From Reuters....

Campaigns Pick Up the Phone to Get Out the Vote
Fri Sep 24, 2004 01:27 PM ET

By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swing-state voters might want to let the answering machine screen their calls over the next several weeks -- President Bush or Sen. John Kerry could be on the line.

Commercial telemarketing calls have declined sharply since the national "do not call" list took effect nearly a year ago, but voters are likely to hear plenty of prerecorded messages from politicians on the stump as the Nov. 2 election approaches.

"Especially if you're in a swing state, you're never going to be able to sit down and have dinner," said Robert Bulmash, president of Private Citizen Inc., a privacy rights group.

Aluminum-siding salesmen and other telemarketers must steer clear of 62 million phone numbers on the no-call list, and must abide by a long list of other regulations.

For example, they cannot use automatically dialed "robo calls" that deliver a recorded message.

But the politicians who wrote these rules face few restrictions themselves, thanks to court rulings that extend greater protection to political speech than to commercial speech.

At a cost of five cents each, robo calls present a tempting alternative to expensive TV ads, direct mail campaigns and door-knocking, campaign experts say.

"There must be some way that political speech can be communicated if you're going to have a free society," said Wayne Johnson, a Republican media consultant. "It's getting harder to reach voters."

CRUCIAL FOR MARION BARRY

Telemarketing played an important role in former Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry's Sept. 14 Democratic primary victory for a City Council seat.

The campaign identified 4,000 active supporters and called them on a regular basis to volunteer or show up for rallies, campaign manager Velda Bell said.

The campaign also robo-called every registered voter in the ward shortly before election day. Barry won by 2,700 votes amid light turnout.

Barry is fortunate Robert Arkow lives on the opposite side of the country. The California resident filed a complaint in 1998 against a gubernatorial candidate who left recorded messages on his answering machine.

The Federal Communications Commission found in Arkow's favor, ruling that Republican candidate Dan Lungren did not identify himself properly.

Campaigning for Congress this year, Lungren used robo calls to notify voters of a last-minute endorsement by a popular talk radio host just before the March primary and will probably use them again down the stretch, campaign officials said.

"Without the ability to deliver that very late endorsement to people ... we'd probably wouldn't have won" the primary, said Johnson, the Republican media consultant.

Arkow won't be hearing from Lungren this year as he lives far from the Northern California district where Lungren is running.

But Arkow has girded himself anyhow: His answering machine warns that politicians who leave a prerecorded message will be billed a $500 storage fee.

"As consumers, we need to fight back," he said. "If they expect everybody else to follow the rules they should too."

Research by Yale University professor Donald Green has found that robo calls don't have any measurable effect on voter turnout, while personal calls can generate one extra vote for every 20 to 50 calls.

"Overall there's a sense of annoyance for people who call in an uninvited way," Green said. "The question is whether this annoyance makes telemarketing calls ineffective."

Campaigns are unlikely to ponder that question as they spend the last of their money.

One of the major parties is booking up dozens of call centers around the country for Election Day, said telemarketing consultant Robert Kaiser. Those who do not show up to vote will get reminder calls over the course of the day, he said.

If some voters find that annoying, that is a risk the party is willing to take, said Kaiser, who declined to name the party.

"If we upset five of them to get 500, well, we upset five to get 500," he said.

Is there ANY way to stop these? I unfortunately live in a swing state, and have gotten 5 calls in the last 7 days. This is NUTS. And there's still 20+ days to go.

If the call is prerecorded, and it doesn't say who initiated it and provide a telephone number, then I try to contact who made the call and inform them of the law.

As an example, I recently received a prerecorded call that said it was from "America Coming Together PA". They gave a www site of www.act04.org, but no telephone number. I looked up their number on their www site and called them. I spoke with someone who seemed interested in what I had to say. I faxed him a copy of 47 CFR 64.1200(b)(1) and (b)(2), and a copy of the letter from the FCC to Robert Arkow concerning similar prerecorded messages on behalf of Dan Lundgren.

Sure enough I got a second (different from the first) prerecorded message from them just the other day. But this time there was a telephone number provided in the message.

Today the guy I talked with from "America Coming Together PA" called me to thank me for informing him about the FCC's rules. In turn, I thanked him for following through so quickly and putting their telephone number in all of their prerecorded messages.

Sometimes things work....

On the other hand, I continue to get prerecorded messages that say they're paid for by either the Democratic or Republican Party, and I have been unable to get anyone who knows anything about the calls.

But you can bet I'll keep trying....

Well, I finally tracked down the telephone for the calls (since it wasn't mentioned in the call) and had them remove my name from the list. It worked for a week. The calls resumed, so I called again requesting to be removed. Now today, I have AGAIN received calls, all from the same organization. (Still with no telephone number or contact information by the way) I'd file a complaint with the FCC if I thought it would do any good. I tell you one thing, it sure is NOT making me want to vote for this candidate.

I have been averageing 3-4 calls per day from both the Bush & Kerry campaigns I have attempted to contact both parties to put and end to the calls however they both claim they are not making these calls. I work nights and it is pretty hard to get decent sleep when both campaigns are calling me every other hour. Sure is starting to make Nader look plausable for my vote!

Both parties have phone spammed me with robot mudslinging ads, at all times of the day and night. I resolved the issue by plugging a telezapper in, and setting it to advanced mode.

Goodby political phone spam.

Meanwhile, I didn't vote for either one. It's bad enough that they spammed my DBS satelite with mudslinging ads, and I didn't appreceate that, either.

Maybe this should go here? LOL


I do wonder about the possibility of creating
XXX rated ring tones for Cell phones.

Not sure how there done but, I think that they are basicly a recording.

So lets for a minute remember that Survey calls are NOT regulated

Right?

Well The survey I am thinking of doing involves me playing a political recording of Laura Bush to un suspecting idiots.

You know just to get their reaction? on tape.


Can you imagine a ring tone where some one calls her a whore or uses some other kind of profanity.

Now would that not be PRICELESS?

Can you imagine standing in a check out line a Walmart while your ring tone goes into action.

Ok maybe you 'll get your ass whipped in the red states.
But with the deep pockets of Walmart you be making all kinds of money LOLl

It seems politicians are exempt from the DO NOT CALL list. But, Never fear, For I have Is Crooks voice on tape. Maybe myself and others can buy an untraceable cell phone from the truck stop.
Than about a week or two before the election we can call people with his voice between 12 midnight and 6 AM using the untraceable phones. LOL
This might be just what is needed to teach this liberal a lesson.
So does anyone want to help me? Here is a link to the harassing phone call I received here.

http://members.cox.net/daysleepin/please_c...t_for_sound.htm

Please feel free to download a copy and use as you see fit. Since it is nothing more than unwanted phone spam.
Who knows as we play this tape to people in the AM? Maybe we can record the profanity it creates from people in the we hours of the morning?

http://members.cox.net/daysleepin/please_c...t_for_sound.htm