Bush pulling dirty tricks in Minnesota

[dflprincess]

The following is a press release from the state DFL office regarding taped phone calls being made to potential caucus goers. The one I received yesterday was a very angry, supposedly unemployed woman who claimed to be supporting Edwards, the phone call just totally slammed Kerry. If this had been a real call and if I were waffling between Kerry and Edwards it would have put me firmly in Kerry's camp because I would have been so disgusted with that type of campaign. Other people may have fallen for the "Kerry is Satan" tone of the call and gone with Edwards. I can't figure out which candidate the republicans are trying to hurt with these phone calls.

Anyway, here's the release:

BUSH PLAYS DIRTY TRICKS WITH DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS VOTERS

St. Paul – Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Mike Erlandson responded Monday night to negative attack phone calls placed to Minnesota Democrats over the last few days. The statewide phone calls have been traced to RDI Marketing Services of Ohio, a telemarketing firm that has done substantial business with the Republican National Committee (RNC) in recent years.

“To pull dirty tricks like this, smearing Senators John Kerry and John Edwards before Democrats have even picked their nominee, is a desperate act by the Bush campaign and the Republicans. Bush has done such a poor job as president that he starts his campaign by slandering his opponents through stealth phone calls, running away from his record of failure,” said DFL Chairman Erlandson. “That is not leadership; that is not ‘presidential.’ That’s pathetic.”

RDI Marketing of Cincinnati, Ohio has received over $250,000 for telemarketing services rendered from the RNC (www.fec.gov, www.tray.com).

Added Erlandson, “Minnesotans should be mindful of this form of vile politics from George W. Bush over the next eight months of this campaign. Bush has a history of debasing American politics: just ask Senator John McCain or Senator Max Cleland. This sewer campaigning must not stand in Minnesota.”

(More information about these calls can be obtained from the DFL Party.)

[lams712]

1. I'm shocked, I tell you....

....Republicans NEVER do stuff like this ;-).

I hate to say, no matter who the nominee is, this is only the begininng.

Thanks for the heads up.

[indigo32]

2. gotta love that caller ID

WTF is wrong with these people.

[Adelante]

3. Thanks

The fuckers :mad:

[no name no slogan]

4. Yeah, I just read about this....

Maybe I'm sick, but this really cheers me up, in a way. These BushCo bastards are ALREADY so afraid that they're messing with our caucuses.

If The Fear has bitten them in March, just imagine how terrified they'll be in November.

Ol' whistle-ass better keep his bags packed. In the words of Gephardt: "like father, like son, one term and you're DONE!"

[redqueen]

5. Thanks for posting this

Only the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid.

The main event doesn't begin until this summer. :(

[blm]

6. I hope those who believed that the Kerry camp was doing this in Iowa

take a good hard look at this. I knew it was a typical Rove script as soon as I heard the content of the calls in Iowa.

They have been pulling this crap for decades and too many newbie Dem supporters fall for it every time and blame their Dem rivals.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

9. I knew it too when I heard about the ones in New Hampshire

that mentioned that Dean's wife was Jewish. As if most New Hampshire voters would care about that. I figured it certainly wasn't the other candidates since Lieberman is, Kerry and Clark have roots, and the other three wouldn't have done that, none of them would. It had to have been Rove or Republicans.

[King of New Orleans]

7. What ae the odds of Bush and the rethugs

pulling a dirty trick like this?

About 100%.

[bif]

8. What utter slimes they are

but it doesn't surprise me in the least.

[alarcojon]

10. Sounds mighty Rovian to me

What a bunch of slimeballs..

[lovedems]

11. Kudos to the DFL chairman!

Not only did he connect the dots to the RNC, he publicly called them out for their vile campaign tactics. What a great response to show the desperation in the bu$h camp. Kudos to you Mike Erlandson.

[adadem]

17. This has to happen

with every attack. And we can help by writing letters to the editor of our local newspapers. I'm putting together a team locally to keep abreast of the attacks so we respond immediately.

[blm]

18. good idea...

you're in for one busy year, no doubt.

[salin]

12. BEAUTIFUL... not the call... but the rapid uncovering of who is responsibl

this is how all that money advantage teambush has... starts getting wasted... their efforts get debunked, defanged, inneffective, and in essence "moneyholes."

[BL_Zebub]

13. Kerry is definitely NOT Satan!

That, I can assure you :grr:

[dflprincess]

20. I'm sorry,

I hope you did not take it to mean that I thought that. I was trying to explain the tone of the call and the attack on Kerry that was being made. As I said, if I had believed this call had come from Edward's people (and I were not supporting Kucinich) it would have pushed me into the Kerry camp.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. They just want to increase the negatives of

all Democrats in general. They don't care who it hurts, as long as it hurts.

[ordentros]

15. ho, hum....

Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch sent Kerry a letter for doing illegal phone calling here in Minnesota too... and Kerry, reportedly, did push polling in Iowa against Dean.

When I was canvassing in Minnesota the other day, Edwards had literature that chimed, "I am the only 'major candidate' against NAFTA."

As Al Sharpton asked Edwards, "how does placing 4th seven times make you a major candidate?"

Threads like this only waste people's energy.

[littlejoe]

16. I never put much stock in people who are so easily swayed,

as to make such an important decision based on their disgust of a candidates supporters.

[Mick Knox]

19. I add my voice to the Truely Shocked Clan... nt