Politics calling: How do you like those nasty telephone calls

[nlm]

I have a place in NC-11, and when I'm there I've been getting this crap non-stop from Charlie Taylor, at all freaking hours of the day - and you have to listen to the whole damn thing to find out it's Taylor as opposed to Shuler that is calling to wake you up and piss you off. Calling folks late at night and pretending to be somebody else is just a damn crank call, and when that somebody else is your political opponent - it's just disgraceful. The GOP has hit rock bottom with this BS. If the GOP (and I should limit this to Taylor, but the article indicates it's happening else where as well, though I have no 1st hand knowledge of it) is willing to use tactics like this, nothing is too low for them.

Politics calling: How do you like those nasty telephone calls from the campaigns?

by Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer
published November 1, 2006 6:14 am

WASHINGTON – Press one if you think they're dirty tricks. Press two if you think prerecorded telephone messages are devastatingly effective, especially during the final days of a close campaign.

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."

.........

They can single out single women, absentee voters, independents and party faithful with tailored messages, but they also can frustrate voters. Sometimes, the latter is their goal.

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.

.........

"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.

"I think the real point here is that the Republicans are using a desperate campaign tactic that is misleading, at worst violating the law and at best is a page out of Karl Rove's playbook," Psaki said. "They clearly are attempting to mislead voters."

Democrats argued that that's the strategy.

"Because they are getting so many, they are only listening to the first part of the message," said Amy Bonitatibus, a Murphy spokeswoman. "They're hoping to turn off our base. ... These are pretty much dirty tricks by the Republican Party."

The NRCC, the GOP campaign arm for House candidates, has spent $2.1 million on such automated calls nationwide. In Illinois, at least three versions of a phone message target Tammy Duckworth, the Democrat in a tight Chicago-area race, and her positions on taxes, Social Security and immigrants.

.......

In North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, Republicans are going after challenger Heath Shuler, whose campaign said the calls are coming as late as 2:30 a.m.

"Calling people up, making people think it's me when it's actually them — it's acts of desperation. ... I think it's part of the corruption in Washington," Shuler said.

That campaign funded two robocalls during the primary but isn't looking to use any more.

"You can't combat a bad robocall message with another robocall message," said Shuler spokesman Andrew Whalen.

It's not just the campaign committees. Outside groups also are joining the fracas. Common Sense, a nonprofit group based in Ohio, has expanded to four other states to help conservative candidates this cycle.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/NEWS/61101011&SearchID=73261760668623

[David S]

I e-mailed DeVos' campaign to say I was not going to vote for him because of those annoying calls.

[nlm]

I e-mailed DeVos' campaign to say I was not going to vote for him because of those annoying calls.

I hope a great many more people do something similar to the politicians that spam us with robocalls. Maybe these punks would stop bothering us if we did.

[The Dowager Mod]

I havn't gotten any phone calls but my mail box is crammed full of crap every day.

[J. J.]

I've gotten at least 4 emails a day from Swann or Santorum.  I've had robocalls from Clinton, big deal.

[Beet]

Has anyone got calls from real people?

[Alcon]

Robert Redford called me today to tell me to vote yes on an environmental initiative.

[Beet]

Robert Redford called me today to tell me to vote yes on an environmental initiative.

ROBERT REDFORD CALLED YOU??!? OMG UR FAMOUS!!! OMG

[WMS]

I havn't gotten any phone calls but my mail box is crammed full of crap every day.

You're in a safe district. You only think your mail box is crammed full of crap. You should see mine.

[Michael Z]

I'm tempted to say "Thank God it isn't like that over here", but just give it another five to ten years.

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.

So, in other words, people who are running to be elected as law-makers are circumventing the law in order to achieve this goal. Interesting....

[The Dowager Mod]

I havn't gotten any phone calls but my mail box is crammed full of crap every day.

You're in a safe district. You only think your mail box is crammed full of crap. You should see mine.

Most of mine is for the really nasty legislature race. "vote for the democrat and dead babies will line the streets"

[WMS]

I havn't gotten any phone calls but my mail box is crammed full of crap every day.

You're in a safe district. You only think your mail box is crammed full of crap. You should see mine.

Most of mine is for the really nasty legislature race. "vote for the democrat and dead babies will line the streets"

You're in Tammy Baldwin's district. There can't be anyone further right than Barbara Boxer in it. How could there possibly be a competitive race there?

Make one guess what race has produced most of my mail.

[The Dowager Mod]

Well somehow a wing nut got elected here twice, but it looks like shes gonna lose this time, because of her votes on gay marriage which was silly in this particular area.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'm tempted to say "Thank God it isn't like that over here", but just give it another five to ten years.

Could only get that bad if candidates were allowed to spend more than the 10,000 or so during elections they're currently allowed to; bearing in mind the current political climate that seems unlikely (*crosses fingers*).

O/c, it does get that bad in by-elections (where the campaign expenditure limit is a stupidly high £100,000) these days...

[WMS]

Well somehow a wing nut got elected here twice, but it looks like shes gonna lose this time, because of her votes on gay marriage which was silly in this particular area.

Hmm, an anti-gay marriage candidate in the district of the only open lesbian in Congress...yeah, I can see that being a slight problem.

[Platypus]

We got a couple of calls from the Citizen's Electoral Council last election, but that was all. The worst problem for us is the bloody Indian callcenters.

[Bacon King]

The only robocall's I've gotten were from Newt Gingrich, encouraging me to 'fight for American values' and give money to the Republican Party.

Back in the primaries, though, I did get a real call from someone for the Cagle campaign.

[MODU]

Sounds like a cry-baby article.  You know, if you look at your caller ID, and there is no name and/or phone number listed, just don't answer it.  And, if you don't have caller ID (which means you are more technologically backwards than this old man), just pick up the phone and say hello only once.  If there is no response, or you hear the computer click on the other end, just hang up.  It's not rocket science, and it's not a big inconvenience.

Now, the door-to-door campaigners on the other hand really piss me off.  I moved out into nowheres-ville in order to get away from people, and not to have campaign volunteers or petitioners coming by and knocking on my door.  Normally, when I open the door and they say "Hello, I ______, and I'm here representing (insert some person/group name)..." I say "Oh, isn't that nice.  Take care" and close the door. 

[nlm]

Sounds like a cry-baby article.  You know, if you look at your caller ID, and there is no name and/or phone number listed, just don't answer it.  And, if you don't have caller ID (which means you are more technologically backwards than this old man), just pick up the phone and say hello only once.  If there is no response, or you hear the computer click on the other end, just hang up.  It's not rocket science, and it's not a big inconvenience.

Get 3 robocalls like this in one night, all after you've gone to bed - and then repeat your cry-baby line. I think you might find it to be a bit of an inconvenience. Oh, yes - caller ID only works if you are awake to look - of course, after the phone rings for a bit - you will be, and most likely pissed off enough to find out who the unknown caller is. Which the GOP is introducing as their opponent - swell.

Sound good to you MODU.

[MODU]

Sounds like a cry-baby article.  You know, if you look at your caller ID, and there is no name and/or phone number listed, just don't answer it.  And, if you don't have caller ID (which means you are more technologically backwards than this old man), just pick up the phone and say hello only once.  If there is no response, or you hear the computer click on the other end, just hang up.  It's not rocket science, and it's not a big inconvenience.

Get 3 robocalls like this in one night, all after you've gone to bed - and then repeat your cry-baby line.

You are making it sound as if I never get calls at night.  Just learn to ignore them.  It's not hard.  The first step would be to put a cordless phone with a caller ID display in your bedroom (if you need one in your room to begin with).  If it is no one you know and not the hospital/police, just answer and hang up real quick.  Or, be like me turn off the ringer at night. 

[nlm]

Sounds like a cry-baby article.  You know, if you look at your caller ID, and there is no name and/or phone number listed, just don't answer it.  And, if you don't have caller ID (which means you are more technologically backwards than this old man), just pick up the phone and say hello only once.  If there is no response, or you hear the computer click on the other end, just hang up.  It's not rocket science, and it's not a big inconvenience.

Get 3 robocalls like this in one night, all after you've gone to bed - and then repeat your cry-baby line.

You are making it sound as if I never get calls at night.  Just learn to ignore them.  It's not hard.  The first step would be to put a cordless phone with a caller ID display in your bedroom (if you need one in your room to begin with).  If it is no one you know and not the hospital/police, just answer and hang up real quick.  Or, be like me turn off the ringer at night. 

1- I still work, so I have to get up in the morning.
2- I have kids in college, so no, I can not turn off my phone at night - and if I get a call - I have to look at it to see if one of my children is involved.
3- I, like many people. have a hard time getting back to sleep once I'm awakened.
4- A politician or a political organization that is running a campaign to disturb people at night in order to create misplaced anger at their opponents has no place in this country. It's dirty and it's beyond disrespectful to the voting public.

That you would even remotely defend a practice like this is unbelievable.

[MODU]

I never said I defended the practice of robo-calling.  I'm just saying that the article sounded like a cry-baby piece, and normal people have ways to ignore the calls and live their lives in peace.  For your kids, put your cell phone in your room at night and have them call that line if it is an emergency.  Politicians will not be dialing it.  That is what I had my security personnel and instructors do back when I was managing the campus.  It's an unlisted number, so no one will be calling it at random.  That will solve all your night-time issues right there.

[nlm]

I never said I defended the practice of robo-calling.  I'm just saying that the article sounded like a cry-baby piece, and normal people have ways to ignore the calls and live their lives in peace.  For your kids, put your cell phone in your room at night and have them call that line if it is an emergency.  Politicians will not be dialing it.  That is what I had my security personnel and instructors do back when I was managing the campus.  It's an unlisted number, so no one will be calling it at random.  That will solve all your night-time issues right there.

Christ MODU, what the.......

Politicians playing dirty tricks like this should be shamed into stopping - not accomadated by changing our lives. This is the GOP's doing - they should be made to stop - pure and simple.

Anyhow, my primary residence isn't in NC-11. I was just down there for a long weekend. So I'm sleeping soundly again, even if other folks around the country are not - thanks to the GOP.

[MODU]

Breathe in . . . Breathe out . . .

I'm just advising you on how to get around it.  It's not that big of a deal.  There isn't anything you can do right now to get them to stop calling, so just be proactive and take practical measures to get around it.  It's not that hard.  If you don't want the free advise, that's fine.  Just calm down.

[nlm]

 There isn't anything you can do right now to get them to stop calling

Ah, but there are things I can do to stop it from becoming a common practice and see the scum bag that made the calls go down. I can raise awareness of how shamelessly Charlie Taylor is running his campaign - and in doing so, hopefully see that such disgraceful tactics are not rewarded with victory. I hadn't raised a finger for his opponent (it's not the district I vote in or spend most of my time in) up until this point. He just picked up some serious cash to get the word out about this.