Should you talk about politics at the office?

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From "The View" to a cubicle near you, work discussions about the presidential election are heating up.In recent weeks, Elisabeth Hasselbeck has engaged in several blazingly hot debates with the other ladies of "The View" - Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters - about the campaign. Videos of these flare-ups have made the rounds on YouTube.com and Defamer.com.With less than two weeks to go in one of the most contentious and historic presidential election campaigns in history and a 24-hour stream of campaign news on cable, there's always some political development to rehash from the previous night's news or the most recent "Saturday Night Live" sketch.Political talk in the workplace used to be verboten - just like discussing sex and religion. That's no longer the case, in part, because voter registration and voter turnout have been on the rise since 2000."If more people are registering and more people are voting, it's not a surprise that more people are talking about politics," says Allyson M. Lowe, director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics and Public Policy at Chatham University. "That's a healthy sign for our democracy that people are inspired or engaged or provoked by the issues around them and, therefore, want to discuss those with friends and colleagues."With all the political coverage and the media hammering the public with the personal sides of the candidates and picking apart everything they say and do, people think they're watching reality TV, says Debra Fine, author of "The Fine Art of the Big Talk.""People forget it's a real reality show, not 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race,'" she says.Because people talk about those shows at the watercooler each day, they also talk about all the political goings-on, "Did you see Sarah Palin on 'SNL?'" or "Did you see Michelle Obama's dress?"Talking politics at work is fine as long as it's done civilly, Fine says, and she has devised some tips for discussing politics in the office.First, be aware of the rules in your workplace. Some office cultures prohibit discussions and displays of campaign paraphernalia, such as campaign buttons or bumper stickers.Dianne Geissal learned that lesson last week when, after the last presidential debate Oct. 15, she went into work the next day wearing her Obama button."I decided now that we're in the final stages of this mega-important event and because I'm more passionate about this election than I have been since JFK, I would wear my favorite candidate's campaign button," said Geissal, 58, a registered nurse from Monticello, Ill.After a meeting with coworkers that day, one of them later approached her and told her it was inappropriate to wear the button."I politely responded that I was doing nothing wrong, merely expressing my humble opinion of the upcoming election, which I felt it was my right to do," she said.However, she did e-mail the company's CEO asking his opinion, and he told her that he didn't think it was a good idea. So, she no longer wears the button to work.If you're permitted to talk politics at work, make sure you know the person's position before you launch into a conversation or, if you're unsure, ask open-ended questions, Fine says.Don't say, "Did you believe Barack said that?" or "Can you believe McCain kept saying 'my friends' all the time?" but, "What are your thoughts about the debate?" or "How do you think it went for the candidates last night?"Be a diplomat:It's all in the approach.Initiating political discussions and asking political questions are fine as long as the initiator-questioner genuinely is interested in the other person's opinion, Fine said."Be prepared to hear the response before you jump in and express your own opinion," she said.Don't be mocking, because you may be mocking someone else's positions."You have an opinion, but that doesn't make you right," Fine says. "Even if we disagree with them, they're as much entitled to their opinions as we are to ours."Be prepared to offer facts about how and why you think your candidate is better."It's easier to try to persuade people when you've really heard what their thoughts are and then they're more likely to listen to you if you give them the gift of listening and respect," she said.Also, don't feel compelled to talk if you'd rather not discuss the election."Make a personal decision to talk or not talk about it up front and stick with it," she says. "Flip-flopping will make you a target for confrontation."Other tips:- Know when to back down, turn around and walk away.- Agree to disagree."When people do express an opinion that we don't like or disagree with, just say, 'I can see why you feel that way,' or 'I can see why you say that.'"- Remember you're on the same side."At the end of the day, you work for the same company with the same end goal, so don't let political talk interfere with your productivity and work relationships."E-mail L.A. Johnson at ljohnson(at)post-gazette.com. (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)