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Rabbit of Caerbannog Donating Member (742 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:19 AM
Original message
I have a serious question about a
personalized Bush*/Pickles photo I received thanking me for my support of the "campaign in Virginia. I posted this last week and thought it was kind funny at the time, as I would no more donate to them than I would drive nails into my head.

This morning I was listening to NPR and they were talking about all the funds Bush* has raised (comparred to any of the Dems), and the number of individuals from all 50 states that have contributed the max amount allowed.

My question (seriously now): What are the chances that state repub groups are making donations in the names of folks simply picked out of the phone book or some other database? Would this be possible? Why would I (and other DUers) be getting these thanking us for our support of Bush*?

I am also wondering if any of the others here who received similar "thank you" notes are not officially affilaited with a political party, like me, thereby making it less likely the FEC would spot something funny going on - like a bunch of registered democrats donating to Bush*)

Tinfoil hat stuff :tinfoilhat:, or could something like this account for Bush's fund raising success??
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molly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:20 AM
Response to Original message
1. WOW - wouldn't it be wonderful to expose this!
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meegbear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:21 AM
Response to Original message
2. If you didn't contribute ....
take the honest tact and try to find out if there is someone with your same name in the state. If that becomes a dead-end, you've got a major story here.
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Rabbit of Caerbannog Donating Member (742 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:31 AM
Original message
My name is very unique. There are not many of us - and
no others in VA. I googled it many timesAlso - it had my wife's name on it also
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democratreformed Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:23 AM
Response to Original message
3. Woah! You may be on to something.
I wouldn't put it past them - AT ALL.
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Ravy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:24 AM
Response to Original message
4. Actually, my wife got one of these too.
You may be on to something.

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grannylib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:24 AM
Response to Original message
5. Wow indeed...and who would put it past them?? Check it out...could
be huge...
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Tank in Texas Donating Member (182 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:25 AM
Response to Original message
6. Calling the press?
Hmmm. I know some snoopy newspaper reporters. Maybe there's a story here...
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Rabbit of Caerbannog Donating Member (742 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:37 AM
Response to Reply #6
12. Perhaps worth a call?
I don't know any reporters and I doubt our richmond paper would be interested
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eyesroll Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:26 AM
Response to Original message
7. Check your name on OpenSecrets.org
If you've contributed more than $200 to any federal candidate (before Jan. 1, 2004 -- after that haven't been reported yet), you'd be there.

It would be theoretically possible. They'd need to have your mailing address, and the name of your employer, and your occupation. If your name and occupation are plastered all over the internet (as mine are -- we publish on the Web as well as in print), it would be pretty easy to find this out.

It would, of course, be highly illegal.

I do think the "thank yous" were actually pre-emptive; you didn't give to *, but they're trying to make you feel like maybe you should.
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havocmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 09:23 PM
Response to Reply #7
25. Yep, it is a ploy to get contributions
We received one and there was a postage paid return envelope cuz shrub* and Laura want us to be sure and let them know the picture arrived in good condition (yeah, right). And we could check off the amount of our donation to the campaign on the very same form for reporting on the arrival of the photo.

I sent a bumper sticker: "Somebody else for president"
No sense in letting that postage paid (by bush*/cheney 04) envelope go to waste.

But I would check with the opensecrets site too, just in case your name was used as a contributor on a report to FEC.
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yardwork Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:31 AM
Response to Original message
8. Normally Americans would not believe that their president would do this.
But these are not normal times and Bush is not a normal person. I remember Watergate and Nixon's dirty tricks reelection campaign very well. Bush has some of the same people on his payroll right now.

The trick is to expose it. The proof would have to be strong and would have to be given to a paper willing to carry the story.
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Bandit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:33 AM
Response to Original message
9. Write them back and say you changed your mind and want your money
back. See what happens. Tell them it was a mistake and if you don't get it back you will report them to election officials.
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Rabbit of Caerbannog Donating Member (742 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:35 AM
Response to Original message
10. So I checked on OpenSecrets.org
and there's one person with the same last name in another state who donated the the repugs.

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littlejoe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:36 AM
Response to Original message
11. A most interesting scenario.! Investigate!
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whistle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 11:49 AM
Response to Original message
13. Hey, this is a fact...
... every candidate that runs for political office has FREE access to the voter registration lists in their particular districts and in the case of the president, the entire country. These are in the form of a computerized database and contain everything that you have included in your registration form including party affiliation (Dem/Reb/Ind), name, address, demographics, last time you voted, etc. They can even get phone numbers and e-mails on you. So, given what we know about the ethical behavior of politicians, why not make up fictitious donations? Who will possibly know? After all, we know that absentee votes are often cast by deceased voters, right? The puzzling this about your situation is why in world would you get a thank you note for your donation? They must have out-sourced this to an overseas company to handle....hehehe. Remember the song from Cabaret, "Money, money money, makes the world go around"? Hey Karl Rove, put me down for a couple of thousand! Just make sure it goes to John Kerry, or I'll report you, you double jowled twit.
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northofdenali Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 09:10 PM
Response to Reply #13
24. "double jowled twit"??? ROFL!
Can I use that? Welcome to DU!
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Eric J in MN Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
14. Did the letter say how much you allegedly gave? (nt)
nt
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Rabbit of Caerbannog Donating Member (742 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 12:44 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. Nope - just thanked me for my
"early committment and dedication as a charter member of the campaign in Virginia"

Love, George and Pickles
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ThreeCatNight Donating Member (930 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 12:58 PM
Response to Reply #15
18. Did it really say Pickles?
That is so frigging lame.....
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MisterP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 09:50 PM
Response to Reply #15
26. oh, we got something like that, except it said Austria-on-the-Pacific
(well, California); it's just spam, they distribute the wheedling letter (it was Gillespie) throughout (R) precincts
I had been wondering why chimp pictures were in my mail
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maggrwaggr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 12:46 PM
Response to Original message
16. that certainly would explain it, wouldn't it?
check it out
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kentuck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 12:49 PM
Response to Original message
17. Very interesting......indeed.
And it would be so simple to do...Who cares so long as they win the election? They'll pay a small $10,000 fine and that will be the end of it.... So they think.
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historian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 08:25 PM
Response to Original message
19. heres some people who should know about this
Edited on Thu Mar-04-04 08:26 PM by historian
moveon.org
Bill Maher
Bill Moyers
Nation Magazine
Lou Dobbs (maybe)?
The kerry campaign team
Im sure there are more - i cant think correctly when it comes to scumbag
Also did they mention a check anywhere? If so go to your bank and ask for a copy - if they cant come up with one, its a phony claim. Then you sock em
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Catherine Vincent Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 08:32 PM
Response to Original message
20. I think you may be on to something.
I better not get one of those thank you notes from the bushies. I would personally drive over to the elder bush's house and drop a pale of dog poop in their driveway (or at least the street in front of their house).
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 08:48 PM
Response to Original message
21. are you sure a repug aquaintance didn't give in your name as a joke?
although I have a hard time believing a repug f***wad could EVER donate in someone else's name.
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VOX Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 08:56 PM
Response to Original message
22. The GOP has $$$ to burn. They can afford to mail solicitations to everyone
Whatever their screening criteria, the GOP has plenty of money to blanket *all* voters with solicitations.

I used to get this bilge in the mail, too. I enjoyed sending it back (if you use the postage paid envelope, the repugs will have to pay post on it) with "I'm a liberal" statements inside.

Interestingly, the mailings finally stopped!
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thecrow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 09:02 PM
Response to Original message
23. Here's a link to search for money given
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abbyhoffman Donating Member (289 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-04-04 09:52 PM
Response to Original message
27. Maybe a repuke
co-worker donated some money in your name. I donated money to NOW in Antonin Scalia's name & a few others
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