News & Politics - Republicans Using "Robocall" Tactics in Tight Races

ceilirose · 11-05-2006, 09:35 PM

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/...l/15898729.htm

Quote:

Jill Porter | GOP 'robocall' tactics make me sick

BEING SICK in bed, which I was for the past couple of weeks, is bad enough.

But being sick in bed while living in a political combat zone - in this case, the 6th Congressional District - is enough to MAKE YOU WANT TO KILL SOMEBODY.

My God, the phone calls! Just as I'd begin to drift off to sleep, the phone would ring and it would be YET ANOTHER DAMN COMPUTERIZED MESSAGE ABOUT LOIS MURPHY.

One, two, three, four times a day it seemed, the phone rang with "robocalls" about the Democratic challenger to incumbent GOP Rep. Jim Gerlach in one of the nastiest races in the country.

I never listened to one word of it, just slammed the phone down and seethed with resentment.

Now, there's an effective campaign strategy, I thought: Infuriate the voters so much that they won't vote.

What part of "Do Not Call" don't campaign advisers get?

Sure, "political speech" is exempt from FCC regulations prohibiting unwanted phone solicitations. But since most Americans consider unsolicited calls an invasion of privacy, why would any campaign flood voters with prefab rhetoric?

Yes, the tactic is cheap - in many cases, pennies a phone call, compared with the $15 to $30 an hour pols used to have to pay for telemarketers to call the old-fashioned way.

There are dozens of online computerized-call firms available to do the dirty work. And it's much cheaper in a costly media market such as Philadelphia to use robocalls than to pay for TV ads.

But if they annoy voters rather than enlighten them, what's the point?

That's what I asked Lois Murphy's campaign yesterday.

The answer was simple:

"It's not us!"

Only three recorded calls have been made on behalf of Murphy's campaign, including one from Gov. Rendell, which were sponsored by the Democratic State Committee.

The rest? A "dirty trick" by the Republicans, said communications director Amy Bonitatibus.

The calls, which begin by offering "important information about Lois Murphy," are designed to mislead voters into thinking the message is from her.

Most recipients slam down the phone before finding out otherwise - and then call to complain.

"We've got a ton of complaints, starting about two weeks ago," Bonitatibus said.

"Some of our biggest supporters have said, 'If you call me again, I'm not voting for Lois.' "

Ah, a great tactic on behalf of Gerlach's campaign, then?

Not so, said John Gentzel, communications director. "We've only done a handful - maybe five - in the last couple of months."

Gentzel said they use admittedly unpopular robocalls only to respond quickly to misinformation in a political mailer about Gerlach's voting record.

"This is not us. We're sorry. We're not making these calls."

The culprit in this race is the National Republican Congressional Committee, an organization that's used such scurrilous campaign tactics this season that it has been disavowed in some instances by the candidates it is supporting.

In the past week alone, FCC records reflect $22,119 for anti-Murphy phone-bank expenses, said NRCC spokesman Ed Petru.
If the robocalls cost a dime, which is a high estimate, that would be 220,000 calls right there.

Petru said the agency wouldn't be spending its money on robocalls if they weren't working.

"We don't think there's such a thing as an overinformed voter."

Barf.

You can complain to the FCC if you think the calls are illegal, as some Murphy supporters have done. (202-418-1440, phone; 202-418-0232, fax.)

Or you can do what I briefly considered yesterday: Send the NRCC your own robocalls telling it to STOP IT!

Try www.voiceshot.com - 12 cents a call, no minimum. The NRCC's number is 202-479-7000.

That taste of its own medicine would make me feel much better after two weeks sick in bed.

This is happening in New Hampshire (got relatives there who said the same thing), Kansas and a few other states.

The "robocalls" are bad enough but the crack about an overinformed voter - yes, I agree with the author of the article.

TokyoNiGHTS · 11-06-2006, 06:23 PM

It's exactly like the Republican party. Olbermann is talking about it right now. Apparently the Democrats are looking into legal action for this stuff where each call would cost 500 dollars and with all the repeated calls it could run into the millions.

There's also reports that black voters are getting calls telling them they could be arrested if they vote because they're in the wrong precinct as well as flyers going around telling them to skip this election.

ceilirose · 11-06-2006, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TokyoNiGHTS (View Post)

It's exactly like the Republican party. Olbermann is talking about it right now. Apparently the Democrats are looking into legal action for this stuff where each call would cost 500 dollars and with all the repeated calls it could run into the millions.

There's also reports that black voters are getting calls telling them they could be arrested if they vote because they're in the wrong precinct as well as flyers going around telling them to skip this election.

It's crazy but at least it's gotten some media attention. The flyers that went to the black voters said to skip the election unless you want liberals, tax hikers to be elected. Of course that was in small print.

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

CourtneyS416 · 11-07-2006, 12:01 PM

It's kinda funny.

ceilirose · 11-07-2006, 02:23 PM

hmm...I don't think it will be funny if there's a tight election and someone loses because of it. Or at the very least it can be traced as a factor in the lost. It's beneath this country.

Laira · 11-08-2006, 12:38 PM

Quote:

It's kinda funny.

You think vote suppression is funny? I don't. What's even worse is the idiots, who when I pointed out what the rethuglicans were doing, announced that, "Both sides do the same things." Not true.

elisheva · 11-08-2006, 01:01 PM

Actually, I've seen reports that there was plenty sketchy tactics going on on the Democratic side too. Granted, I'm not as immersed in American politics as people who LIVE there are

, but I've seen a few things that would suggest that there's fraud, etc, on both sides. It doesn't make it okay, obviously. It just means that you can't cast this in a Pure&Good&Idealistic vs. Bad&Corrupt&Cynical light.

ceilirose · 11-08-2006, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elisheva (View Post)

Actually, I've seen reports that there was plenty sketchy tactics going on on the Democratic side too. Granted, I'm not as immersed in American politics as people who LIVE there are

, but I've seen a few things that would suggest that there's fraud, etc, on both sides. It doesn't make it okay, obviously. It just means that you can't cast this in a Pure&Good&Idealistic vs. Bad&Corrupt&Cynical light.

I think both sides do as well.

Granted I've been immersed in left leaning blogs the last few weeks but I haven't seen anything on the scale of this robo calling and what Laura Ingram did yesterday. Basically she had her listeners jam the Democratic Help Line for voting problems. Anyway if you remember the links it would be good to see them. Voter suppression is wrong on either side.

I think the problem with the Republicans this time is that they are in the middle of a lawsuit for jamming phone lines in NH in 2002. One Republican already turned on them, gave evidence and served about 10 months in jail. Them doing this on such a grand scale and having it traced back to their National Committee isn't too cool.

Laira · 11-09-2006, 08:28 AM

More on the story at Daily KOS:

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

Quote:

Actually, I've seen reports that there was plenty sketchy tactics going on on the Democratic side too. Granted, I'm not as immersed in American politics as people who LIVE there are , but I've seen a few things that would suggest that there's fraud, etc, on both sides. It doesn't make it okay, obviously. It just means that you can't cast this in a Pure&Good&Idealistic vs. Bad&Corrupt&Cynical light.

Links please?

**TheAngel** · 11-09-2006, 01:34 PM

Democrats did this big time in my area during the last election. I've also gotten a number of flyers and notices in my mailbox at school telling me to vote Democrat. I vote a split ticket so it doesn't really matter what the flyers and phone calls say.

elisheva · 11-09-2006, 07:22 PM

Laira - I'll link if I run across them again, but I'm not sure why it's so unbelievable that both parties would pull similar dirty tricks. *shrug* No political party is immune to corruption and dishonesty.

ceilirose · 11-09-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAngel (View Post)

Democrats did this big time in my area during the last election. I've also gotten a number of flyers and notices in my mailbox at school telling me to vote Democrat. I vote a split ticket so it doesn't really matter what the flyers and phone calls say.

There's a difference between getting flyers saying to vote Democratic, Republican, Green whatever than getting a flyer telling you not to vote at all with the reasoning being in fine print.

I don't think it's unbelievable that the Democrats could have their own "dirty tricks' so to speak but have any been traced back to the national party? Like this robo-calling?

***Jerry D*** · 11-10-2006, 07:56 AM

I received several of those Robocalls over last weekend, and they were all from the Republican Party.

Milt Palacio · 11-16-2006, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceilirose (View Post)

This is happening in New Hampshire (got relatives there who said the same thing)

Yeah, my district!! We still kicked Charlie Bass's ass!


Fan Forum > General Discussion > News & Politics > Republicans Using "Robocall" Tactics in Tight Races