I wait in nervous anticipation as I let the phone ring. Who will be on the other end of the line? How will this call go? These are a few of the questions that run through my mind.

As I’m about ready to hang up, a man picks up the phone.

“Hello,” I start my pitch. “My name is Rachel Scherle, and I’m helping out in your county for the Elizabeth Dole Presidential campaign.

“Can we count on your support in the caucuses?” He says yes.

Wonderful, only sixty more calls to make tonight.

Political phone calls are vital to all political campaigns.

If you are a registered Republican in Iowa, I’m sure you have firsthand knowledge of this.

I worked for Elizabeth Dole all summer, and I still received phone calls from five other candidates asking me if I was attending the straw poll.

As much as some people hate receiving these types of calls, I love making them.

I always have to be prepared for what the caller is going to toss at me.

Overall, my phone calls have all been very positive.

The amount of support Dole has received has been amazing.

I can honestly say I’ve only been hung up on less than 10 times during the hundreds of phone calls I’ve made.

But, there’s always that small 1 percent of calls you make that don’t turn out so well.

I’ve divided the not-so-good phone calls into two types of people who usually fall into this category: the aggressor and the compulsive liar.

The aggressor is the most difficult caller to deal with.

This person is sick of getting phone calls from presidential candidates and he/she is not afraid to tell you.

The following is an excerpt from me calling an aggressor.

ME: Hi, I am Rachel Scherle and I’m working for the …

AGGRESSOR: WAIT! Stop right there! I know you are from a campaign, and if get one more @#@$^$* phone call from a campaign I’ll go @#$#^*% crazy!

This is the point where I usually stop the conversation because, needless to say, I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The first time I had a conversation with an aggressor, I ran to the bathroom and almost started to cry, but these calls happen very rarely and now they create a little excitement and drama in my otherwise dull life.

I always have great stories to tell at the bar after a conversation with the aggressor.

The second minority group is the compulsive liars.

They come in many shapes and forms, and let me tell you, they are a tricky bunch.

My favorite tactic is the following.

CALLER X: Hello?

ME: Hi, can I speak with Caller X?

CALLER X: Yes, who is this?

ME: Oh, I’m just working for a presidential campaign.

CALLER X: (After about 10 seconds of silence, think quickly!) Uh, well, uh Caller X isn’t here right now. He is on an extremely long trip. Um, can you call back in a couple of weeks?

ME: I’ll be sure and do that, thanks!

The best story I have from a compulsive liar call is when a man told me his dog was puking, so he couldn’t talk at the moment.

That was so creative, in my heart, I have to believe it’s true.

As I said before, these incidents constitute a very small proportion of my calls, and they entertain the entire office.

I absolutely love working for Dole; it is my dream job.

I could probably fill the entire page with reasons why she is the best, most qualified candidate, but I’ll save that for my next column.

Remember, when you get a political phone call, BE NICE.

Iowans are so lucky to be pampered by the politicians, so take advantage if it.

Ask questions about the issues and offer your support for your favorite candidate.

One last thing, if I happen to call you, don’t act like you’re not around, because I’ve heard it all before.

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Rachel Scherle is a senior in political science and journalism and mass communication from Henderson.