Political fallout

I've threatened to do it for a while (at least in my head) but last week I had had enough and I contacted our EEOC person at work to see how much political commentary I have to put up with from my boss. I know it isn't against any work policy to voice opinions, but it still offends me when a supervisor gets on a soap box and pontificates, especially to staff who may or or may not be too intimidated for rebuttal. The person I contacted said it is not against any law or policy but it IS unacceptable and I should contact the director of our department. Which I did. I was on a roll I tell you.

His concern was whether or not I would be put in an untenable position if he spoke to my boss, and I told him no more than I am now. I am not too intimidated to offer a rebuttal of the comments, and have made it a policy to put a stop to the accusations by asking him to drop the subject (it catches him off guard so he obliges) but that happens in front of everyone and can't be making him too awfully fond of me. Still, I don't like going to his boss to get this solved. Seems tattle-taley.

Why would he make it an issue in the office to begin with? Why wouldn't he just keep his opinions to himself? If he were discussing things quietly among his peers I wouldn't have a problem, but he opens up (quite loudly) to the people he hires and fires and supervises because there just isn't a whole lot they can do except agree with him. Well, except for the ignoramus who just turned 55 and believes, perhaps delusionally, that she is bullet-proof.

R and I were talking about this situation and politics in general. We're definitely a minority among many of our friends, but we try to keep a low profile and an open mind. Many of them have changed their politics as they have aged, so either we haven't grown up or we have stuck to our beliefs. I'm sure it's more than a little bit of each.