NH Dirty Tricks?

[Lobo_13]

From DailyKos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/1/26/22654/8026

My mother in NH got a call at 4AM in the morning from Dean for America telling her to vote for Dean. This pissed her off big time, I mean she was leaning Dean, but this alone might have pushed her to vote for someone else. Why the hell is the Dean campaign so stupid to be doing this?

From DFA:

Statement from State Director Karen Hicks
Posted by Timothy Jones
on Sun, 01/25/2004, 12:50 pm
Today, Karen Hicks, Dean For America's New Hampshire State Director, made the following statement:

"In recent days, our campaign has been hearing reports from New Hampshire voters that they are receiving:

phone calls early in the morning and late at night;
"robo calls" from soulless machines, not calls from considerate people;
calls claiming to originate from the Dean campaign, but do not;
and even harassing calls and bigoted messages.
Let me be very clear. The Dean campaign does not call New Hampshire homes before 8:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Our calls are made by respectful people, not droning machines. Our callers tell the truth.

We call on the other campaigns to make the same commitments.

We are grateful for the extraordinary engagement of New Hampshire's people in this race. But our campaign believes that everyone deserves some peace, some respect, and a truthful message."

The question is, who's behind the robo-calls? How does one find that out, and if it turns out to be originating from another campaign that has picked up the bad habit of attacking other campaigns through the back door, will Dean supporters be justified in witholding support from said candidate?

After all this is the kind of shit that Bush pulled on McCain. If a candidate is adopting those tricks, then we might as well keep Bush.

[KaraokeKarlton]

1. The same dirty trick was played in Iowa

The Dean campaign isn't doing this. I sure as hell would like to know who is. Whatever campaign is responsible for this should be kicked out of the race, period.

[Hawkeye-X]

24. I have a very good idea of who...

John Kerry.

His campaign was caught by ABC doing a Dean documentary in Iowa push-pulling and robocalling potentional Dean voters.

No wonder why the DLC insiders are slime.

[KaraokeKarlton]

31. That's exactly what I'm thinking too

In fact, my gut instinct tells me Kerry's is behind this and the Dean campaign needs to find the people who got these calls and make such a stink about it that an investigation is opened. That should at least scare those behind the calls enough to get them to stop it. A press conference or commercial might do that as well, but they HAVE to do something.

[cthrumatrix]

60. where is the press sharing this news on Kerry?

[maxanne]

2. interesting

I heard a similar story tonight at a Dean event. Martin Sheen was speaking on behalf of Dean in Bartlett, NH - at the Josiah Bartlett School.

The Dean campaign is NOT doing robocalls. The others sure are, though.

What a great tactic.

[Lobo_13]

3. So how do we beat it?

After all, it's these tactics that derailed McCain. What we need to do is expose those calls and whoever is connected to them.

The question is how?

[Anwen]

4. I was just about to ask the same thing.

There has got to be a way to expose the person/people responsible. This makes me so mad... :mad:

[janx]

5. This is very important! I wish I were in NH now. I'd love to

do some gum-shoeing for the Dean campaign.

And it may not be Dems doing this. Melinda posted some links earlier today about this tactic, used by Repubs, in 2002.

[maxanne]

6. maybe we should stop

being so genteel. A Kerry worker in another town was calling Dean supporters and hassling them. No uproar. I don't know if keeping quiet about dirty tricks is the way to go. Hopefully these dicks will call someone who has caller ID. Taping the messages is a good thing, also. Dirty phone tricks are a NH staple, sad to say.

A big public noise should be made about the fact that the Dean campaign does NOT do robocalls.

[Lobo_13]

9. I hope that someone is on this

because exposing the guilty party will go a long way in this campaign. If one of the "clean" campaigns is behind this, I'd love to see press releases all over the place about it.

[KaraokeKarlton]

8. Here's what the campaign needs to do...

Call all the NH TV stations to a press conference with Dean and Hicks to announce that another campaign is making these robo calls and pinning it on Dean in an attempt to sabotage the election. Then ask people to call a number if they received one of the calls so that the FEC can investigate the phone records to track where they are coming from. Then fine the fuck out of the bastards doing this.

[Lobo_13]

10. That's a good start

I'd even buy airtime with an 800 number on it. Then tell anyone who gets unreasonable calls to report it.

Some of these scumf*cks need to be winnowed.

[KaraokeKarlton]

11. This same thing happened in Iowa

and we all know who benefitted most from it.

[Anwen]

12. Good idea.

I really hope they are trying to do something about it. This urgently needs to be shared with the public.

[Toucano]

7. There's no way

Dean people would NOT do something like that.

That isn't something anyone would do who is truly an advocate for a candidate.

Edit:

Left out the NOT which made the post incoherent. Sorry.

[KaraokeKarlton]

15. How much you want to bet they're doing it to Clark too?

You guys should try to find out if you can.

[Abigail147]

74. Clark attacks.

Dean supporter here, but somebody is doing something to your candidate. He is more than his numbers would indicate.

[Clark4Prez]

13. I think it's one of two possibilities

Obviously, the Dean campaign is smart enough not to call people at 2 am, so it is "push campaigning" if there is such a term

First, it is from Republicans seeking to undermine his comeback, very possible since were talking about Rove and Co, they would run over an old blind lady to get a vote

Second, it is from another Democrat (this one is harder to accept for me, but a political reality nonetheless), perhaps a front runner that is feeling some heat. I'd say that it is unlikely that Clark or Edwards have much to gain from this, but, Lieberman has had a hardon for Dean from the get go, so maybe him, but he is so far back that I could hardly see that it helps him.

I guess this doesn't really help, I would love to see the Dean team nail who ever is responsible for this crap, nail them to the wall. Or better yet, beat them with a bat. :-)

[KaraokeKarlton]

16. It can't be Lieberman because it happened in Iowa too

If it's one of the Democrats it has to be Kerry. And to be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't put it past him for a second, either. I'd almost bet it's happening to Clark too. It might even be why he's dropping in the polls as bad as he is. You guys better check into it too and do some damage control.

[bicentennial_baby]

19. Yep

The word on the ground is that Senator Kerry's little flyers are making their way into the hands of many NH voters this week.

[Lobo_13]

14. News Link to Similar IA story

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/ThisWeek/Kerry_Dean_calls_040117-1.html

But two nights ago, Cornell College psychology professor Suzette Astley, a Dean volunteer in Lisbon, Iowa, received a phone call from a Kerry's Cedar Rapids headquarters — in which, she says, a Kerry volunteer had some less than kind things to say about Dean regarding his foreign policy experience, being from a largely white state, and so-called "environmental racism."

Since a documentary filmmaker was staying with Astley, the exchange, which has been confirmed by the Kerry campaign, was caught on videotape.

"Does your candidate know that you're saying these kinds of things, unsubstantiated claims on the phone representing Sen. Kerry?" Astley asked 19-year-old volunteer, Jacob Thomas, on the tape, a copy of which was obtained by ABCNEWS.

Soon, she asked to speak with Kerry's regional field supervisor, with whom she launched a complaint.

So much for being clean. And it makes it so much more enervating when his press whore actually has the balls to say that Kerry's message resonated with people.

[Melodybe]

23. Please make this its own thread, I knew something was fishy!

[DannyRed]

17. It has to be one of three possibilities...

1) A REALLY dirty (and stupid) competing campaign.

2) An idiot who thinks they are helping the Dean Campaign by doing this freelance

3) The GOP trying to stir the pot.

No campaign I have EVER heard about is dumb enough to do this as a campaign tactic, none, never nohow noway.

Someone should get Caller ID fired up, either that or get a subpoena to check the telephone exchange records (MUDs) and trace the call - it IS a crank call, which IS a crime.

Trace it, expose the ratfucker doing this, and punish them severely.

IF it is a competitor for the nomination and they get caught, they're DONE.

IF it is the GOP, then it is a HUGE scandal (interfering with the opposition's primaries???)

And if it is a loon, they should be put in jail.

[Old and In the Way]

40. Hmmmm......could it possibly be (3)?

Might the Republicans be interested in sabotauging Kerry's front-running campaign?

Consider this. As soon as one of our candidates takes the lead, start a campaign that leads back to the front runner. If done correctly, they'll have our Party in shambles by the general election.

Is someone in the Kerry campaign capable of hardball tactics? Sure, probably. But I suspect each campaign has their "win at all cost" operatives. Personally, I doubt that John Kerry is willing to take a chance on running a dirty ops campaign that carries more downside risk than upside opportunity.

That's my opinion....don't for a moment think that the Republican Party is not well into all the campaigns. I've seen them in action since '72.

[maxanne]

18. This needs

some big media focused upon it. Nastiness flourishes in the dark. The repubs do this all the time in NH - but no one ever holds them accountable. A press conference is a great idea.

[Anwen]

22. Is there anything we can do...

or anyone we can contact to suggest a press conference??

[janx]

30. The investigation should probably be initiated by either

the people on the ground in NH, the higher-ups in campaign staff, or both.

The problem is that right now, things are so hectic on the ground in NH that those people probably won't have time--at least not for the next few days.

[quaker bill]

20. This BS needs to stop

They need to catch and fry these people.

[askew]

21. The Dean Campaign needs to figure out who is doing this.

Personally, I am betting on another candidate or the DLC. In this technology age, there has to be some way to trace one of these calls. Of course, then you would have to get the media to actually cover the story. On a side note, you would hope that the voters wouldn't be foolish enough to believe that the Dean campaign would be calling them at 4 a.m.

[Lobo_13]

25. There are many easily led automotons out there.

The truth is that this shit works. We have to figure out a way to shine a bright light on these kinds of things and embarass the people that use it.

[SadEagle]

29. /The Party/ needs to figure out who is doing this.

Imagine what will happen if the campaign behind this will become our nominee, and then Republicans, at a crucial moment, come up w/evidence that the nominee's campaign was responsible for dirty tricks? (Hypocrisy never stopped them before). That would be an utter disaster.

edit:spelling, grammar, comprehensibility

[Lobo_13]

26. Commercial Script

Howard Dean:

It has come to our attention that NH voters have been receiving fraudulent phone calls claiming to be from Dean For America.

Dean for America does not use automated callers. Nor does it make phone calls before 12:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

If you receive an automated phone call from Dean For America at unusual times, please call this toll free number to report it. All calls will be referred to the Federal Election Commission.

Elections should not be subject to these dirty tricks. You have the power to let these politicians know that their harrassment is not acceptable.

[KaraokeKarlton]

28. Go post this on the blog right away

The campaign has GOT to put a halt to this sabotage right away, and demand the FEC investigate it. We need to expose the cockroaches doing this once and for all.

[janx]

33. Yes! Post on the blog AND in an email to campaign staff.

Sometimes things get lost on the blog since it scrolls so fast. There is an email address to campaign staff. I've used it before, but I can't remember it just now.

[creativelcro]

45. Try calling them... May be better than an e-mail...

[Gin]

38. the times listed in your post don't seem accurate....

is this on Dean's site or are you putting it together as a help?

[Lobo_13]

47. I slapped it together

the times that I used were the ones we were told to hold to when I was doing my precinct captain stuff in IA.

[janx]

27. Two questions--one for the Dean camp, the other for Clark:

The Dean campaign is aware of this, since something about it was posted on the blog by campaign staff. Have there been any blog entries or any forum discussions about this?

Have Dean Defense Forces been notified? They could be of great help.

For the Clark campaign: have similar things been reported on your end? Please look into this.

[Jerseycoa]

32. I haven't heard that one, janx

But we get it in NH from all directions in other ways.

[janx]

35. Keep an ear open, will you?

It seems to be a trend, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it gets aimed at Clark as well.

[bicentennial_baby]

34. Not yet, but

I just put up a post about it on the Clark blog. I'll let y'all know if I hear anything :hi:

[janx]

36. Thanks. Clark seems the logical "next target," if you know what

I mean.

[KaraokeKarlton]

39. Cool...good move

You might also want to try to contact the NH main office to tell them to be on the lookout for this kind of crap. We all know Dean was poised to take Iowa, and I think this same tactic and other dirty tricks is what led to his drop in the polls and loss there. Clark is dropping fast too. I'm getting a really bad feeling about the depths that some campaigns will stoop to in order to win.

It's one thing to criticize if you own up to it. But playing disgusting underhanded tricks like this is totally out of bounds and unacceptable.

[Gin]

37. wouldn't star 69 work? I cant believe that nobody can track the number

of these callers...what are they saying when they call?

[creativelcro]

41. it MIGHT work...

[janx]

42. See the original mesage in this thread. The Dean campaign

describes them as:

phone calls early in the morning and late at night;
"robo calls" from soulless machines, not calls from considerate people;
calls claiming to originate from the Dean campaign, but do not;
and even harassing calls and bigoted messages.

Star 69 would probably not do much good because people who are in the business of making calls undetected always block that information before any calls go out. The calls can, however, be traced by the phone company.

[KaraokeKarlton]

43. I'm pretty sure that can be blocked using an anonymous number

The phone company could track it, but they'll have to act quick to expose it before Tuesday. They could get a court order from a NH judge possibly, and if they have the number of someone who got one of the calls they could probably find something out by Tuesday AM if they busted their balls doing it. The Dean campaign needs to do some quick damage control, though. Real quick. They have to make sure all of NH knows this is sabotage and not Dean's campaign making these calls.

[creativelcro]

44. Whomever is doing it they are playing with fire...

You get caught with this and you are done for good.

[milkyway]

46. Perhaps it was these creeps Dean was directing his speech to...

RNC? DLC? Kerry? Dean's been on the hit list for two months. It was ex-Kerry and Gephardt people that ran the tv commercial with Dean and Osama side-by-side. Also, the winger pundits continue to trash Dean and throw bouquets to Kerry. They are all following the RNC marching orders. Novak was doing so tonight on CNN.

Dean's Iowa speech might have been directed at these people, letting him know he's not going to roll over for them, that they'll have to put a stake through his heart if they want to beat him, because he's not giving up.

BTW, the Dean blog has been all over this situation tonight.

Give them Hell, Howard!

[bicentennial_baby]

48. Funny Lieberman anecdote

A Clarkie on the CCN says that she was push-polled by Lieberman people in AZ. She did'nt get the "joementum", however. :P

[ProudToBeLiberal]

49. kick nt

[snyttri]

50. The N.H. Attorney General never found who was telling independents

they couldn't vote.

[Lobo_13]

51. Amazing

that only one Kerry supporter has weighed in on this.

After all, if they were really committed to a clean campaign, they should be all over this and pledging to withdraw support from whicheve candidate has been engaging in such Republican tactics.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

52. people reflect their constituents

[Tesha]

53. Dirty tricks against Dean -- What a shocker!

They'll find out who did this, but the truth won't come
out until late November or early December. :(

Tesha

[Cheswick2.0]

54. It is either (IMO) Kerry's camp

Or repugs trying to get Kerry nominated because he is so easily beaten by bush in November.

[Tesha]

56. I'd suspect the latter.

And, like so many monkey-wrenches in NH before, the truth
won't come out until after the General Election.

Tesha

[onebigbadwulf]

55. My friend is working in NH right now for Dean.

It's the Kerry supporters doing the dirty tricks.


They protest, vandalize, and do lie-calling in the middle of the night.

It's really really dirty up there.


They're worried that the fire department is going to shut them down for Kerry. If the fire dept does do anything, you will know for sure who to blame.

[Cocoa]

57. no one is questioning whether this is true?

I've read through all the responses in this thread, and everyone seems to be skipping the obvious question, "did this really happen?" and gone straight to asking "who did this?"

I don't think it's good for us dems to freak out too much over anonymous posts on the Internet.

[bicentennial_baby]

58. If the Dean people

feel the need to release a statement, I will presume it to be true.

[Cocoa]

64. big mistake, imo

political campaigns are not good sources for factual information, especially on matters like this. They tend to be somewhat less than totally unbiased.

[KaraokeKarlton]

67. Then who vandalized all those Dean supporter and staffers cars?

By sticking confederate flag stickers on them? I guess there is some naughty NH primary elf just doing these dirty things.

:eyes:

[janx]

61. There have been too many eyewitness reports from

people on the ground there to dismiss this as rumor. Sorry. In addition, a Dean campaign official is alarmed and has made an official statement to that fact.

The point now is to find out who is doing it.

[Cocoa]

66. this is not good

I wasn't even talking about dismissing the story, just question it, which no one seems to have done.

No matter how much you guys like Howard Dean, it's not good to think like this. Not even good for Dean, imo.

[KaraokeKarlton]

65. Yes, it's really happening

There are reports from both Iowa and NH. And all those Confederate Flag decals that got stuck onto Dean supporters and staffers cars certainly didn't get there by themselves, now did they?

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NewHampster]

62. Part of Repuke politics not ours

I thought dems looked to a higher standard than the bastards in the off White house.

[Northwind]

63. Unfortunately

The Bush-lite enablers like Kerry will stop at nothing to seize power.

Very telling that even with a massive lead he cannot stop himself from expressing his corruption.

[maddezmom]

68. here is another link...notice they leave Lieberman out of the mix

http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/state2004/012604_tone_2004.shtml

[killbotfactory]

69. Whoever is doing this goes on my shit list

This is not acceptable.

[John_H]

70. Where was the outrage when Dean was push polling Clark in NH

shortly after he joined the race?

[maddezmom]

71. it was Clark

:(

[LandOLincoln]

72. What was Clark? n/t

[maddezmom]

73. there was no outrage

because it was being done to Clark. Sorry if I wasn't clear.