Former Bush campaign official indicted for phone-jamming

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/12/13/former_bush_campaign_official_indicted_for_phone_jamming/

The former New England chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign pleaded innocent in federal court Monday to charges he helped jam Democrats' get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002.

James Tobin, 44, of Bangor, Maine, faces two criminal counts each of conspiring to make harassing telephone calls and aiding and abetting telephone harassment. The operation also involved a ride-to-the-polls phone line set up by the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union.

Tobin, who was northeast political director of the Republican Senatorial Committee at the time, was indicted Dec. 1 after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

Tobin is free on personal recognizance and prosecutors agreed he did not pose a flight risk or a danger to the public.

[Liberty Belle]

1. This is encouraging.

Particularly since the US Dept. of Justice, not a state agency, did the investigating. I'm amazed that the GOP-controlled Justice Department actually indicted one of its own.

[JMS825]

16. republicans killing their own

consider this guy a sacraficial lamb.....republicans took this guy cause he poses no serious threat to Bush so if he speaks out it will be like clarke...called a liar and pushed aside

[Zorra]

2. Has being a scumbag become a prerequisite for joining the republican

party?

Seems like a large relative percentage of republicans are morally and ethically bankrupt.

[tanyev]

6. Not a prerequisite

but it certainly moves you up to the top of Bush's appointments list!

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. Yes, "loyalty" to the Family --I mean, the Administryation-- is paramount.

and integrity would get in the way of the kind of "loyalty" Bush is after.

[burythehatchet]

3. Need to see if any connections can be made with the current antics in Ohio

I believe that it is useful to establish not only a temporal pattern, but also a pattern over time.

[Dr Fate]

4. Will one, just one single Prominent Democrat go on TV and complain?

NAHHHH. Telling the truth about Bush is "too radical."

If Ted Kennedy, Hillary, or Kerry went on TV and told the truth, then the media & Bush would be "mean to them."

[3days]

5. AMEN

And this is not democrat bashing.
It's just asking for a little help here.

[Dr Fate]

9. I'm a full on Democrat- so I know it's not bashing.

All I'm asking for is that ONE, just ONE single prominent Democrat go on TV and tell the truth about this.

I know, I know- that would be "too much like Micheal Moore- telling the truth about Republicans offends swing voters", etc, etc.

[Bouncy Ball]

7. EXACTLY

PLEASE for the love of GOD, for the love of DEMOCRACY, would SOME elected Democrat somewhere make fucking HAY of this? It's so damn easy.

[Dr Fate]

10. Republicans would have this as a household scandal by now...

...if it were us doing this shit.

But we cant even get one, just one big name DEM to stand up, be courageous and speak one or two simple lines of truth on TV.

Why? I dont know. All I can think of is that they are either "in on it" or they lack courage to fight for decency.

[Judi Lynn]

8. James Tobin works for the "DCI Group," according to "disinfopedia"

PhoneMeister Tobin

Very short disinfo link: www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=James_Tobin&printable=yes


The DCI Group's a busy bunch of misanthropes:

DCI Group, LLC was incorporated in 1997 in Phoenix, Arizona. Timothy N. Hyde, Douglas M. Goodyear, and Thomas J. Synhorst are listed as managers. In addition, Christopher A. Holt is listed as a member.

Hyde, Goodyear, Holt and Synhorst had all worked for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the 1990. At the time, RJR was investing millions of dollars in PR campaigns to stave off increased regulation and lawsuits. Key to the campaign was the creation of fake grassroots or astroturf organizations. Hyde served as Senior Director of Public Issues at RJ Reynolds from 1988 to 1997. In the mid-90s, Goodyear worked for Walt Klein & Associates, a Winston-Salem-based political consulting firm with a long history of working for tobacco. In 1993, he co-founded Ramhurst Corp., a RJR-supported organization that coordinated nationally pro-tobacco "grassroots" lobbying. Synhorst worked as a field representative for RJR in the 90s covering the midwestern region, helping organized pro-tobacco groups and doing media work.

In 2002, DCI received $340,000 for eight months of work for the Union of Myanmar (Burma) State Peace & Development Council. The Washington Post's Al Kamen wrote, "DCI's filings with the Justice Department offer an unusual glimpse into the efforts by the Rangoon junta. DCI lobbyists, featuring Charles Francis, a longtime family friend of the Bushes, ran a sophisticated campaign to improve the regime's image -- and steer the conversation away from its rampant human rights abuses and such.

"Francis, a prominent Republican, even set up two meetings with White House National Security Council Southeast Asia director Karen B. Brooks -- an unusual feat given that Burma is under U.S. sanctions and its top officials are barred from coming here -- to tout Burma's cooperation on anti-drug, HIV/AIDs and anti-terrorism efforts and in finding the remains of U.S. soldiers from World War II." After lobbying congressional officials, the Defense Department, and well connected think tank members, the "campaign was on the verge of success -- the State Department was about to certify the regime -- but the administration backed off amid pressure from the Hill, human rights groups and the media," Kamen wrote.

In September 2004, The Hill reported that DCI "is offering healthcare consultants $3,750 plus expenses over six weeks to generate positive news stories about the drug card and offer support to Congress for voting for the Medicare drug law." The new Medicare drug law had been controversial since Republican legislators had violated normal voting procedure in order to have the bill barely pass Congress.<1> (http://www.hillnews.com/news/092204/lobbying.aspx)
(snip/...)

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=DCI_Group

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12. kick

:kick:

[tsuki]

13. I CAN SEE IT! I CAN SEE IT!

The wave, the plane to Crawford, the headline "I am not a crook."

[tsuki]

14. I assume Rep. Conyers has this info.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. kick

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17. kick

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