Democrats Send Cease-and-desist Letter to Republican Congressional Committee over Automated Phone

[sabra]

http://abcnews.go.com/

Breaking News DEMOCRATS SEND CEASE-AND-DESIST LETTER TO REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE OVER AUTOMATED PHONE CALLS TO VOTERS

[Hav]

1. .

But the damage is probably done. They might get fined after the election. But then everything is over anyways.

[tridim]

5. It's pretty obvious this needs to be a felony

with a mandatory minimum sentence.

[blondeatlast]

2. Please fix the link, thanks.

That link goes straight to the headlines page, not the story.

[Elidor]

4. It's just a headline at the top of the page

No story posted yet that I can see. It's breaking.

[blondeatlast]

6. Aha-thanks.

I'm trying to keep Mr. BAL up-to-date from home (this is the first US Election he can vote in).

[geek tragedy]

3. Brilliant! A story about Republican dirty tricks for the evening news.

Suck on it, cheating mofos.

K&R

[goforit]

7. I've been getting at least 5 to 7 automated GOP calls a day! They suck too!

[LiberalFighter]

33. Should had left the phone off the hook a few minutes longer after

they hung up. Last I knew the other party won't be able to make another phone call until you hang up. Maybe it has changed.

[fasttense]

38. I got 12 robo calls in one day here in TN

I took the phone and let it sit the last time I got the call. I waited until I got the loud blair noise before hanging it back up. I haven't got a call since.

[blondeatlast]

8. Kick--the duped thread is above this one.

Not cool.

[Maddy McCall]

9. Thanks, BAL.

:thumbsup:

:kick:

[Maddy McCall]

10. I have been polled once...

but no robocalls yet.

I doubt I get any down here in Lott land.

[Elidor]

11. The story is up-LINK

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2006/11/stop_illegal_ro.html

ABC News' Ellen Davis Reports: Bob Bauer, General Counsel for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a cease and desist letter to Don McGahn, General Counsel of the National Republican Campaign Committee requesting a stop to what he alleges is an illegal form of random calling of voter's residences using recorded political messages, often known as 'Robo-calling'.

The letter states: "The NRCC calls do no identify at the outset, and as required, that they are sponsored by the NRCC. These calls do no contain a telephone number. This failure to comply with the law denies callers effective sponsorship information. Without the benefit of a number, they are also unable to request that they not be called again. And we have received reports that individuals have been contacted multiple times by your prerecorded calls, despite their continued refusal to accept the calls."

Don McGahn, Council for the Republicans responded in this letter: "Thank you for your press release. Per your request, this is to let you know that there is no need for the NRCC to, in your words, bring its actitivities into compliance with Federal law, because NRCC acitivities are already in compliance with Federal Law.

[maryallen]

34. Hey, Bob: Unless you send it directly to ROVE,

You're wasting your time.

Rove is the trickster-in-chief and should have to pay the penalty accordingly.

[Zangal]

12. ABCNEWS Breaking! Dems send cease-and desist over robo-calls

DEMOCRATS SEND CEASE-AND-DESIST LETTER TO REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE OVER AUTOMATED PHONE CALLS TO VOTERS

[babylonsister]

13. Yeah, baby! nt

[nradisic]

14. Thank you Dr. Dean

For giving Democrats a spinal transplant! That's the ya to handle the scum!

[eleny]

15. K&R, baby!

[central scrutinizer]

16. get the news of the dirty tricks out there TODAY

[Zangal]

17. sorry about all-caps

I just cut-n-pasted the banner headline for the link

[Zangal]

19. also

its just their "BREAKING NEWS OMG!" banner, no story yet, but now its gettin out big time. And not dribbly-news days later like in 2004

[Maddy McCall]

21. I think your thread title is wrong...they sent a c/d; they did not file one.

At least that's what I'm getting from the very brief headline at ABC.

Might want to change the thread title? When I first saw it, I thought that they had filed for a C/D order in court.

[Warpy]

18. THANK YOU!

Brad Blog broke one of the stories yesterday, with cease and desist orders being handed down in NM over RNC robo calls telling voters that their polling places had been changed, not only a typical dirty trick but clearly illegal.

If you didn't know we're facing a racketeering organization, you know it now.

May they all rot in prison.

[Maddy McCall]

20. Is there an article?

Is there an article anywhere?

[Zangal]

22. not yet, but we wait with belated breath.

Would suck to put up that big red banner and not see an article soon.

[Zangal]

23. Now on CNN!

They are running with the robo-call story, explaining it and playing one that's against Duckworth!

Yayayaya! It's got legs!

[blondeatlast]

24. Duped thread and here is an explanation of the lack of a story.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2600060

The original thread has the true headline--a DU courtesy AND rule.

[johnnyrocket]

25. These criminal shithead Republicans!!!!

All of them, 'moderate' and ALL need to be sent to jail, for a long, long time.

[blue2helix]

26. Just in Time for Local Evening News

This is great. Most Americans don't have cable, so having this hit the ABC, NBC, CBS news tonight is huuuuge!

[GreenPoet64]

27. k & r

[johnnyrocket]

31. Where's the big news media on this!??!?

Best I can find is Abcnews, but they squirreled it away in their political blog. WTF!!!!

[MODemocrat]

28. We received 8 calls on Sunday, touting Republican candidates

We're on the no calls national registry, but, it hasn't made any difference. We've received two
more today. I listen to their crap, but, my husband hangs up as soon as he finds out it's the
republicans. This is such a violation of my privacy, and it would not change my mind on who to
vote for. :grr: :grr: Republicans I'm not interested,leave me alone. :thumbsdown:

[cascadiance]

29. Political calls are exempted from no-call registry...

But it does seem like they should give you some way of "turning them off"!

[MODemocrat]

42. That sure stinks

I'm afraid not to answer my phone, for fear of an emergency, or something important. Well, it's
about over now, so maybe we'll all be able to rest.:headbang: :hi: :hi:

[MGKrebs]

30. Apparently the Repubs are already under a consent decree..

From Dean's letter the other day:

"As you know, the modified consent decree in the case of Democratic National Committee v. Republican Committee, C.A. No. 86-3972, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, entered on July 29, 1987, remains in effect. That decree, as you know, resulted from the RNC engaging in so-called "ballot security" programs targeted at challenging minority voters in African American and Hispanic communities.

That consent decree prohibits the RNC from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any "ballot security program," other than "normal poll watch functions""

Can't seem to locate the actual decree.

[MGKrebs]

36. It occurs to me that this judgment is against the RNC, but

most of the dirty tricks this time seem to be emanating from the RCCC. An attempt to avoid more serious punishment when caught? Or is there a little too much scrutiny of the RNC for them to pull it off?

[Zangal]

32. C&L has the CNN tidbit I mentioned earlier

Crooks & Liars

[FernBell]

35. k&r

[Cameron27]

37. The FBI

is investigating automated calls in VA. David Shuster reporting on MSNBC.

[Heidi]

39. Kick.

:kick:

[JMDEM]

40. Dems Claim GOP Launched Dirty Tricks Campaign

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2633458&page=1

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2006 — Voters around the country get the recorded messages — called robocalls — up to five times a day, telling them to vote for Republican and Democratic candidates in their region.

Charles Hartley of Streamwood, Ill., said he has been inundated with robocalls the last three weeks from both parties but hears mainly from Republican groups.

Hartley said he has received between 25 and 30 calls from the National Republican Congressional Committee in the last three weeks and as many as two to three calls a day from Republicans talking solely about Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat who is running for Congress.

Voter David Stone of Philadelphia said he gets the same amount of calls each day and shares Hartley's experience of hearing a Democrat's name repeated continually in a recording paid for by a Republican group.

"Mostly what I'm getting is calls from Republican organizations about Lois Murphy, the Democratic candidate . And you think the call is from Murphy and then they go on to spin the facts," Stone told ABC News.

[stepnw1f]

41. Republicans are Real Losers