro bono."

Douglas also said he was targeted by the Tea Party because Geico pulled its advertising from the Glenn Beck show.

Matt Kibbe, the head of Freedom Works, said Douglas is offbase in a blog post.

"He now says that we, 'like Glenn Beck, are flirting heavily with sedition.' Strange accusation from an actor that talks for a living," Kibbe said.

Source (http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/politics/geico-voice-fired-for-tea-party-insult)

[2D]

Guy tells truth, guy gets fired. Oh how often that happens. Political correctness is retarded.

[Perseus]

Guy tells truth, guy gets fired. Oh how often that happens. Political correctness is retarded.

You gon' get fired for that, Jeff. :P

[quartermaster]

Guy tells truth, guy gets fired. Oh how often that happens. Political correctness is retarded.

Though I respect freedom of speech, I do not believe this is so much of a case of political correctness "b.s.," as it was GEICO looking out for its pocketbook. The risk of having a Tea Party backlash against their company, to them, far outweighs any clout the voice-actor carries. Completely understandable, but no less unfortunate.

[2D]

Though I respect freedom of speech, I do not believe this is so much of a case of political correctness "b.s.," as it was GEICO looking out for its pocketbook. The risk of having a Tea Party backlash against their company, to them, far outweighs any clout the voice-actor carries. Completely understandable, but no less unfortunate.

I can see what you're saying, but what he said shouldn't effect the company. People get up in arms over the stupidest things. Tea Party members don't even know what they're protesting half the time. Why defend them?

[quartermaster]

\Tea Party members don't even know what they're protesting half the time. Why defend them?

haha, be that as it may, for a company, business is business and most companies prefer not to be in the business of offending their customers. It was the potential for problems that GEICO was acting out against; their cost-benefit analysis said that even if there was no actual backlash from Tea Party members, the voice-actor had become an unnecessary liability. As such, it is not so much a matter of GEICO "defending" the Tea Party members, as it is shedding potential liabilities to business (current and future).