Login HereYup, you read that right: at the beginning of today's Veterans Day parade in downtown Hartford, Joe smiled and shook Ned's hand, and then quickly sent his folks out to try physically bar Ned from marching with Congressman John Larson and other Democrats who invited him to march. It was one of those moments where all you could think of saying was wow, stay classy Joe Lieberman.
Ned decided not to listen, and jogged around the Lieberman folks while we distracted them, and caught back up to the Democrats. When the Lieberman people again tried to physically remove Ned from the parade, Larson backed them off once and for all telling them simply: "Ned's with us." That could be the bumper sticker slogan of this campaign, as it perfectly sums up how in more and more people's minds, Ned represents standing up for regular people, and Joe represents standing up for the status quo.
Nice picture of Joe with Republican Nancy Johnson, too. But they weren't campaigning together. They were...uh...swapping chili recipies.
Can anyone explain why, in a year when the GOP is struggling to finance all those house races, all their donors have maxed out to Lieberman (to the tune of about $20 million now)? It's awfully important to them that he retain this Senate seat. If that smells funny to you, you can find ways to help right here.
(thanks to CTBlogger for the MikeinCT video tip)
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Hi everyone… Keith’s thread was great. I finally finished editing my BlueAmerica Interview with Paul Hackett. (still editing my interview with Charlie Brown)
Paul Hackett Interview!
Sorry I’m such a rank amateur at this. But Paul’s a handfull. Be sure and watch for the shoutout he gives to FDL and C&L. :)
Keith!
Since I was out doing campaign work and missed Keith’s appearance (see how dedicated I am?), I figured I’d get my licks in on this thread.
Get Out The Vote!!!!
I love that YouTube.
Folks worried about server issues: Looks like when we switched to a bigger server last week we didn’t make some appropriate changes to the settings. Tweaks should make us okay for election night.
Guess everybody’s still working their way thru the 400 comments on the Keith thread.
Either that or they are sitting motionless in front of their computers with shell shock from the unbelievable combination of posters and commenters.
Happy Birthday Nate (one day late)!!!
Thanks ember… It was a good birthday. It ended with an interview of Charlie Brown so it was a wonderful way to spend the day.
A few troublesome polls out there. Pew and WP Show the generic ballot advantage for dems dropping- Mason Dixon shows Rhode Island and Maryland goin the gooper way. May be nothing- anyone here with a read on it?
Hey Jane, no problem, it’s just growing pains with the server burps. That’s a great problem to have. Probably just as well with the KO thread that there were burps slowing things down a bit; can you imagine what it would have been like full throttle?
Jeepers, what’ll it be like election night???
;-)
MikeinCT did such a fantastic job with that video that I’m thinking about taking up fly-fishing; he’s perfected the art of the parody!
Well done, Mike!
Jane, congrats on the Olbermann thread. What a rush!
rw, no, I have no clue.
I hope that Keith goes away knowing how much — too much? — we place on his shoulders.
Now are the nervous days, the days when you hear of the outrageous ‘tactics’ and hope that enough people will compensate for those deceived into thinking they got a 5am robocall from a Democrat.
It’s too important for another one to be stolen. Because this one breaks the republic.
Joe, Joe, Joe…
Do you think his mama’s proud of him?
rwcole @ 10
My business partner told me last week the gap would close. I hate it when that happens. Still though, it’s a 1994 size gap favorable to OUR side ; )
LOL egregious, wasn’t that such a great Book Salon? Love his sense of humor. And the big scoop (thanks FDL!) of perhaps a Special Comments book in the works, yowza oh yeaaaaa.
Jane, I’m sure your tekkies will get the bugs worked out before Tuesday. I do agree with VG that trying to cut down on quoted comments that night or asking people to please refrain from nesting them may help?
I still haven’t had a chance to look at the Olbermann thread. Big fun, huh?
Completely agree CT Bob.
TRex, did Jane forward you the picture I took of you and Tommy Yum last night? If she didn’t get around to it, email me.
Jesus’ General, Swopa, Ambassador Wilson, Mr. ReddHedd, along with the usual suspects. Olbermann is scary smart.
TRex @ 18
Keith got a slap in at Coulter that you’ll just have to read for yourself.
The level of pushing and shoving — sheer physicality — in the GOP defense this year is astonishing, from Macaca Allen to RGJoe. It’s shocking that this happens in America. I doubt Nutmeggers will permit thuggery to define their Senate choice. While I understand that Republics don’t want to vote for a “liberal Democrat,” maybe this RGJoe behavior will lead them to Alan. Here’s hoping!
Nate, I was EPU’ed on the last thread. That was a good interview! Thanks very much for putting it together for us. I STILL think Paul Hackett would make a good senator.
Pop quiz, Joe: who is the Democratic candidate for Senate in Connecticut…and for extra credit, who is not?
TRex it was fabulous. And Pach gave you a shoutout, told Keith you would make a perfect fill in for Musto. I heartily agree.
http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....ent-364290
OfT, for TRex: don’t miss the gayface photos from New Life Church’s staff roster.
http://www.toiletpaperonline.t....._new_.html
Connecticut Bob @
20
I haven’t seen it yet.
I just got to the computer after a really busy day of travel and hanging out with my dad.
Getting:
ERROR!
There was a connection problem with the server. Please try again
Haven’t seen this one before.
Great Olbermann thread. I’m way to slow typing to keep up. Just sat with a smile and an occasional explanation of my giggle eruptions so my spouse wouldn’t think I was losing it.
I am sure this will be a big surprise. In addition to overwhelming incompetence and neo-enabling liar, Joe as a person disgusts me.
Just a little observation from the southern MO television market. Last night during Saturday Night Live the RNC put out a horrific ad against McCaskill. They picked up on a old Talent ad with nursing home attack angles and went to full tilt shrill. Might as well have said McCaskill will break into nursing homes and off your parents in the night, again.
Did anyone else notice that when Keith referred to his co-workers, he used their full names or first names with one exception? He referred to Tweety as “Matthews” - twice.
OT, but I had the pleasure of sitting in front of Andrew Duck’s daughter today on a plane. Duck is running as a Fightin’ Dem (he served in Iraq) against Roscoe Bartlett in Maryland. I had heard of him somewhere in the blogosphere, and I whipped around and wished her and her father well when she said her father was running for Congress. We chatted about the time for change in DC and health care and schtuff. It was a small thing, but very, very cool.
Of course, I missed the Keith Olbermann thread because of the travel!
Shez @
26
Ooooooooh. That would be great. I think.
Did you expect anything different? He’s a celebrity, this is a public forum (quotable), and those are his co workers
You forgot the spew warning! EvilDrPuma @ 22
A number of readers have written in to ask what if any effective response there is to these robocalls we’ve been writing about.
First, let’s address our definitions. Automated political campaign calls are a staple of modern politics. Both sides put in millions of them every election year. That’s because they’re very cheap, fairly effective and they get less scrutiny than ‘public’ ads on tv and radio.
To the extent that’s what we’re talking about, there’s nothing ‘to do’ about them any more than there is anything to do about nasty or unfair 30 second tv spots.
What we’re talking about is something a bit different. What we’re seeing is an apparent coordinated effort from the NRCC — the House GOP committee — to place calls that appear to be from the local Democratic candidate and then automatically call the same number back as many as seven or eight times each time the caller hang-ups. If the caller listens to the whole message it goes on to bash the Democratic candidate. But if the caller hangs up prematurely, the computer calls right back. Hang-ups are the achilles heal of robo-calls. So this seems to be an attempt to cover for that weakness by making those who hang up think the Democratic candidate is basically harassing them with phone calls. The GOP wins either way.
What is there to do about it. As described, the calls appear to be in violation of federal regulations which mandate that these calls clearly identify their origin. The repetitive call back may also be a violation in different states. The New Hampshire AG apparently just intervened to force the NRCC to stop the calls in that state. But frankly, none of that matters. Because the folks placing the calls factor in the price of whatever fines might be meted out after the election when the damage is already done.
Truthfully, I don’t think there’s really much to do but publicize it and then get out and vote.
A lot of these races remain inside the MOE, the margin of error. And that means the MOT, the margin of theft. If Dems want to pick up seats on Tuesday they’ll have to get a lot of these races out of the MOT. Because as long as they’re inside, the Republicans can still grab them with a mix of voter suppression, dirty tricks and election fraud.
– Josh Marshall
THIS IS WORKING_WE NEED TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT THERE_NOW
TeddySanFran — OMG. All of them set off alarms. Yeesh.
Lindy @
24
Thanks Lindy… It was a lot of fun. Sitting at a kitchen table at 11 oclock at night on my birthday interviewing Charlie and Paul was a blast. I gotta get back to editing my interview with Charlie. It’s longer and won’t fit on YouTube so I’ll probably get it up to Google or iFilm.
Another great MikeinCT video.
…and thanks for sending TRex to CT!
Yeah Rayne, had I a sister who was dating any of those lads, I’d have to say to her, “uhhhh….”
spazeboy !!
EvilDrPuma @
22
Link, please? Can’t find it.
Rayne @ 37
Amy: So what do you think of that guy by the bar?
Leela: I don’t know. Maybe.
Bender: Forget it! He’s gay.
Leela: What? How can you tell?
Bender: I just know these things. I’ve got what they call ‘gaydar.’
Leela: There’s no such thing.
Bender: No?
(Bender pulls a device with an antenna dish out of his torso compartment)
….Ok, I’ve got a lock on him.
(The gaydar machine beeps)
Yep, he’s gay!
Amy: Are you sure?
Bender: Definitely! Unless I’m getting interference from a gay weather balloon.
Colleen daily luker @ 35
Some things are worth a spit take.
TRex @
42
Heh. He is our hero, isn’t he?
TRex @ 42
Read ‘em and spew.
Weren’t y’all proud of me for not getting on my trannie soapbox during the KO thread? Such self-restraint….
Teddy — yah, was thinking along the same lines. I’ve never worked in a company that looked so cohesively, consistently, umm, homogenous in appearance, a little too scrubbed for lack of a better word. I’ve worked for an insurance firm that was 75% Catholic, female and white, but there was still an enormous diversity in that population by comparison.
Enough with the Lieberman obsession right now guys. You need to jump on the robo-calling story like right now (if you don’t know what I’m talking about visit Josh or Kos). We have like a twelve hour window to fight back against what might be the most repugnant, anti-democratic tactics of my lifetime. My God, we thought Nixon was bad?
egregious @
7
Wow is all I can say. Lately I feel like I am always on catch-up!
TeddySanFran @ 48
Yes! Fortunately it did not last long.
omigod- that is a great video.
If any laywers out there need something to illustrate “stalking by phone”, this would be it.
ruffian @ 36
I ran into an extremely irate former Dem supporter while canvassing today. It was exactly this “robo-harrassing” by the RNC. One voter has volunteered to sue the RNC. This problem definitely needs to get out there to the Dem boots on the ground.
Wilbur @ 50
Hey Wilbur, new around here aren’t you? Stick around, and you will learn (as we all have) that the blogmistresses at the ‘lake don’t take kindly to orders with regard to what to talk, post, or comment about. It’s great to know that other blogs are on this illegality, and I’m sure they are where you’ll find the action….
Wilbur @ 50
Uh, Wilbur, you will find that there’s no faster way to get your cause ignored (and possibly opendly ridiculed) around here than to come in and start telling people what they need to think and talk about.
Unplugged my phone weeks ago.
HI TREX!
TeddySanFran @ 55
Hey Wilbur, new around here aren’t you? Stick around, and you will learn (as we all have) that the blogmistresses at the ‘lake don’t take kindly to orders with regard to what to talk, post, or comment about. It’s great to know that other blogs are on this illegality, and I’m sure they are where you’ll find the action….
I’m glad I let you come up with a kinder, gentler STFU than I would have bothered with.
Both Digby and Glenn Greenwald have had some nice posts up recently concerning yet more neocons (Perle, Adelman, Ledeen) who have waken up and realized that they were never for the war in the Iraq. Rats meet sinking ship.
Wilbur @ 50
THANK YOU_BIG TIME NOW
Hugh @ 60
Oh, the rats are swimming, all right. Trouble is, they’re trying to take enough money with ‘em to buy a new boat. The moral of the story is, don’t take money from rats.
Quote of the week:
“There is no place in the Republican Party anymore for those who support the legal rights of homosexuals or the reproductive rights of women. The Big Tent has become the Big Top and the clowns have taken over.” (Judy Daniels, letter to the editor, Austin American-Statesman, Saturday, November 4th, 2006).
I agree. But the clowns who’ve subverted and poisoned the formerly staid and responsible Republican Party are Killer Klowns.
And as far as taxes, all the Killer Klowns leading the “culture of corruption” Republican Party have done is 1) shift the tax burden from the wealthy elitists to the working middle class and the working poor, 2) shift the tax burden from the federal level to state and local levels, and 3) shift the tax burden from today’s generation to the children of tomorrow.
And then when one combines this tax-burden-shift away from the wealthy greedmongers in our society to everyone else with Bush and the Republicans essentially making the Unied States a “debtor nation” in relation to Communist Red China, which is funding much of our growing national debt, then the only word that comes to mind is TREASON.
Thus, if we are to save our nation, taxes MUST be increased on the top 1 to 10 percent of wealthiest U.S. citizens…but I’m not holding my breath. Even though this would relieve much of the economic pressure forced on the working middle class and working poor, relieve the economic pressure on our nation’s state budgets and relieve the economic pressure on our nation’s children and grand-children.
Otherwise, kiss our democracy good-bye.
The Republicans have raped and plundered our nation’s treasury. Voters on November 7th can put a stop to this, but Democrats must be willing to put back some of what the Republicans stole, by immediately raising taxes on those who perpetrated this evil stunt on our society, or even seizing the assets of the criminals responsible for this.
The Republicans have become nothing more than a criminal gang running the White House and Congress…and ruining our beloved democratic nation.
And Joe Lieberman, a faux Democrat, is part of this criminal gang.
Vote Democrat on November 7th. Save our democracy.
TeddySanFran @ 58
Hey, Teddy!
I wonder what I’m going to write about tonight. Sooooooo much has happened over the last 48 hours.
And I’m so tired. Yeesh. I think tomorrow I’m going to be really, really lazy to get ready for Tuesday.
re: robocalls
http://murphyforcongress.org/index.php?id=375
~~~New Britain- Today, Chris Murphy, candidate for Congress in Connecticut’s Fifth District debunked the false claims which Nancy Johnson and her Washington allies have been making in this campaign, most recently in mailings and in robocalls. Meanwhile, Fifth District resident Aleta Wenger filed a complaint with the FCC because the robocalls appear to violate their regulations. Murphy demanded – again –an end to the relentless harassment of Fifth District voters by automated calls.~~~
Eureka Springs — heh. I found there are a few things that will nip the calls without interfering with my personal rights and contracted access to my phone line.
1) Do Not Call registry
2) Unlisted phone number
3) Minor Democratic Party official
No Repugs calling. Worth every cent of the unlisted number, too.
I keep thinking that there are some ‘X’ factors that will help Ned Lamont pull off a win.
First, Schlesinger surprised everyone with a strong performance in the debates, and the votes of people who found him appealing will come at Lieberman’s expense.
Second, some % of the Democratic voters are going to reflexively pull the lever for the candidate on the Democratic line (Ned).
Third, some % of the registered Republican voters are going to reflexively pull the lever for the Republican candidate, which hurts Lieberman.
Fourth, Lieberman is positioned at the bottom of the ballot under an obscure party name which is not familiar to voters. They will have to make a real effort to locate him on the ballot.
Fifth, Lamont’s ground operation is vastly superior to Lieberman’s.
All of these add up to some structural advantages for Lamont which might make the difference, regardless of the polls.
Really TRex, take as many shots at me as you like. It’s worth it if all the progressive communities can get organized around this robo-calling and at least make an attempt to do something against it. I won’t say I’ve been humiliated by better than you - I’ve read your stuff and its pretty good. But maybe just as good.
Hugh @
60
Wolcott piles on the dopes;
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott
So does the good Roger Ailes;
http://rogerailes.blogspot.com/
There’s not enough Purell to wash the blood of the hands of these complicit fcuks.
Rayne, the Do Not Call Registry specifically exempts political calls and calls from folks you do business with (like banks soliciting charge cards, etc.). I’ve gotten banks to stop by asking to be put on their “do not call” list, but I’m at a loss about what to do with the 5 or 6 calls a day from Odious Max Burns. At least Mr. Marion in Savannah answers the phone! I have e-mailed him asking him to stop. (God, I’m SO naive!)
Wilbur, first, Jane and Christy are not “guys.”
Second, apologize to Jane and Christy for the “obsession” remark about Lieberman4Lieberman. Have you looked at the YouTube for this post?
Third, you use “Spotlight” to send the Josh or Kos posts to the TM. Tell us which ones you have done, so we can hit those you haven’t. Wilbur, leading by example is not a “new” idea.
Wilbur @ 68
If you call that a “shot,” you have a thinner skin than most Republicans. Now run along and start your own blog where you can set the priorities any way you want them.
http://nedlamont.com/blog/2151.....dorses-ned
Danbury News-Times Endorses Ned
They endorsed Joe in the primary. It’s a good read:
As he pursued his national political ambitions, Lieberman too often ignored Connecticut. He also pursued policies that left longtime supporters on the sidelines, wondering about his judgment….
His unquestioning support of Bush administration policies on Iraq, even as American military casualties mounted and Iraq spiraled out of control toward civil war, was a failure of duty and he should be held accountable.
It took the Lamont challenge to get Lieberman back to Connecticut to explain some of the choices he has made in Washington….
The News-Times Editorial Board has twice endorsed Lieberman for election to the Senate, citing his experience, intelligence and hard work. The Editorial Board also endorsed Lieberman in the August primary. After he lost, the Editorial Board suggested he withdraw from the campaign.
In Tuesday’s election, the Editorial Board endorses Ned Lamont….
Lieberman dismisses Lamont as someone who wouldn’t be able to match his presence in the Senate. Lieberman summons the same attitude toward voters who disagree with him on the war.
The problem for Lieberman is that all of his experience, all of his knowledge, didn’t help him recognize what the Bush war policies were doing and now American military personnel are in the middle of a civil war in Iraq.
If the most experienced members of Congress didn’t exercise oversight responsibilities on Iraq, have they really earned re-election?
Wilbur @ 68
I was just telling you that your tone isn’t doing your cause any favors.
children-play nice. There are many issues we need to deal with and this is an important one.
Wilbur @ 68
Wilbur, a large part of the reason FDL isn’t on more on top of this is because so many people are “engaged” in various campaigns. I appreciate you bringing this to everyone’s attention. It’s the manner in which you did it that pissed everybody off. Instead of ordering Jane and Christy around like you paid them, you could have asked what you could do to help.
How about starting with a link to the Kos and Josh posts you mentioned. Is this going on in every election or just a few, like MO, VA, TN?
The more we know, the more we can focus our resources, which are depleted, because so many are out working.
Rayne @ 66
I am on the do not call registry. I have an unlisted phone number. Yesterday I got 16 yes 16 robocalls.
Hey, so, flame me, but Wilbur has a good point, in general. The problem is with the presentation- i.e. YOU NEED TO DO THIS NOW.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed, Wilbur, but it is not the most pressing issue right now. GOTV is the most pressing thing. But, I have been reading about robocalls in CT, and there are other stories out there, and I hope that this is an issue that can be addressed- later. People in CT were truly pissed off by the volume of robocalls way back at Primary time.
How can I copy that video to send to my friends?
karen allen @ 79
Karen- this is the You Tube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....#038;eurl=
you can send that around
Politicians are exempt from the “do not call” list. I will try to find the link.
TPM is down for some reason but here’s the synopsis about robocalls. You complain to the FEC, and after Tuesday it’s settled, and that’s the point. The damage is done.
Shez @ 17
I wonder whether it would be worth disabling the “quoting” feature for Tuesday evening. . . . .
Hey Oddball, you still here?
Nate @
1
You did GREAT Nate! And clearly Paul’s a handfull. ;~D
The robocalls are swaying people from Massa to Kuhl.
This is not a nextr week issue-this is part of the GOTV issue. Sorry if I am in monority and if you don’t agree fine but I am seeing a race that we should have slipping away and its making me a bit nuts
Coz, I haven’t given up hope that we can get at least some local news outlets to broadcast that these are GOP calls made to appear as though they are coming from Democrats. I know it’s a longshot, akin to the Demon Deacons leading the ACC in football.
Cozumel @ 82
Yeah, but spotlighting the info to news sources may get it into the papers by Monday afternoon. If people know that it’s not the Dem candidates doing this, but an RNCC campaign, it changes people’s minds, especially if it goes to local TV stations.
We know that none of the election dirty tricks coming up at the last minute are going to be decided by the FEC in hours, but getting some notice of them out is essential. Not much time to make it backfire on the RNCC, and getting the story to the media may make it do that.
Valley Girl: That link doesn’t seem to work.
John Casper @ 71
Hi John, I didn’t know you can spotlight a TPM post.
Rayne - I have a lot of company (folks from the city during the fall season, so I love to flip them out with the very idea of no phone.*g* You should see all of the folks who will walk a mile for a cel signal! When I plug in the phone it takes about ten minutes for unidentified (auto?) caller to appear on my id! My number has always been unlisted for sixty bucks a year. When I get sat internet, att/ nsa can kiss my arse.
Cozumel @ 82
Yeah, it’s late now. However, if we all screech like Banshees about it, particularly after the new Congress is seated, we might be able to get something done in time for 2008 when it will be even MORE important. Scream. Scream loudly, but politely. And don’t stop until we see some action from the FEC or the FCC or whichever bowl of alphabet soup should be the target.
John Casper @ 87
Good point, John ; )
moeman #69,
Thanks for those links re Iraq and the fleeing neocons. I especially like Ailes’s title: Success Has A Thousand Fathers, Failure Just Has These Bastards.
heres some of the TPM stuff
This is also happening in Eric Massa’s district race against Randy Kuhl.
Harrassing and continous robo calling pretending to be from Massa.
November 05, 2006 — 01:33 PM EST // link)
More GOP dirty phone tricks in New Hampshire, scene of the 2002 phone-jamming incident that led to criminal prosecutions of Republican operatives:
For the second straight day yesterday, Democratic field offices received dozens of phone calls and e-mails from frustrated voters upset about repeated automated phone calls they thought were coming from Democratic candidate Paul Hodes - though the calls were paid for by a Republican group instead.
The National Republican Congressional Committee spent nearly $20,000 on the calls last week. Depending on the rate, that could mean more than 300,000 automated phone calls into the Second Congressional District.
Incumbent Republican Congressman Charlie Bass denounced the calls yesterday and said he tried to get the NRCC to put a stop to them. But a spokesman for the NRCC said the automated phone calls would continue indefinitely.
“The calls will continue as planned,” said Alex Burgos, a spokesman for the NRCC, the national group charged with electing Republicans to the House. “They are done independently of Charlie Bass’s campaign. He has nothing to do with them.”
The only surprising thing here is that the NRCC has essentially admitted this is one of its tricks. We have a report that a similar effort is underway in the New York 19th Congressional District, where Democrat John Hall is trying to unseat Republican Sue Kelly.
November 05, 2006 — 02:49 PM EST // link)
More on what we’re hearing about GOP dirty phone tricks in the New York 19th Congressional District.
Three TPM readers have reported a phone scam with a double whammy. The call purports to be for John Hall, the Democratic challenger, but makes negative assertions about Hall. If the caller hangs up, they are called again and again, as many as seven times, according to one report.
So either the recipient hears a negative message about Hall, or they think Hall is harrassing them with repeated phone calls. Either way it’s a win for Hall’s opponent, Republican incumbent Sue Kelly.
If you’re in the NY-19, let us know what you’re hearing.
– TPM Reader DK
November 05, 2006 — 03:40 PM EST // link)
We’re getting reports from a number of congressional districts that one or another of the GOP committees is sponsoring robocalls that begin with “I’m calling with information about [fill in name of Democratic candidate].” Apparently, many voters, irate with the flood of calls, assume that the Democrat is the one sponsoring the call.
In addition to the New Hampshire 2nd and New York 19th, which we covered below, TPM readers report such calls in the Illinos 6th (Roskam v. Duckworth), Illinois 8th (McSweeney v. Bean), and California 4th (Doolittle v. Brown). However, we do not have reports from those district of repeated callbacks after the recipient hangs up, as has been reported in the New York 19th.
– TPM Reader DK
(November 05, 2006 — 05:37 PM EST // link)
More from NY-19 on the robo-calls from TPM Reader VO …
I was handing out leaflets for John Hall yesterday at a grocery store. There were two tables, a democratic one and a Republican one.
When I was handing out palm cards, several people said to me something like, “I WAS going to vote for John Hall, until I got all those phone calls. I got seven or eight, right at dinner time.”
The guy from the Republican table, who was a local district leader– friendly and chatty, actually came over to me and said, “You know, most of those are coming from Sue’s office, but don’t tell anybody.”
I don’t know how high his connections are to the Kelly campaign, but that’s the information he volunteered.
– Josh Marshall
November 05, 2006 — 05:48 PM EST // link)
More of the scam calls from the NRCC, from TPM Reader PS …
I was canvassing in Stamford, CT for Lamont and Farrel yesterday… some of the canvassers were talking about a nasty robocall hit on Farrell, which they said people at the doors had talked about. I didn’t hear that at the door personally, but I wasn’t focusing on the congressional race - i was talking about Lamont primarily.
Apparently the call starts with something along the lines of “Diane Farrell has some information for you,” then pauses, waiting for annoyed people to hang up, and then delivers a negative message about Farrell. The canvassers say the call has hit some people as much as 6 times, and at 5 - 6am as well. Presumably, the intent is to annoy people and stick Farrell with the negative name ID as somebody who keeps robo-calling them.
We won’t be able to get to the bottom of this operation until after Tuesday, which is the point. They’ll happily pay the fines for breaking the federal regs on misidentifying calls.
– Josh Marshall
AP: Republicans Heart Robo Calls
By Paul Kiel - November 1, 2006, 11:14 AM
From the Associated Press:
In at least 53 competitive House races, the National Republican Campaign Committee has launched hundreds of thousands of automated telephone calls, known as “robo calls.”….
Bruce Jacobson, a software engineer from Ardmore, Pa., received three prerecorded messages in four hours. Each began, “Hello, I’m calling with information about Lois Murphy,” the Democrat running against two-term incumbent Rep. Jim Gerlach in the Philadelphia-area district.
“Basically, they go on to slam Lois,” said Jacobson, who has filed a complaint with the FCC because the source of the call isn’t immediately known.
FCC rules say all prerecorded messages must “at the beginning of the message, state clearly the identity of the business, individual, or other entity that is responsible for initiating the call.” During or after the message, they must give the telephone number of the caller.
“The way they’re sent is deceptive. The number of calls is harassing. The way her stances are presented in these stories is deliberately misleading and deceptive,” said Karlyn Messinger, another Murphy supporter from Penn Valley, Pa., who filed a complaint with the FCC.
NRCC spokesman Ed Patru denied any illegal intent.
“All of our political calls are in compliance with the law,” Patru said.
Not so, said the Democrats.
“They are violating the regulations that were set up,” said Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who said the DCCC employed one robocall this cycle and paid $500 for it.
Keep in mind that these robo calls sound far less nasty than the push polls going out from the independent conservative attack groups.
Permalink | TOPICS
TPM is working for me.
TRex!
This is an electric piece at You Tube- ned opening New Haven rally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....#038;eurl=
Investigators: Political Phone Messages May Be Illegal In N.H.
(November 05, 2006 — 07:04 PM EDT)
From Josh:
Bold is mine.
karen allen @ 89
Karen- it works for me- I clicked on it in my comment. Browser issue?