Clever. A dirty trick that is disguised as simply supplying information for voters.
In the contentious battle over congressional seats in the west and northwest suburbs, the two Democratic candidates were crying foul over the National Republican Congressional Committee’s use of automated telephone messages. The messages begin by claiming to provide information about Tammy Duckworth and Melissa Bean, but end up attacking their stances on various issues
I asked the Duckworth campaign about this after a comment about the goings-on appeared here at the blog.
Another dirty little trick they’re using is right out of Rove’s playbook from the RNC in DC is robocalling with a recorded message that starts out, “I have some important information for you about Tammy Duckworthâ€.
Most people hang up on robocalls and that intro is made to sound like a Duckworth call. If they listen to the full message they get an earful of Republican attacks on Duckworth. If they don’t they are redialed, sometimes immediately but always multiple times a day. One guy said he got 14 of these calls in one day.
This is an attempt to block Duckworth’s phonebanking advantage. Numerous times voters have screamed in my ear “Quit calling me!â€.
Listen to the robocall by clicking here. [wav file]
Meanwhile, Laura Bush was in town today for Peter Roskam and David McSweeney.
First Lady Laura Bush urged suburban Republicans today to turn out the vote for GOP candidates in two of the nation’s hardest fought congressional districts, and used a Schaumburg event to put in a pitch for Judy Baar Topinka’s run for governor.
Appearing at a rally on behalf of Peter Roskam, the 6th Congressional District Republican candidate, and David McSweeney, the 8th Congressional District GOP contender, she said victories by the two men are key to continuing the war against terrorism abroad.
“Peter Roskam and David McSweeney stand with our troops. They understand this election is critical,” she said to a crowd of about 1,000 at the Renaissance Convention Center. Acknowledging that the Iraq War has tested the public’s emotions, she said, “We must have the debate at home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops.”
Also, Roskam just sent out a release promising a “Late breaking special campaign announcement” tomorrow morning.