Will RNC robocalls lose the election for Romney?
I’ve just received my umpteenth robocall from the Republican National Committee, in which “Jenny” (sometimes the name changes) explains what a horror it would be for this nation if Obama is re-elected.
They’re not the only ones, but they are the most frequent. The RNC has been calling every day, at least once per day, for weeks. The message today was targeted to seniors. It was all anti-Obama.
The nifty thing about these calls is that they include a toll-free phone number at the end. In this case, it is 1-866-940-2026. It’s one of two different contact numbers all of these RNC calls have listed.
If you call that number, you supposedly have the option of putting your name on the RNC “Do Not Call” list (this feature is automatic, too). Which I have done at least 25 times, and which hasn’t stopped the calls at all.
I got so fed up with this last week that I looked up the number of the Republican National Committee in Washington. It’s (202) 863-8500. This is what you hear when you call that:
“Good afternoon. Thank you for calling the Republican National Committee. You have reached our automated voice messaging system. Please make your choice accordingly.
I chose #5 for the Political Division. And I ended up speaking to a guy who identified himself as “Mark.”
“Mark, you don’t know me. My name is Dan. I live in Virginia. That’s a state that’s very important to you guys right now. And I am a classic “independent” voter. I’ve voted for Republicans and Democrats at EVERY level of government. By the way, the ONLY campaign I’ve every volunteered in was a Republican presidential campaign.”
“Okay,” he said. “Where are we going with this?
“Here’s where we’re going,” I said. “The RNC has been besieging my house with robocalls. They come every day, often more than once a day. They’re both annoying and intrusive.”
Then I continued.
“Every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve called the number at the end to put my home phone on the your Do Not Call list. But the calls keep coming. You guys won’t stop. I’ve gotten a grand total of ONE robocall from the Democrats this campaign season.
And then I gave him my home phone number.
“Mark, I’m not going to tell you who I’m going to vote FOR in the Nov. 6 election,” I said. “But I’ll promise you this: if I get ONE more of these calls from you guys, then I’m going to vote AGAINST your guy. And that’s something you don’t want to happen. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” he replied, “and I’m sorry this is happening to you. Let me see what I can do.”
Since than call last week, I’ve received at least 10 calls from the RNC.
It leaves me wondering: Do these guys have ANY CLUE? Do they even care whether or not their guy wins in a swing state? What the hell do they think they’re doing?
Or: could it be that the Democrats (who are making barely ANY robocalls to my house) have keyed into voter anger over robocalls in a way the GOP hasn’t? Could the calls be coming from Democrats, masquerading as Republicans, hoping to stir up anger against Romney?
Because of the content of the messages, and because of Occam’s Razor, and because I don’t believe the Democrats are that clever, I sincerely doubt the latter.
But by now, Mark at RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. ought to know who I’m going to vote AGAINST in the Nov. 6 election.
I hope they’re happy with that.
October 26, 2012 - 2:04 PM
I think GOTP losses will be because of the robo-candidate.
“classic “independent” voter”
No way in hell you were ever voting Republican or third party.
Another caveat is, if they have you registered as a black woman as the other one did, then looked your number up, the story wouldn’t have added up.
Kind of sounds like that RT garbage that keeps finding way into folks yards when they haven’t asked for it. Does the RT have ANY CLUE?
I don’t answer my house phone or have voice mail on it, but based on caller ID I get somewhere between 10 and 15 calls a day for Rmoney.
“Kind of sounds like that RT garbage that keeps finding way into folks yards when they haven’t asked for it. Does the RT have ANY CLUE?”
The other day, I spoke specifically with Keith Liles in customer service about Jack’s “problem.” Jack had called Keith, but wouldn’t give Keith his name or address. But Keith has caller ID on his phone. Via that and a little bit more sleuthing, he was able to stop the unwanted deliveries to Jack’s house. As Jack wrote here just the other day, he hasn’t had any more.
The RT went the extra mile on the Walker (though, it didn’t accede to Jack’s ridiculous demand that it cease the practice for the entire valley, simply to mollify Jack.
The RNC is not doing that. I’ve given them my number 25 times, asked them not to call, and they still do.
“I’d like to order a pizza delivery. Large pepperoni pie. No, no…not giving you my address. Or name. Thanks!”
This is why we don’t have a phone, and haven’t been listed in any phone directory.
But the robocall stuff, it’s been a big pain for Canadians too, as there have been deceptive robocalls for the conservatives up there too (2 friends in Ontario will attest to that).
The only phone line into my house is a dedicated fax line. It rings at least ten times a day with people trying to call it who are not interested in sending a fax. I assume that they are robocalls becasuse they have no way of knowing that the number is used only for faxes.
But I get zero calls on my cell phone. The Obama campaign does send text messages a couple of times a week, but only because I am on their list as a donor. The Republicans and their outside groups are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into robocalls and slick mailings like the one described in another thread on this blog. They are offensive and annoying.
It’s bad enough that they run 12 ads per hour on every prime time TV show. But the rest of this is bull.
“Classic Independent Voter”!
LOL.
Dan, come on.
Thankfully, my husband & I have not received any calls to our cell phones, and we got rid of our land line in 2010. At that time, nearly every call we received on our land line was political in nature.
That being said, we have received at least 1 piece of political mail every day for the last month (at least). I’ll be glad when my mail once again consists of LL Bean & Williams Sonoma catalogs.
We get the calls too from the RNC and they(real person) has asked to speak to my husband by name. But I don’t believe that he’s ever voted for a Republican.
The reason Romney will win is that the folks have had four years of obama, and his lies. We know it. He knows it. Yet, he just keeps on lying.
LC, it’s true. I have voted for Repubs and Dems at EVERY level of government. And I volunteered for Richard Nixon in 1972.
I could have voted for John McCain in 2008, until he picked Palin as his running mate. Then, the question was simply a matter of making sure she didn’t get within 4,000 miles of the White House.
Your lucky Dan to only get one call a day. I have gotten as many as 5 starting at 8:30 AM! The latest call I got came at 9:30 PM! I will never vote for anyone who uses this tactic.
In 2008, when we were living in Michigan, we got about 3 dozen calls in the last weeks leading up to the election from the local Obama campaign office (I’d given money, so they had my number legitimately), including 3 on Election Day itself to make sure I’d voted. This year we’ve only had one prerecorded call from Tim Kaine (again, I’d made a donation) and that’s it. My son hasn’t gotten any calls (or texts) either, but this is the first year he’s eligible to vote so I don’t know if that’s a factor or not.
I have, however, received enough mail from Americans for Tax Deform to wallpaper an outhouse.
sorry, dano. you thinking you can fool the folks about you voting in 2008 for McCain over oBUMa….except for Palin? I think that’s b.s., but since you say it’s your story…, ok.
yeah. right. uh huh.
Yeah, there is just no fooling you geniuses, quite obviously.
It’s your own fault, Dan. You lied to the live person who called some weeks ago and asked whom you were supporting. You said Romney. So they then plugged your number into the robocalls list since the number one goal of both parties is to get their base to turn out.
Had you been honest, you wouldn’t be getting the RNC robocalls.
Everything kind of comes back around, doesn’t it? LOL.
“Everything kind of comes back around, doesn’t it? LOL.”
Yeah, you’re right, Suzie. You lie on here every day, and you’re the most (purportedly) anti-abortion liar on here. Which is why I reckon you (purportedly) have no kids. God has elected to not bless you with them. Hey … karma.
you’re the most (purportedly) anti-abortion liar on here
What’s an anti-abortion liar?
What’s an anti-abortion liar?
It’s someone who is A) anti-abortion and B) tells a lot of lies.
Was it that unclear? This is not rocket science, folks.
Was it that unclear?
Yes. it’s unclear whether you meant I was lying about being against abortion or telling lies about abortion. But since it was neither, it means it just was weird-ass phrasing on your part.
I could have voted for John McCain in 2008, until he picked Palin as his running mate. Then, the question was simply a matter of making sure she didn’t get within 4,000 miles of the White House.
Right. Dan was a Republican before he became a far-left lunatic just in the past four years. That’s as believable as his phony story about Rush Limbaugh “begging” him to come on his show.
hey Suzie,
there you go again…………………………….confusing ol’ dano with those little “fact”….thingies.
Which is why I reckon you (purportedly) have no kids. God has elected to not bless you with them. Hey … karma.
Was that really called for, Dan? I know Suzie doesn’t hesitate to cross any lines, but I don’t know… I’ll admit to thinking it once or twice but I just don’t think I could lay that one out there.
Hey J.M. Good point on ol’ dano.
My opinion is, when he gets going, he has no self control. Sad.
Was that really called for, Dan? I know Suzie doesn’t hesitate to cross any lines, but I don’t know… I’ll admit to thinking it once or twice but I just don’t think I could lay that one out there
It was pretty classless misogyny. I agree.
Frank,
It’s unbelievable it never occurred to Dan why he gets the GOP robocalls. He crowed about lying to the canvasser, then THIS happens. LOL.
Classless? Perhaps. Though, again, given what Suzie dishes out, if she can’t take it, well, she ought to think twice about some of her own repulsive posts.
But misogyny? Only someone who literally doesn’t know the meaning of that word would claim it applies in this situation.
Dan C. easily could have said the exact same thing to a man. Which means it could not be misogyny.
Once again, Suzie hides behind “her” skirts. I don’t know any woman who would so reflexively do that at the slightest hint of criticism.
I admit, the comment was classless. Occasionally I exhibit that trait. It’s not the norm though. Occasionally I commit a typo, or spell a word wrong, too.
I see Suzie seems to have lost her transportation. Just dial 666-666-6666
hon and we’ll see that its returned to you.
ATT00001.jpgNo virus threat detectedFile: ATT00001.jpgDownload File
I know this concept is going to be very difficult for you rightwankers to understand, but one doesn’t have to BE a registered or self-named Republican to VOTE for a Republican. Also, sometimes registered and non-registered Republicans vote for people outside their party. Voting for anyone you want to for whatever reason you want to is one of the things that makes America great!
Mostly though, I’m amazed at Frank’s and Screwzie’s time-traveling mind-reading skills. They can read Dan’s past thoughts from 2008 and call him a liar when he says he almost voted for McCain. I’m just surprised Screwzie didn’t call him a BOLD-FACED liar.
As far as ‘crossing the line’ when talking about Screwzie’s childless life, Dan didn’t cross any lines that Screwzie hasn’t crossed when she insults other people’s actual, living children. I know, I know…’be the better person’, ‘don’t sink to Screwzie’s level’, yada, yada, yada. But sometimes you gotta lower yourself to their level because they’re incapable of rising to a higher level of communication and understanding. And sometimes, it’s just fun.
Shrill, correction I didn’t “almost” vote for McCain. Recall, at least 2 month went by before he picked Caribou Barbie as his running made and his election. So “almost” is the wrong term.
But I’ve long admired McCain, and there’s a good chance I would have voted for him had he chosen someone who wasn’t abysmally dumb as his running mate.
Considering the fact that SuzieQ makes a small career of denigrating our children and our parenting skills, she’s opened the door to that conversation, and fussing over whether or not anyone’s “gone too far” with her is just silly.
And SuzieQ, it’s not a display of misogyny. As someone who has successfully conceived, given birth, and (so far) raised two children, that comment didn’t apply to me whatsover.Or any of the other moms on the blog. Hope that clears things up for you.
Well okay Dan, but I never questioned your leaning toward McCain? Must have been somewhere else or someone else on this thread…of course lots of people liked him until he put the vapid Palin on the ticket. I was never a McCain fan – except once when the crazy woman wanted him to acknowledge candidate Obama was a Muslim..he did the right thing telling her she was wrong…
Actually, Dan, to be fair, no homes in my entire neighborhood have received the advertisement fliers since my call to Keith Liles.
Additionally, I hope that Mr. Friddell passed the letter on to Keith Liles, since it contains additional addresses.
I live in Nevada and I get two “robocalls” a day for the past month and five or more “live caller” calls a week. I don’t think the RNC is that stupid. I think they are intentionally trying to discourage Democratic voters from participating in the election, and in that way help propel Romney.
I do tell the live callers how they are only discouraging a potential Romney vote, but of course the callers do not know the “real” purpose of their call, which is to keep Democrats from the polls.
LOL!
A bit ago, during dinner, I got a robocall that started off, “This is Governor O’Malley….”
I reflexively hung up.
In retrospect, I wish that I had stayed on the line to see if he”
1) thought that the 540 area code was now in Maryland.
2) thought that a voter in SWVA cared what the Governor of Maryland had to say about the elections.
3) had something else to say.
JM White, you might want to consider that you, I and the other posters here can easily ignore, skip and even go away from here when we want. It is Dan’s blog and he has to at least skim every bilious post Suzie has ever offered here. Even the ones he trashed. That is “cruel and unusual punishment” on several levels. Why is anyone called to respect someone who respects no one? Letting her feel the bite of her own dysfunction is very much human nature we should all understand.
Seriously Dan? ♫ Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran ♫ didn’t do it for you?
“”Right. Dan was a Republican before he became a far-left lunatic just in the past four years.”
Wait a minute, Screwzie. Are you saying Dan LIED in his OPINION that McCain would make a good President? I thought that, according to you, lying about an opinion is impossible. Or does that only apply to your ‘friend’s husband, who, shall we say tailored his opinion a little” under oath in order to be seated on a jury?
Dan, the guy drove through our neighborhood and managed to skip the house. However, he did toss one into my neighbor’s yard, who is much more upset about the practice than I am.
He did skip my house, though.
I’m a registered republican. And quite frankly because of all the call’s I’ve received I will vote 100% democratic this year. I average 2-4 calls *PER DAY* from the RNC. It’s not only at home now, its at my office, on my cell phone.
I don’t understand how this could possibly be legal. It certainly is not moral. And that coming from a party which proclaims to be the voice of the moral high ground. I’ve most certainly lost my admiration for the republican party. And quite frankly if the presidential candidate for the Republican party can not control his own party’s actions, how can he ever be expected to control the actions of our great country.
Dan,
I too admired McCain and was undecided right up to the point he picked Palin (and a few days after for me to do some research on her).
I have no love for the R’s but Obama did not particularly inspire me last election either. I was undecided and uninspired. My vote went Obama solely because Palin and McCain’s health scared the crap out of me.
This election, I am/was against every one of those Republican horror shows that was in the primary. While RMoney is less objectionable than some, he managed to pick one of the least palatable evil pricks for VP.
The Republican Party, of which I was a supporter 12 years ago, has moved against me, against women, against sanity, against the American People and against logic. I can no longer support any national Republican Candidate.
Add to that the abuse my wife endured at the hands of a Rethuglican ‘pollster’ who called, claiming to be just asking questions, but when my wife did not answer them ‘correctly’ screamed at and abused her for about 3 minutes before attempting to hang up the phone. Which the moron of course failed to do, leaving us to listen to 4 minutes of her crowing to her compatriots about how she got all the questions out, but had to go off on ‘that woman’.
The Republican Party, of which I was a supporter 12 years ago, has moved against me, against women, against sanity, against the American People and against logic. I can no longer support any national Republican Candidate.
Warlock, Perhaps you can tell us which Republican position has changed in the past 12 years that would turn you from the GOP to the Democrats.
I guarantee you won’t be able to answer logically. I dare you to try.
Wait a minute, Screwzie. Are you saying Dan LIED in his OPINION that McCain would make a good President? I thought that, according to you, lying about an opinion is impossible. Or does that only apply to your ‘friend’s husband, who, shall we say tailored his opinion a little” under oath in order to be seated on a jury?
“Contra”, don’t you have any girlie magazines you could satisfy your perverted obsession with?
#47 IOW, suzie backed herself into a corner.
“Can’t we all just get along?” -Gandhi
Re: Comment by gdad — October 29, 2012 @ 11:49 am
And now claims to be cutting and running to Africa as the polls turn more toward a reelection and she/he is being totally destroyed on any number of threads.
Preemptive crickets?
#50 I think that suzie was so horribly shamed by her claim that she’s a better parent despite not being a parent that she had to flee.
Zimbabwe’s loss is our gain.
What I can’t understand is why the RNC keeps calling and sending me political literature. In an age of meticulous data mining, they would seem to have enough information about me to scratch me off the list of a potential Romney vote, yet the onslaught continues. Perhaps their data organization isn’t as robust as the Dems, or they have so much money the just spend it indiscrimanently.
I am, however, intrigued by the Zomney apocalypse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6TiXUF9xbTo
#53 Well, Mike Scott, I almost changed my mind when I saw the yard near Virginia Beach festooned with more than a dozen Romney signs. I figured that if the guy who owned the place could put that much effort into sign erection, Romney must be one heck of a dude.
My Mother is 92yrs old and falls alot. She tries to get to her phone to answer these incessant calls. She WILL fall one of these times. These calls are NOT A JOKE. They represent danger to the saftey of a citizen. I have tried calling Century link, their annoyance call dept.(worthless), the Natl and Colo do not call lines, and the Colo. Atty Gen., and no one will help. The number is blocked with X69 and the number these calls give is a wrong number. The calls are from the RNC. I am furious and consulting our attorneys. I’m ready to say screw the GOP, I’ll throw away my vote rather than be part of an illegal intrusion of our privacy.
MAD as HELL in COLORADO…
I’m with you Dan. I have received calls this morning at 8:30 am, 9:30 am and 10:30 am on the dot from the RNC and left the house to stop the madness – I even have friends who have suspended phone service at their homes to make it stop. The RNC calls all day long every single hour and fills our voicemail box. This guerilla tactic is abusive and disruptive of our lives. We have called to our phone provider and were told political calls are not covered by the Federal Do Not Call List Act. I’m hoping some wise elected official will take up election reform and have political calls added to the Federal Do Not Call List Act. If you listen to the hate infused bile these calls distribute, it so vile that I’m turned off to the whole Republican ticket. We’re not stupid RNC and these calls aren’t helping your cause!
I tried adding myself to the RNC do not call list Saturday. Used the option for that and punched in my number. Each time (6 times to be exact) I was disconnected. No, ‘Thank you. We will update our records” My email requesting to be taken off their call list has also been disregarded, and they have called 5 times since Saturday. Their message when you call says ‘All operators are busy” I call BS. They don’t have any! Campaigns are working around the clock these days- even weekends/ evenings. They must bank on the fact that if they are hard to reach, very little will come of people’s disregarded communications to them.
Suzie- wow!! How has the GOP NOT morphed in the past 12 years? If you don’t see the change in positions on global warming (which they used to like to not think about; now they deny existence); abortion rights (You used to be able to find pro-choice GOP. They are all but extinct now); Universal Healthcare (Individual mandate was originally a GOP/ Heritage Foundation idea); Separation of Church and State. (GOP used to not believe that God wrote the Bible and that God, at the time of writing, envisioned American law regarding marriage centuries in the future) Calling Dems today ‘Liberal’ is about as laughable as your notion that the GOP hasn’t shifted so far right they are now off the crazy cliff. If none of these facts seem ‘logical’ to you, then you possess neither a good grasp of history or reality.
If I were any less committed, the horrible HARRASSING phone calls would turn me away to the other side. WHY do they think this helps? IT DOES NOT! It is invasive, and abusive and very much NOT APPRECIATED OR INSPIRING OR HELPFUL. STOP IT! SHAME ON YOU! YOU ARE STUPID TO DO THIS. It is hurting your good cause. It makes you part of the PROBLEM – no respect for the citizens
I too have been getting a daily robo-call from the RNC.
After every phone call I have called them and asked to be removed from their robo-call list.
This has proven to be too complicated of task for the RNC to accomplish.
And these guys want to govern ???
The robocalls are getting really bad lately, and most of my area is still without power since Hurricane Sandy. We really don’t want our cell phones bombarded with incoming calls when we’re trying to keep them charged for emergency use. Forty-three calls in one day from the RNC is beyond excessive. Stop calling us unless you’re telling us where you’ve set up charging stations for our electronics!
Does the RNC know just how angry their many, many calls have made me??? Borders on HARASSMENT. Early morning, late night…STOP, STOP, STOP.
Returned from a 7 day trip and had 29 calls! Voting for a Republican would indicate my endorsement of such harassment…won’t happen.
Next election, someone has to help us out and stop these calls or I will disconnect my phone.