Politics Is Serious Business
The talking heads would like us to believe that nothing ever gets done in Washington. But that’s just not true. Just look at this clear, concise exchanges of letters between the assistants for a congressmen and a lobbyist trying to set up a meeting for their employers to talk.
From: XXX
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 11:38 AM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: JPMC Meeting RequestElizabeth,
Attached is a meeting request for JP Morgan Chase who will be in DC June 3rd-4th and would like to request a brief meeting with the Congressman.
Let me know if you need any additional information.
Thank you!
Best,
XXX
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:05 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Liz,
just checking in on whether the Congressman is available next week. [REDACTED] can confirm a meeting time for you – she is available at [REDACTED].
Thank you!
Best,
XXX
Polite business manners. Nothing to see here folks…as long as you don’t look at the crazy coming out of the woodwork after the jump. Thanks to Beth L to pointing us to this ABC News story.
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:07 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting Request
Importance: HighWho is Liz?
Elizabeth Becton
Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Office of Congressman Jim McDermott
XXXX Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:07 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth, I thought you went by Liz – apologies if that is incorrect. Best, XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:08 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestI do not go by Liz. Where did you get your information?
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:10 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth, I’m so sorry if I offended you! I thought you had gone by Liz at Potlatch, this was my mistake. Best, XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:11 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestNEVER. I hate that name.
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:13 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth, I’m so sorry if I offended you! I must have mis-heard. My mistake! Best, XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:20 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting Request
Importance: HighXXX:
If I wanted you to call me by any other name, I would have offered that to you. I think it’s rude when people don’t even ask permission and take all sorts of liberties with your name. This is a real sore spot with me. My name has a lot of “nicknames” which I don’t use. I use either my first name or my last name because I row with a lot of other women who share the same first name. Now, please do not ever call me by a nickname again.
As for your meeting request, who is the point of contact for this meeting? If it’s not you, then I need to know who because it’s very time-consuming to deal with a lot of people for one meeting.
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:23 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth, I’m so sorry I offended you! My mistake!
XXX can confirm a meeting time for you – she is available at XXX XXXX.
Thank you!
Best, XXX
[UNRELATED EMAILS REDACTED]
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:33 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestOf course! Again, I am sincerely sorry for offending you. I must have mis-heard and it was in no way my intention to make you upset. I always enjoy working with you and seeing you at the WSS events J
Best,
XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:37 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestSounds like you got played by someone who KNOWS I hate that name and that it’s a fast way to TICK me off. Who told you that I go by that name? They are not your friend…
From: XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:38 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth,
Again, I am sincerely sorry for offending you. I don’t want to cause trouble as I clearly must have mis-heard the person at Potlatch. It was in no way my intention to make you upset.
Best,
XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:41 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting Request
Importance: HighI REALLY want to know who told you to call me that.
From:XXX
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:44 PM
To: Becton, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestHi Elizabeth,
Again, I am sincerely sorry for offending you. I don’t recall who I overheard. It was in no way my intention to make you upset.
Best,
XXX
From: Becton, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 6:04 PM
To: XXX
Subject: RE: JPMC Meeting RequestLet me put it this way, they don’t know me and perhaps they were PRETENDING to know me better than they do and pretended that I go by Liz. They did YOU a disservice.
In the future, you should be VERY careful about such things. People like to brag about their connections in DC. It’s a past time for some. It’s also dangerous to eaves drop, as you have just found out.
Quit apologizing and never call me anything but Elizabeth again. Also, make sure you correct anyone who attempts to call me by any other name but Elizabeth. Are we clear on this? Like I said, it’s a hot button for me.
And please don’t call the office and not leave a message. My colleague told me you called while I was away at the Ladies’ room. I do sometimes leave my desk.
Submitted By: Beth L
@crazyemails
For me, her race is completely irrelevant. The only relevant part for me is the fact that she is completely batshit crazy.
And now my comment makes absolutely no sense since the initial post about race was removed…. WTF?
Whatever…..
It really pains me to know that I am the only person wondering what the hell JP Morgan is doing contacting a member of Congress?Well I’m not really wondering I know what he’s doing it’s called facism and it sucks,it is not what the forefathers meant for this country.
Greatings, Everything dynamic and very positively!
Wow…for a glorified secretary…she sure is an uppity bitch.
liz, you are INSAAAAANE !!!
buh-bye !
I have a very simple four-letter name ending on a silent letter. I have been called Anna, Ad, Annie, Ally, Anne, Anne, Ar (don’t ask), etc etc. If someone questions me, I’ll say it, but if they have problems with it (Chinese people in particular tend to find my name difficult to pronounce, I’ve noticed), I’ll just answer to whatever. Life’s too short!
On the other hand, if I’m introduced to an “Elizabeth” or “Katherine” or “Josephina”, I’ll call them by that. Maybe as some point I’ll ask them if they have a preferred short, or maybe they’ll volunteer it. EIther way, I wouldn’t just shorten it unless I was good friends with them. Simple manners.
On the other, other hand, good grief, they apologised, what do you want, woman, blood?!
Urgh.
She reminds me of Annie in Misery.
What a creeper.
Small minds do take such offence to small matters.
I have to say that this woman is being nuts about it. I hate all the short forms of my name and don’t use them, but when people do shorten it I don’t get completely crazy on them. I correct them and explain that I prefer not to have my name shortened. Then I let it go. I worked with a guy for 3 years who never got it right, some of the other people I worked with would get him to say what he thought was my name because they found it funny. But he wasn’t making it shorter he was calling me a completly different name: Kathleen (by the way, we wore ID badges with our names printed on them) This was not someone I saw around the office occasionally, I worked closely with him every day. I corrected him a couple of times when I first started but he never did get it right. And at this point I am beginning to think maybe I’m sounding like a crazy person so I’ll shut up now.
No you aren’t, Kate.
Katie lighten up
Krazy Kathleen, always yappin her krazy jaw.
I just call her Liz. What the hell is she going to do to Me?
Oh. My. God. That poor woman who can’t say what she thinks because she needs to get that meeting set-up… Screw Liz!
Crazy bitch… I think I’ll write to her just so I can call her Liz…
Shouldn’t be too hard to track her down:
Elizabeth Becton
Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Office of Congressman Jim McDermott
XXXX Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Lizzie bizzie. Liza. Beth. Eli. Zabeth. Zabe. Liz. Lizabeth. Izzie.
Liz may be totally crazy but I can’t say that I wouldn’t react with the “NEVER call me that and whoever told you to is someone you should never listen to again” if someone called me “Sammy”. Of course, I would then have dropped it.
Since when are professional contacts no longer referred to as “Ms”, “Mrs” or “Mr” unless they’re also personal friends, though?
Jeez–Jim McDermott is MY Congressman. Did he actually hire this whack job? Is this an example of my tax dollars at work?
I don’t like it when people call me “Cathy”, but I just simply tell them to call me what I prefer. What a nut job!
I think the best part about this whole thing was Keith Olbermann’s reenacting all of this on Countdown one night.
You can check it out on Politico.
I always think it is funny when someone asks me if I prefer “Dave” or “David”. They are synonyms…