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Obama Campaign Hammers McCain Robocalls As "Dishonorable And Dishonest"
The Obama campaign is hitting back at McCain over the two McCain robocalls we've reported on here today and yesterday, one saying that Obama put "Hollywood above America," and the other saying that Obama and Dems "aren't who you think they are."
Asked for comment on the calls, Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor sends over this statement:
"John McCain's campaign has admitted that the economy is a losing issue for them, so he's chosen to launch dishonorable and dishonest attacks like this. John McCain can't defend the fact that he's voted with George Bush's disastrous policies 90% of the time and will continue the same Bush-McCain economic policies American families can't afford."
Not a single reader has reported any Obama robocalls.
By contrast, we have unconfirmed reader reports that the "Hollywood above America" call has reached seven states -- North Carolina, Missouri, Wisconsin, Colorado, Pennsylvania. Minnesota, Virginia, and Ohio. That suggests a major campaign is underway. More as we learn it.
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Do robocalls even work? My response to calls from solicitors is generally hostile.
October 16, 2008 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
From a HuffPo article on McCain's robocalling -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/gop-mccain-appear-to-domi_n_135246.html
October 16, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks Jonze, the quote from Dakin at the National Do not call registry was pretty telling.
October 16, 2008 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Dishonorable and Dishonest" Two big buttons guaranteed to set McCain off. According to Patrick Healy, this ability to get under an opponent's skin is a signature Obama strength.
October 16, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://i35.tinypic.com/jtqwxt.jpg
October 16, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant!
October 16, 2008 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant!
October 16, 2008 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hollywood above America? That old canard? Oh my.
I laughed hard at the whiny reason McCain gave last night as to why he gone so negative -- because Obama would not go with him on a town hall junket.
October 16, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hilarious, isn't it?
Every bad thing about this campaign is all because Obama wouldn't agree to forty thousand town halls.
In fact, it's probably because of that refusal that John McCain had to spend five years in a box.
Hey Stash!
October 16, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Totally. Say, CT, are you having trouble posting too? I keep getting kicked out to some page telling that no nodes are available and having to sign on all the time. Anyone else experiencing this?
October 16, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The nodes are in a meeting. Would you like to leave a message?
Well, you can't because...
The nodes are in a meeting. Would you like to leave a message?
October 16, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL! Feels like it. Seriously. ;)
I would like to like this new TPM. But I'm having a hard time with it. Maybe it's the network I use or something. I've seen Josh go through multiple changes since 2002, but I never commented before this year. So it was never that important to me. I've always liked what he's done. This one may take some getting used to. I still cannot get my profile up. dang.
The live blogging last night was fab.
October 16, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can take a look if you'd like me to. I'm not a licensed "Node guy" but hell! I don't have a plumber's license either.
October 16, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It takes forever to post.
And I get the "unable to..." whatever error message which I ignore, because it also provides me with a link back to Election Central.
Practically every time I leave a comment I have to sign in. Sometimes I don't. Don't know the difference between times.
But hey, at least we have preview!!
October 16, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anybody else unable to see their recent posts, or the elements of their profile, like in the good old days? I not only can't, I can't update my profile.
October 16, 2008 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ditto to everything you've said!! Having the same problems. When I got to update it tells me that movabletype's time has run out, and then kicks me out.
October 16, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Everything about this "upgrade" sucks so far.
October 16, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hiya Pete!!! :)
October 16, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, after McCain loses: "If Obama had only agreed to the townhall meetings..."
October 16, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's true. I don't think that the Dems are going to contribute to -- 1)more and bigger wars. 2)wrecking the economy more. 3)leaving the American worker behind and letting them fall of the earth. 4)a more wrecked health care system.
So yeah. They are right. The Dems will hopefully behave unlike what McCain's own party and president GWB has done and unlike what John McCain would like to do.
October 16, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
One day this election will be over.
October 16, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd say that "all good things must come to an end", but with the rising attention being given to Joe Plumber, it's more like "Good God in Heaven! When is this insanity going to end???"
October 16, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL! Co-Sign.
October 16, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Easy now...
October 16, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
The email address of that nice lady who did the obama/watermellon food stamp can be found here:Diane Fedele
In case you have a view or two to share with her.
October 16, 2008 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know what you're referring to....
October 16, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry: it was on the TPM front page (unless that's not the front page)
October 16, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow!
THAT'S really offensive...
October 16, 2008 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think robocalls have the exact opposite effect, just like how you don't want to talk to, let alone buy anything, from a telemarketer.
Oh, and fyi, Joe the Plumber, hates taxes so much sometimes he doesn't even pay them.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Joe_the_Plumber_No_new_taxes__and_no_old_oneseither.html?showall
October 16, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL. I love your nym and avatar. Totally! ;)
thanks for the link.
October 16, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Welcome to the Mostly Black Cat Avitar Association(tm)
October 16, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks! ;)
As CT said down thread - Tuxedo cats 'R Us and we are for Obama. Yay! ;)
October 16, 2008 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
it would still be josephcast, but mccain keeps drawing me back in.....
October 16, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Hollywood above America." I wonder what Reagan would think of that slogan.
http://pufferfish.typepad.com/
October 16, 2008 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tuxedo Cats 'R Us!
October 16, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Co-sign, again! Yes! Tuxedo cats R Us! As well as Tuxedo's For Obama. ;)
October 16, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
D'oh! This was supposed to be in response to ClosetLuddite....Sorry, Danny. Must seem like a total non sequitur.
October 16, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pride of the Tuxedo Cats! You're all so cute I want to take you home.
October 16, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Co-sign, again! Yes! Tuxedo cats R Us! As well as Tuxedo's For Obama. ;)
October 16, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
My profile wouldn't accept my Tortie cat avatar (maybe we'd reached critical Tuxedo-cat mass), so I had to go with my Regal Beagle. Love your cats, though!
BTW, no problems posting for the last couple of days, but over the weekend I got kicked completely out of the system and had to e-mail them from the link at the top of the page. My problem got fixed right away (FWIW, I cleared all of my cookies and saved sign-ins--really a pain--and that worked).
October 16, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain said in the debate he denounced and repudiated any remarks he thought crossed the line or he disagreed with, however as of yet he has failed to do either to the Virginia GOP Chairman who told canvassers and phone bankers to draw comparisons between bin Ladin and Obama saying "both had friends who bombed the Pentagon", and has stood by those remarks when further questioned.
Now it comes out McCain will actually appear with with Jeff Frederick while campaigning in Virginia.
Full story here - http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/16/mccain-virginia-frederick/
October 16, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Word is that McCain has another thing in common with vampires: he's no longer looking at himself in mirrors.
October 16, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Saying the Dems aren't who you think they are is a good thing. Some people think they are liberal big spenders who kill babies and love gay sex. It's true, they are NOT who you think they are.
Thank you McCain, Obama will win, but not without the help from you.
October 16, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
They're not liberal?
October 16, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
We are tracking robocalls across the nation at our blog.
There are some Obama robocalls, but not many.
blog.StopPoliticalCalls.org
Shaun Dakin
CEO
http://www.stoppoliticalcalls.org/index.php
October 16, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ben Smith at Politico also picked up a third one, a direct Ayers hit, and the transcript is below:
October 16, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
A friend of mine (in Cleveland, Ohio) just called to say that he had received the ''terrorist'' RNC call. He's not exactly a liberal, but was infuriated by the message. And he's voting for Obama. McCain's hate-mongering may well blow up in his pasty face. I sure hope so.
October 16, 2008 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I said it back in January -- the Republican strategy will be to provide cover for those who would otherwise feel guilty voting based on 19th-century identity politics.
Whether their "supporters" are voting against a Dem because of race (or gender), all they need is a rationalization sufficient to make them feel false righteousness.
I sincerely doubt that more than a handful of Americans believe that Obama is Muslim, or (friends with) a terrorist. They just say it that way because it sounds more "polite" than "I hate him because he's a ni**er."
October 16, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who even listens to those robocalls? First there is silence with a clicking noise - obvious what's coming. Then we just hang up. If we had decent cell phone reception at home (like at Cindy's ranch) we wouldn't even need a landline.
October 16, 2008 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink