NYT/AP: National Republican Campaign Committee Launches Automated Calls

[DeepModem Mom]

GOP Campaign Panel Launch Automated Calls
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 1, 2006

....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.''

Such calls have sparked a handful of complaints to the FCC and underscore the usefulness of the inexpensive -- and sometimes overwhelming -- political tool.

''As much as people complain about getting automated calls and saying they don't work, every politician is doing them,'' said Jerry Dorchuck, whose Pennsylvania-based Political Marketing International will make about 200,000 such phone calls each hour for mostly Democratic candidates. ''Targeted calls play a key in very close races.''

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....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Robo-Calls.html

[WCGreen]

1. We got three from Dem's....

This is part of the GOTV, BTW....

These recorded calls...

[fasttense]

2. I've been getting these robo calls from the repukes for weeks

This article makes it sound like it is something new. The media hyping the Rove strategy to keep democratic voters in their place.

[ecdab]

3. GOP launches 'robocall' campaign attack

In at least 53 competitive House races, the National Republican Campaign Committee has launched hundreds of thousands of automated telephone calls, known as "robocalls."

...

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 (news, bio, voting record) 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.

...

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061101/ap_on_el_ge/robo_calls_2

Ah, the latest means that GOP has to get people to stay home on election day; call them late at night and pretend to be your opponent. Disgraceful.


Edited to match headline

[Greeby]

4. I know you mean well, but LBN rules require your subject line

match the headline

[bluestateguy]

5. Has anybody ever made up their mind on who to vote for based on a phone call?

I question whether anyone who does should even be allowed to vote.

[brentspeak]

6. The GOP and the Club for Growth did this in NJ in 2002

"This is a call concerning Ann Sumers (the Democratic candidate for NJ's 5th Congressional District)...Did you know that Ann Sumers voted FIVE TIMES to raise your taxes?..."

Actually, she couldn't have voted even once to raise anybody's taxes -- she had never been in politics before. But that didn't stop the Club for Growth and the GOP to spam the district's households with robo-call after robo-call of anonymous smears on behalf of Republican candidate (and slimeball) Scott Garrett.

[Robb]

7. I got a call in the last cycle

...saying it was from "my local union leader," and telling me to remember to vote on Wednesday. :eyes:

[zalinda]

8. I've gotten 2 robo calls this election cycle that I know of

I hate robo calls. If I hear a click right after I've said hello, I hang up. So, I could have been getting them all along, but 2 made it to my answering machine.

zalinda

[MeDeMax]

9. this could be deadly for Heath's campaign

he was featured in an election series on CNN.

Heath Schuler is a great guy, but this could destroy his campaign.

rove-at-large

[Tesha]

10. These come in as "Unknown" on our Caller-ID

Is that illegal for political calls? Or is the RNCC
a "nonprofit" that's elligible to make masked calls?

Tesha

[brentspeak]

11. Shouldn't the anonymous robo-calls be considered crank-calls?

And crank-calls are a felony.

[PinkyisBlue]

12. We have had two of these automated calls (that we know of) and both were from

Republican candidates distorting the records of their Democratic opponents. Will the lies and smears never stop?