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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Let’s not be the monsters we hate.
Only Democrats have agency, apparently.
Let there be snark.
The words do not have to be perfect.
Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.
Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.
Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.
Black Jesus loves a paper trail.
Accountability, motherfuckers.
The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.
We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.
White supremacy is terrorism.
Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.
In my day, never was longer.
Optimism opens the door to great things.
Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard
Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?
It’s the corruption, stupid.
Bark louder, little dog.
Nothing worth doing is easy.
Usually wrong but never in doubt
I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.
“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”
Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.
Steve
The audio of the robocall Josh Marshall posted isn’t particularly convincing to me. I mean, it takes them about two seconds to start attacking the Democratic candidate, there’s not even a pause or anything. I assume the other calls must be more blatant, from the fact that some Democratic offices are reporting scores of complaints.
neil
So what, Steve? I want to see this on the news tonight, dammit.
Punchy
Wow, I lost my phone Saturday nite. Looks like a phine time to be incommunicado.
How is this not election fraud? And if it is, how can the company doing it continue? Are you allowed to continue to break the law if it’s only election law, and it favors the incumbants?
I’da expected the kibosh on this by now.
matt
A lot of this has already made the news (cable news anyway). Apparently this is something “both sides” like because it’s relatively cost effective. And….that was about all.
teak111
Bilmon summarizes what I fear about this election. If something like robo calling can sway voters, my god, we are a pathetic nation. But Bilmon, it will be the least imtelligent folks and are motivated to vote GOP but such tactics and maybe it will work. Can you imagine people another two years of a GOP Congress? Don’t think the markets will like that.
Zifnab
Page 2043, Sec. 9, Line 3 of the US Penial Judical Code: “It is not technically illegal until you get caught.”
Besides, this is the only way to counter the prevading liberal bias. So something about turn-abouts, and fair play, and Bill Clinton doing it first. Yeah.
jcricket
robocalling sways the same people that are swayed (2-1) by racist ads about Howard Ford. They make up a sadly large percentage of the electorate.
Moreover, this kind of tactic, and the associated fines are simply “the cost of doing business” to Republicans. Similar to how Microsoft has figured out that a couple billion in payouts is worth it when you’ve profited by far large amounts due to your illegal monopoly.
demimondian
Sorry, matt. robocalls are legal, and used by both sides, but, um, no, illegal and fraudulent robocalls? That seems to be a purely Republican bit of vileness.
Punchy — it’s almost certainly not a violation of election law. Instead, it’s a violation of telecommunications law. You don’t want to mess with TCPA. Man, do you not want to mess with TCPA.
Zifnab
Normally, I’d agree with that statement. However, the goal of the robocalls isn’t to sway you to vote Republican, it’s to discourage you from voting in general. Dirty the process and make sure everyone smells like ass. Then, maybe, enough people will be so annoyed and offended they won’t go to the polls at all.
The Republican GOTV effort is two-pronged. I’ll bet good money that not a single voter on the GOP ‘targeted’ list is receiving harassing robocalls at 6am.
Punchy
If I knew what the hell “TCPA” is/was, I bet I’d avoid messing with them. I’m going to surmise it’s TeleCom Patriot Act, or TeleCom Protective Actionlaw, or even Tell Congresswhata Pieceofshitthis Administrationis.
fwiffo
Actually, in some cases these calls are illegal. In NH for instance, the NRCC was making robocalls to people on the do-not-call registry, which is illegal in that state. Also, robocalls are supposed to identify the caller or the person who paid for the call at the beginning of the call, which a lot of these calls fail to do. Some of the calls appear to be occuring early in the morning, which may be illegal. And the repeated calls, sometimes six or seven from some reports, could qualify as harrassment.
ThymeZone
It’s something Chinese restaurants put in their food to enhance flavor.
demimondian
That’s right Herb, TCPA is something Chinese restaurants put in their food to enhance…flavor. And, man, does it give you a headache if you screw up with it.
(For what it’s worth, TCPA == “telephone consumer protection act”. It one of those “Democratic People’s Republican” things — mostly, it was a giveaway to big phone, but there were a couple of pro-consumer things slipped in there about Do Not Call.)
ThymeZone
What’s good for corporations is good for Amurrica.
chopper
that recording doesn’t include the pauses. the call will start “i’m calling about supporting ppGaz.”
(long pause)
then go on about how he wants to kill puppies and put your sister in a sleeper hold.
most people hang up during the long pause, and end up getting called back like 7 times. thinking that it was his campaign harrassing the hell out of you.
Steve
What kind of recording doesn’t include pauses? Richard Nixon, call your office.
If the entire point we’re trying to make is that the calls include this dramatic pause… then we might want to publicize a recording that has a pause, rather than one that doesn’t. That’s all I’m saying.
ThymeZone
That’s how I start most of my calls.
cleek
we might want to publicize a recording that has a pause
i can only guess that people are posting the calls they’ve actually recorded, not the ones they haven’t…
demimondian
Remember, you go to court with the phone call you have, not the one you wish you had.
Zifnab
Tell you what, Steve. We’ll let an active judge decide.
Nikki
An activist judge, even.
Richard Bottoms
The NRCC is trying them against Duckworth too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJT4NAA9yB4
Pb
Steve,
My understanding is that voicemail services (and even some answering machines) often don’t include pauses.
Krista
Richard – that’s charming, isn’t it? Dirty tricks against an amputee war vet.
Then again, it’s not like this is new.
Sherard
Holy crap you guys are the biggest bunch of whiney pussies in HISTORY. Robocalling ? This is the big scandal of the day ? Are you KIDDING me ?
Not one post, but TWO ?
Wow what a bunch of babies.
Tulkinghorn
If the Republicreeps did not think the robocalling would work, would they try it?
Perry Como
Wow, what a bunch of shitstain Republicans. They have to use dirty tricks to win elections, because their record sure as hell won’t do it for them.
Sherard, can I get your phone number? If you don’t mind robocalling, I have a war dialer set up over here…
Randy
Sherard — if these guys can’t take robocalls, how can you expect them stand up to Kim Il Jong and Saddam Hussein?
Poor little baby waby wibwuls can’t take a little bogus information about where their polling places are. Poor little baby waby wibwuls can’t take it when black voters are taken off the roles in Florida. Poor little baby waby wibwuls can’t take it when the Diebold machines are hacked.
What a bunch of babies the moonbats are. There’s no such thing as a free election, you know.
Perry Como
Imagine what Liberals would do if gay Iranian hookers smoking crystal meth were trying to GOTV? What do you have then moonbats, huh?
Phoenician in a time of Romans
Punchy—it’s almost certainly not a violation of election law. Instead, it’s a violation of telecommunications law. You don’t want to mess with TCPA. Man, do you not want to mess with TCPA.
You do if your boy Bush is chief executive. Do you really think any Republican will be prosecuted for violating election law in the next two years?
Pb
Yes. The question is, how many pardons will Bush have to issue?
jcricket
While not a constitutional law expert, I fully expect to see Bush pull a “Governor of Tennessee” maneuver and just pre-emptively pardon everyone while they’re under indictment.
I suspect Bush will use all the extra ink he’s been saving from not issuing any vetoes to get that pardon pen working overtime.
Steve
Sadly, after Redstate ran 21 front-page stories on the John Kerry flap, your zinger is kinda out of zing.
searp
Robocalls for voter suppression may affect the election, but they are also damn sure to make the Republican party a lot poorer after the election. Lots of juicy fines.
Now pretend you are a big Republican contributor. Your party has just lost control of Congress, you are looking at two years worth of real bad news (facts, real, honest to God facts) coming out, and your mega-contribution was just used to pay … fines. Sure would make me want to pony up in ’08.
Are there discounts for fine pre-payment?
Anonymous Jim
Not the truly nefarious kind, but I got a robocall from Chuck Colson reminding me to vote for conservative values even if I am disgusted with the candidates. Always nice to have a convicted felon remind me to vote for “values”.
Zifnab
Very funny, ppGaz. Now quit your spoofing and go vote.
chopper
given that the NRCC may have just racked up tens of millions in fines due to state and federal law, if not more, i think it merits a post or two.
besides, as pointed out above, the john kerry flap got much more traction, even here.