Petitioners trick people into joining GOP

[Initech]

False GOP converts

Petitioners lie, cajole and commit forgery while duping more than 100 O.C. residents into joining the Republican Party.

More than 100 Orange County residents who thought they were simply signing petitions to cure breast cancer, punish child molesters or build schools were duped into registering as Republicans, an Orange County Register investigation found.

The ruse took place over several days in December and January at shopping centers throughout Anaheim, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Westminster and Garden Grove, where paid petitioners begged, cajoled, lied and committed forgery to get so-called Republican converts. Petition circulators were paid as much as $7 for each GOP registration.

<snip>

"Excuse me. I am NOT a Republican," said Haertel, 42. "I think they have no business taking over your life and turning it into something else without your permission. It's sneaky and underhanded."

Lessie Wood, another victim, doesn't want to stay Republican any longer than she has to. Wood said she was told that her signature on an anti-pedophile petition wouldn't count unless she was Republican. She now plans to change back to the Democratic Party.

"I didn't want to be Republican," said Wood, 49, of Stanton. "But I wanted my signature to count."

Sonia Olivarez, 26, didn't really understand what the pushy man outside the Santa Ana Target store wanted her to sign. But the mother of three was in a hurry to pick up her kids from school. So she pushed her pen across everything the man put in front of her.

Now she is Republican, at least on paper.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1083406.php

Now the Orange County GOP has been known to sink to new lows, but this is a new low even for them. :mad:

[spag68]

1. repubs

You are wrong to assume a new low, when they are at a new low every day. Just remember that the lower someone digs themself, the harder it is to get out of the hole.

[UrbScotty]

2. How is this legal? (nt)

[misternormal]

3. It isn't legal...

[UrbScotty]

4. Didn't think so (nt)