The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Stop Political Calls BLOG

Huckabee Robocalls across the nation. StopPoliticalCalls.org breaks story...

Great example of how you can use Social Media (in this case Twitter) to drive the debate on an issue you care about.  In this case, Robocalls.

The timeline:

1. Last night I started to see reports on Twitter (using Twitter Search and TweetDeck) that Huckabee was making robo push polls in VA and WA.   Here are the tweets I found:
   • VA: http://twitter.com/JBordeaux/status/1242808054 & http://twitter.com/JBordeaux/status/1242778514
   • WA: http://twitter.com/Mickeleh/status/1243232217
2. I responded to the Tweets and asked for more details on the Huckabee robocalls.  Here are the tweets I sent:
   • WA: http://twitter.com/EndTheRoboCalls/status/1243258204
   • VA: http://twitter.com/EndTheRoboCalls/status/1242803136
3. I then sent the "story" to several journalists I know and it was picked up this morning Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic.
4. Once Marc wrote about it, it is now being picked up in various other media outlets.
   • Right Wing Watch
   • Post (TN)

Here is Marc's post:

Ex-AR Gov. Mike Huckabee has recorded an automated telephone call warning pro-lifers that Democrats and President Obama plan to eliminate all state and federal laws restricting abortion.  The calls have been reported in Virginia and Washington State. The caller identification traces the origin of the recording to a Northern Virginia telephone number, 703-263-0488; that number is used by FiSERV, Inc. an automated call center used by conservative groups. Huckabee's statement refers to the Freedom of Choice Act, which President Obama has promised to sign into law, although it has not yet been introduced in the new Congress. Proponents say the law would simply codify the regime that Roe v. Wade allows and would reduce abortions; opponents insist that it's not constitutional and would effectively reduce the latitude that states have to restrict abortion. A spokesperson for Huckabee's PAC did not return an e-mail seeking comment.

Facebook. That is nothing. What about how Politicians invade your privacy?

With all the outcry about Facebook's new Terms of Use and subsequent retraction, kind of, I thought it may be helpful to point out a few things about data, privacy, and political candidates, parties, and representatives.

Politicans, essentially, are BEYOND THE LAW.  They love to write laws for the rest of us to obey, but routinely exempt themselves from those same laws.  

Case in point?  The Do Not Call Registry.    Companies can't telemarket to citizens on the list anymore, but politicians can.

So, while we are all screaming about FaceBook, politicians are laughing at us.  Why?   Because all the screaming and yelling we do about Facebook (which is, guys, seriously, NOT REALLY very important) means that we are not screaming and yelling at the politicians about what they do and don't do with your data.

What do I mean?

1. Voter registration data is freely sold and used by politicians to invade your privacy EVERY CAMPAIGN SEASON.   

Really, How does this work?

1. You register to vote.  You put down your Name, address, and phone number.
2. Your registration information goes into your state voter registration database.
3. That database is sold / licensed to any qualified entity (candidate, party, or database vendor) so that they can contact you HOWEVER they wish.

What do you mean?  They can contact Me however they wish.

1. Candidate Smith is running for a Congressional race in your district.
2. He gets access to the state voter registration database.
3. He hires a consultant and a robo call vendor.
4. He records a robocall.
5. He starts to robo spam you whenever and however he wants.

What?  How can he spam me with robo calls whenever and however, he wants? There are laws, right?

1. He is a politician.  Politicians are EXEMPT from all Federal and most State do not call regulations.
2. He can do whatever he wants.
3. He can call you whenever he wants.
4. He can call you about whatever he wants.

But, there are laws about this, right?

1. No.
2. No.
3. No.

Want a more reasoned article by me?  Read my Washington Post Op-Ed from September, 2008.  Here is the link.

So, when you are getting all worked up about Facebook.  Facebook!  Remember, politicians are laughing at you and all voters.   They know that your memories are short and that while you hate getting your privacy invaded each election season, you'll soon forget and move on to more important things.

Like Facebook.

My Presentation on StopPoliticalCalls.org at Media Future Now

I gave a fun presentation in downtown DC today for a group called Media Future NOW.  

Here it is:

Media Future Now - The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Shaun Dakin

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business & Legal twitter shaun dakin

GOP PAC Reports Making anti-stimulus robos against Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snow, and Arlen Specter

This from Ben Smith at the Politico.  I don't know if this is nothing more than a PR announcement or are these real?  There are no audio files available from Let Freedom Ring and no members of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry have reported receiving one of these robo calls.

Anti-stimulus calls in Maine, Pennsylvania

The conservative group Let Freedom Ring has mounted a last-ditch effort to derail the stimulus, with a round of robocalls in the home states of Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snow, and Arlen Specter, asking residents to urge the senators to switch their positions and vote against the final bill.

"We are doing some interactive automated calling in both Maine and Pennsylvania urging people to call their senators to vote against the stimulus bill today," said Let Freedom Ring president Colin Hanna.

He said they'd placed about 150,000 calls altogether in the two states, and that radio ads are also running in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

DCCC Reports Plans to make Robos against GOP House Members over Stimulous

This in from TheHill.com:

DCCC hits seven GOPers with stimulus calls

By Reid Wilson

Posted: 02/09/09 12:03 PM [ET]

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will launch a second round of automated phone calls targeting Republicans who opposed the stimulus package and could be at risk in 2010. The calls attack seven freshmen, several of whom narrowly won their seats in 2008, for joining every other House Republican in voting against the package last week. The DCCC plans to highlight polls that suggest support is increasing for the economic stimulus legislation. "Did you know Congressman Tom Rooney voted against economic recovery that would immediately create and save nearly 330,000 Florida jobs?" asks a call targeting the freshman Florida Republican. "Times are tough. Tell Congressman Rooney to put families before politics," the caller intones. The calls are set to run against GOP Reps. Bill Cassidy (La.), John Fleming (La.), Brett Guthrie (Ky.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Christopher Lee (N.Y.) and Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.), in addition to Rooney. The calls come as a new Gallup Poll shows 51 percent of Americans say a stimulus plan is "critically important" and a week after the DCCC launched radio ads targeting 28 Republican members who voted against the package. The radio ads will end their run tomorrow. All seven freshmen targeted by the phone calls also had radio ads run against them. A spokesperson for the DCCC declined to detail the costs of the multi-pronged campaign.

All the @EndTheRoboCalls Twitter Followers Mosaic

If you follow @EndTheRobocalls on Twitter you may be in this Mosaic.

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Support H.R. 116 (111th)

Recently, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the following bill:

H.R. 116 (111th) - Robo Calls Off Phones (Robo COP) Act

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry is in full support of this bill. 

Summary follows:

Requires that the National Do-Not-Call Registry rules and regulations, which are currently aimed at tele-marketers, will also apply to politically oriented recorded messages. The definition of "politically oriented" includes any call (recorded message) whose purpose is to promote, advertise, campaign, or solicit donations, for or against any political candidate or regarding any political issue, or uses in the recorded message any political candidate's name. (by MAPLight.org)

Missouri Legislature Regulates Political Robocalls. Mostly a PR stunt.

Again, we start the "silly season".

The silly season?   That is the season where federal and state lawmakers introduce all types of bills that are primarily designed to make it appear that they care about an issue but, in reality, they have no intent to get it passed.  Instead, they get a few good press mentions and their constituents feel good that they elected them to office.  

Today we have reports out of Missouri that local lawmakers are, yet again, trying to introduce a bill that would regulate robocalls.

From local MO radio:

The legislature is taking its annual run at snuffing out those annoying automated telephone calls we get, especially during campaigns.

One of those behind the effort, Senator Scott Rupp, is a victim of his own campaign's robocalls. He says he did not know friends work working his behalf with automated phone messages when he ran for the senate in 2006...until he got calls at home from people angry at the robocalls. One even played the call back to him from an answering machine. As he put it, "people are sick of these."

His bill does not ban the calls. But it lets people avoid them. Missourians can still get robocalls if they have given permission for the calls; if they have a current or business relationship with the caller; or if the call is preceded by a real person announcing the recording is about to start.

The legislation adds cell-phones and other forms of electronic messaging to the no-call list, which now only covers land-line phones.

Senator David Pearce of Warrensburg has a similar bill. It requires a "live" operator to start the call, and requires the caller to disconnect within ten seconds after the hang-up.

A senate committee is likely to recommend debate in a few days.