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

Audio - More Scott Brown for US Senate Robocalls #MASEN

Audio - 2 More Scott Brown for US Senate Robocalls #MASEN

They keep coming.

Here is more Scott Brown robocalls from a voter in MA today.

Did you get one?

Winner: Mashable.com Open Web Award 2008

scott brown robo call # 3 on 1-15-10.wav

AARP Robocalling Georgia Urging Voters to Call Senators To Vote Yes On HealthCare Reform

I've been watching Twitter today and while most robocall tweets have been about CREW's ethics complaint about Sen John McCain making Health Care robocalls with GOP funds, there have been a few from a twitter account in Georgia.

Specifically from this account.

Here are the Actual tweets:

1. AARP is doing robo calls on #hcr and providing senator name and number to call. I've received THREE calls in the past hour!
2. @EndTheRoboCalls GA. I erased the message. it was a #hcr message w/ my senator name & # to call him and urge a yes vote for #hcr.
3. @EndTheRoboCalls the caller id#'s are 866-227-7449 and 866-542-8170

If anyone else received this robocall from AARP, please let me know.  I'm particularly interested in getting the audio file or transcript.

Political Action Committee Attempts to Over Ride State Laws That Ban Robocalls, Including Political Robos

Shaun Dakin, CEO, StopPoliticalCalls.org

STATEMENT

Citizens for Civil Discourse is dismayed that a Political Action Committee, in this case the American Future Fund, is asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to over ride individual state laws that ban all robocalls, including political calls.  There are many states in which robocalls, commercial and political, are banned.  Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Arkansas are a few in which residents of those states live free from having their dinner interrupted and babies woken up.

Comments are due today to the FEC regarding this attempt by the AFF to over ride all existing state laws that ban pre-recorded telephone calls (robocalls).  

The AFF's argument is that pre-recorded telephone calls are political speech and therefore should be regulated by the FEC rather than by individual states.  This is because the FEC regulates other forms of political speech such as advertising, such as TV ads.

My organization, Citizens for Civil Discourse, will be filling formal written comments to the FEC today in which we ask that the FEC deny AFF's request.  

We believe that each state has the right to regulate consumer issues and that the right to be free from automated pre-recorded telephone calls, regardless if they are political or commercial in nature, is something that every American demands. It is incorrect to believe that states are not able to regulate "instrumentalities" that become objects of use during a political or advocacy campaign. 

For example, state traffic laws affect campaigners going to and from events and gun laws are still applied to campaigners at pro-gun rallies.    As a result, just because a regulation impacts those in the political context does not mean the state is trying to regulate the political discourse.  Rather, issues like privacy, safe roads, and safety from violent harm are legitimate interests of their own that legislators at the state level must able to protect.

  Shaun Dakin

UPDATE:  The press has just written about this issue.

1. Star Tribune (MN) - Link here
2. Chicago Tribune (AP) - Link here

If you are interested, here is a link to a map of all state robocall laws.  Click here.

Two Letters To The Editor in the Washington Post Blast Political Robocalls

Shaun Dakin, CEO, The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - StopPoliticalCalls.org

Writing a letter to the editor can seem to be an exercise in futility, particularly when you write to one of the large national daily papers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.

That is why I was in complete surprise that the Washington Post today published two letters about Voter Privacy Rights (neither from me).  The surprise is that the Post took up very valuable space to publish two letters that essentially have the same overall purpose and perspective.

It is time for another LTE from me!

Letter One can be found here and below:

Signs of political hypocrisy

Friday, November 6, 2009

Here are a couple of thoughts after this off-year election: Why is it that I can be on a federally mandated do-not-call list that applies to just about everyone except those who make the law? Why does it remain illegal in our area to post signs within roadway rights of way, except for those who make the law?

Every time I receive a call during election season and every time I see our roads littered with political signs, it only serves to remind me of the hypocrisy of those whom we elect.

David C. Sullivan, Sterling

Letter Two can be found here and below:

Sorry, Democrats, wrong number

Friday, November 6, 2009

I have been a reliably Democratic voter for more than three decades, but this year no Virginia Democrat got my vote. Why? It's not that my political philosophy has changed. It's not that I'm disillusioned with the candidates. I've simply had it with the robo-calls.

What idiot consultant told them this was the way to get their message out?

Here's the message I get:

(1.) We have no respect for your time or intelligence (2.) We have no real volunteers, so we hired this service (3.) That donation you made last year -- this is how we are spending it.

There won't be any more of those, either.

Stephen R. Coffee, Falls Church

MSNBC - Why Robocalls, Though Banned, Keep Coming

Great video that explains why so many organizations, including politicians, are exempt from the Do Not Call Registry ban on Robocalls.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Reports that OFA (Obama) Making Robocalls On Behalf of Deeds In Virginia Governor Race

By Shaun Dakin, CEO of Citizens for Civil Discourse and the National Political Do Not Contact Registry.  Learn more at StopPoliticalCalls.org

Reports coming in this afternoon that Robocalls are hitting voters in Virgina and elsewhere by Mitch Stewart, the head of Organizing for America (Obama's Political Action Group).

Here are the tweets so far:

• Just got robocall from Mitch Stewart with DNC, asking me to help canvass for Creigh Deeds in Virginia. Tweet link here.
  
• Just got a robocall from Mitch Stewart and OFA asking me to gotv/phonebank for Creigh Deeds. I live in Pennsylvania. Tweet link here.
• Me too. RT @mikemadden: Just got robocall from Mitch Stewart with DNC, asking me to help canvass for Creigh Deeds in Virginia. Tweet link here.
• Organizing 4 America is doing robocalls for GOTV for Deeds in VA. Just got a call from mitch stewart asking me to knock & phone bank. Tweet link here.
• ....did I really just get a robocall to my cell phone from Mitch Stewart about the Virginia Governor race? Ugh.... Tweet link here.
• just got my first robocall from the Obama campaign.  Tweet link here.
• @mikemadden I just got the OFA robocall too. On my cell. How'd they get that number? (I'm looking at you, @billburton44) Tweet link here.
• Mitch Stewart just robo-called asking me to phone bank or volunteer for Creigh Deeds. Call paid for by DNC. Tweet link here.
  

Comments:

1. This is the first time that the "White House" has entered the Virginia Governor's race via robocall.  There were reports of OFA sending emails to the VA Obama email list in the past week.  I did not recieve one.
2. This is the second robocall paid for by a national group on behalf of Deeds.  I reported on the DNC making robos last week here. (Audio available)
3. Robos to cell phones:  Interesting that the robocalls reported are going to many people's cell phones as well as specific reporters.  I guess that is a way to get it covered?
   

If you have the audio, let me know.

UPDATE:

Sam Stein, of the Huffington Post, has a post about this here.

The Robos Are Here: The Worst Political Robocall (and Weirdest) of The Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. 
CONTACT:  SHAUN DAKIN.  703 201 1146

Washington, DC:  January 1st, 2009.   John McCain and Robert Morrow (Anti-Hillary Robocalls) win the first annual Robos!, The People's Choice for the Worst and Weirdest Political Robocalls of the Year.

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - StopPoliticalCalls.org - announced today the winners of the first annual Robos!, The Worst and Weirdest Political Robocalls of the Year.   After almost 10,000 votes were cast online, the verdict is in for the year's worst and weirdest robocalls.

With a slate of eight robocalls for the Worst Robocall category and five for the weirdest there were clear winners in the People's Choice Robos!

1. The Worst Robocall:  John McCain - Domestic Terrorist, Bill Ayers.
2. The Weirdest Robocall:  Robert Morrow -  Anti Hillary Robo calls in SC - Hillary Treats People Like They are Invisible.

The Worst Robocall - John McCain - Domestic Terrorist, Bill Ayers.

At 30% of the overall vote, this was the clear winner.  This was the call that really got the McCain campaign on the map, at least regarding robocalls.   News outlets picked up on the negative tone of the robocall and played it over and over again, particularly the cable outlets.   Colin Powell specifically called out John McCain over robocalls and it was probably this one he was referring to when he endorsed Obama on Meet the Press.  McCain had to defend the use of robocalls in interview after interview.  Saturday Night Live created a character on Weekend Update called Robocall.

Paid for:  McCain / Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee

Transcript: "Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500."  Audio at this article by Ben Smith at the Politico.

The Runner's Up:  (Click here for more information about these calls including audio)

• Dole for US. Senate - Godless
• John McCain - Cling to our Guns because bitter
• Rev. Wright Robo call -  NewModelsUSA.org
• Obama - Joe The Plumber
• Unknown - Purportedly from Republican Senate candidate and current state Rep. Mick Mulvaney
• John McCain - Castro Prefers Obama (Spanish)
• Obama - McCain is a disaster for the Middle Class

The Weirdest Robocall:  Robert Morrow -  Anti Hillary Robo calls in SC - Hillary Treats People Like They are Invisible.

At 33% of the overall vote this was a surprise, as this robocall did not receive the same national attention some of the other calls did in this category.  Most robocalls are conducted by campaigns, PACS, Unions, or political parties.  Few people know that just about anyone can send robocalls to just about anyone else, as long as they are considered one of the three exempt entities that are allowed to make robocalls in the USA.  These are political calls, charity calls, and market research calls.  Robert Morrow claims that he made these calls alone and with no coordination with any outside group.  Click here for more about this man.  Click here for the audio.

Paid for:  Robert Morrow.  Citizen.  Conducted during the primaries in South Carolina.

Transcript: Hello. FBI agent Gary Aldrich says that Hillary on Inauguration Day, 1993 was in an uncontrolled and unbridled fury, yelling and screaming profanities, because she was not allowed to have Vice President Al Gore’s office in the White House. Hillary treats people like they are invisible; can you trust her?

Hillary knew about and helped cover up Bill’s rape of Juanita Broaddrick. Hillary treats women like they are invisible; can you trust her?

Hillary hired Jack Palladino to run a terror campaign on Kathleen Willey to keep her quiet about what Bill had done to her. They nail gunned her car tires and stole or killed her pet cat named Bullseye. Hillary thinks cats are expendable; can you trust her?

After Bill pulled down his britches and EXPOSED himself to Paula Jones, Hillary’s friend James Carville said “Drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you’ll find.” Hillary treats women like they are invisible, can you trust her?

Hillary told TIME Magazine in June, 1996, that she was thinking about adopting a child, despite the fact Bill was having an affair with Monica and Hillary knew he had a whole harem in the White House. Hillary was having her own affairs with Vince Foster, probably Webb Hubbell and even others. Hillary makes up fairy tales about adopting an orphan child, can you trust her?

This message is from Robert Morrow on behalf of everyone who has been violated and abused by Hillary and Bill – treated like they were invisible. Hillary sure does say a lot of things, doesn’t she - but can you trust her?  Click here for the audio.

The Runner's Up: (Click here for more information about these calls including audio)

• Minnesota Family Council talking to kids about sex without their parents' permission
• Zane Starkwolf for Congress – Sexy Robocall
• Unknown - Suspected -  Republican Senate candidate Rep. Mick Mulvaney
• Scarlett Johansson for Obama

About The National Political Do Not Contact Registry (StopPoliticalCalls.org)

StopPoliticalCalls.org is the only non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States that advocates for the privacy of voters.   Specifically we advocate for:

1. The addition of Political Calls to the Federal and State Do Not Call Registries.  Today, political calls are exempt from most do not call regulations.  With the exception of Indiana, there are few states that regulate political robocalls.
2. Politicians to stop calling, particularly robo calling, voters who are on the National Do Not Call Registry run by the FTC.  The registry has over 160 million phone numbers to date and most citizens sign up to stop all phone calls, not simply commercial telemarketing.
3. Politicians to take a "Do Not Robocall" pledge and to agree to either A) stop robocalls completely or B) stop robocalls to those voters who sign up at StopPoliticalCalls.org and provide their phone numbers with that intent.
4. The passage of the Robocall Privacy Act (Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) sponsor) in which the worst abuses of robocalls would be regulated at the federal level.
5. The enforcement of existing laws at the state and federal level around robocalls.  For example, CA has a robocall ban in the state, but it is not enforced by the enforcing authority.  On the other hand, Indiana has a similar law that has been enforced to data by Steve Carter, the IN AG.

The National Political Do Not Contact Registry can be found on the web at StopPoliticalCalls.org and on Twitter at @EndTheRobocalls

The Robos: The People's Choice For the Worst and Weirdest Robocalls in 2008

Washington, DC - Shaun Dakin, CEO The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Sign up for free at StopPoliticalCalls.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:  Shaun Dakin, CEO and Founder, 703 201 1146

The Robos:  The First Annual Worst and Weirdest Robocall Awards

Washington, DC.  The National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC) is pleased to announce the first ever people's choice awards for the Worst and Weirdest Robocall for campaign 2008:  The Robos.   While the professional political consultants have their own awards such as the Reeds and the Pollies, it is time for the people to vote on the top form of voter privacy invasion:  The Robocall.

"According to the PEW center, robocalls are now the top form of campaign communication.  The NPDNC is the only non-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that is working to create a political do not contact registry," said Shaun Dakin, CEO and Founder.  "Voters were overwhelmed by robocall spam, sometimes by 10-15 calls a day, this election cycle and it is time for the voters to tell the candidates, "don't call us, we'll call you."

What:  The Award for 2008's Worst and Weirdest Robocall -   The First Annual National Political Do Not Contact Registry Robos!

Who and How:  Members of StopPoliticalCalls.org and the general public can go to this page and vote!

Where:  At StopPoliticalCalls.org

When:  Between now and December 19th, 2008;  Winners will be announced New Year's Day, 2009.

Rules:  You can vote once a day until 12/19.

Prize:  The Winners will receive a special robocall just for them.   (All applicable FTC and State telemarketing rules will be followed)

Categories:

1. The Worst Robocall Of All
2. The Weirdest or Slimiest Robocall Of All

About the NPDNC:

StopPoliticalCalls.org is the only non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States that advocates for the privacy of voters.   Specifically we advocate for:

1. Politicians to stop calling, particularly robo calling, voters who are on the National Do Not Call Registry run by the FTC.  The registry has over 160 million phone numbers to date and most citizens sign up to stop all phone calls, not simply commercial telemarketing.
2. Politicians to take a "Do Not Robocall" pledge and to agree to either A) stop robocalls completely or B) stop robocalls to those voters who sign up at StopPoliticalCalls.org and provide their phone numbers with that intent.
3. The passage of the Robocall Privacy Act (Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) sponsor) in which the worst abuses of robocalls would be regulated at the federal level.
4. The enforcement of existing laws at the state and federal level around robocalls.  For example, CA has a robocall ban in the state, but it is not enforced by the enforcing authority.  On the other hand, Indiana has a similar law that has been enforced to data by Steve Carter, the IN AG.

Washington, DC - Shaun Dakin, CEO The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Sign up for free at StopPoliticalCalls.org