Calls bashing governor (Granholm) infuriate -- DeVos says "Who, me?"

[Bozita]

Have they no shame?

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NE...

Published: October 20. 2006 3:00AM


Calls bashing governor infuriate
DeVos camp says it's not involved
October 20, 2006

BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Some Michiganders were angry Thursday about recorded phone messages slamming Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

One, which appears to have been mostly received on Wednesday, used slightly vulgar language and triggered dozens of angry follow-up phone calls to the campaign of Granholm's challenger, Dick DeVos, and the Michigan Republican Party. Both said they had nothing to do with it and don't know who did.

The offending recording is of a woman's voice criticizing Granholm for "empty promises" and ends with the woman exclaiming, "Frankly, I'm pissed."

The message closes with: "This message is brought to you by Michigan Working Families."

more...

[Hidden Stillness]

1. Yay--People are Offended at This Filth!

This was the latest of a long line of disgusting, as-offensive-as-DeVos phone messages I have gotten, this past Wednesday, which is what the article is referring to; it is by no stretch the only one; there have been many sickening DeVos phone messages, not just one or two:

"Wow...So first we find out that Granholm makes empty promises to autoworkers, and then today, Jennifer Granholm's campaign says on WJR radio that they have no regrets for supporting NAFTA. Frankly, I'm PISSED at watching another politician lie to us, and do nothing to help us. This November, I'm voting for a change--I'm firing Granholm and voting for MY job. This message brought to you by Michigan Working Families."

I am so glad to read this thread, that people are offended at the calls and know who to trace them to. This is what the Government of Michigan itself will be, if you vote for DeVos. The operative actually says, with emphasis--during a POLITICAL CAMPAIGN call--"I'm PISSED"....Unbelievable; "Have they no shame?" Is this supposed to be like "us igrnorant, foul-mouthed middle-class people?" Disgusting. Apart from the insanity of voting for "deregulating, outsourcing, pay-no-taxes global-capitalist DeVos" for "YOUR JOB" (???), the total lie of not even admitting all that Granholm has done to attract businesses from around the world to move to Michigan, is really offensive. DEVOS--DO OR SAY ANYTHING TO WIN.

[maddogesq]

2. My mom got so mad at an Aldo bashing robo call that...

she almost pulled the phone out of the wall. Aldo laughed when I told him about it at the campaign office this morning because the call said he was "too old" and shouldn't be allowed to run again. He thought it was funny they would try this kind of crap on senior citizens like my mom. Talk about backfire!

[TahitiNut]

3. There's 'negative' and there's NEGATIVE.

If these robocalls were coming from a left-wing candidate, I'd rethink my vote. They're that bad. It's one thing to cite the opposition candidate's stances and criticize them. It's quite another to engage in purely demeaning and vicious name-calling or smarmy character assassination.

Where there's a common understanding and history of discussion regarding the stances of a candidate, I have no compunction about name-calling because the reasons are clear. Without such a basis, however, it's sheerly mean-spirited. Even further, it's important to recognize the possibly laudable objective of an ill-chosen stance even when slamming that stance for generating more harm than good. Absolutely nothing in the robocalls pay homage to such principles of fair-mindedness. As such, they insult the audience. When they target MY phone with such garbage, they're INSULTING me. That's a fatal error, imho. I can't imagine they're actually helping the DeVos campaign - addressing their 'base' and repelling the truly undecided far more than attracting them.

If there's anything to be concerned about, it's that they're suppressing the mushy middle ... serving the "I don't bother to vote - they're all bottom-feeders" rationale of the politically slothful. In terms of "energizing a base" ... I think the rage they generate will energize the left far more than the right.