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Worst Yet? McCain Campaign Robocall Ties Obama To "Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers"

This McCain campaign robocall tying Obama to William Ayers may be the worst one yet.

The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee are pumping a robocall into multiple states that directly alleges that Obama has "worked closely" with "domestic terrorist Bill Ayers," whose organization has "killed Americans," according to multiple reader reports and an audio recording we listened to.

The caller begins by announcing that he's calling on behalf of McCain and the RNC. the call continues:

"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."

The call concludes by saying it was "paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee."

An Ohio reader played us the call over the phone, and we'll have audio for you soon. A second reader, Bruce Shortz, a self-identified entrepreneurial businessman in New Mexico, confirms to us that he received a call with the same script, as did a third reader in Minnesota.

Indeed readers are reporting having received Ayers robocalls all over the country: In New Mexico, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri.

Okay, to recap: We now have three McCain robocalls, at least two of which are being pumped into multiple battleground states. One questions Obama's patriotism, charging he put "Hollywood above America." The second says that Obama and Dems "aren't who you think they are" and says they merely "say" they want to keep us safe.

And now we have a third one that says Obama "worked closely" with a "domestic terrorist" who bombed the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon and killed Americans. Needless to say, a major campaign is underway.

Separately, although we've received no reports of any such calls, the Obama camp may be running them as well, though The Huffington Post reports that McCain is outspending Obama on robocalls by three to one.

Late Update: Here's audio:

Late Late Update: This is interesting. Ben Smith reports that the call may have also reached into Northern Virginia, Maine, Florida and Missouri, too. That's massive.


130 Comments

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Bigots are everywhere.
Unfortunately they exist and they aren't all just in Ohio.

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I know, and I also know you are one of the good guys. Your point is true where I live, and I am in CA. A patient said the other day to me that Obama is a pretend ni**er, I was speechless.

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Sigh...

I realize it sounds somewhat histrionic, but I really am ashamed of, and embarrassed for, these people. Note that it was the Al Jazeera network. The whole world must look on with disgust. How shameful.

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Ick.

McCain has no integrity left.

I guess he hasn't, in some time, but this is really revealing.

God help us all if these robocalls work.

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Finally, William Ayers Responds to McCain
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=4033

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"I don't care about an old, washed-up terrorist,"

Yeah, OK McCain, sure thing...

Is this just that McCain Campaign lag time problem? Where it takes 3-4 days to get new talking points and ads out?

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McCain Still Receives Big $$$s from Keating S&L Figure Linked to BCCI and Organized Crime
Posted by leveymg in General Discussion
Thu Aug 21st 2008, 06:18 PM
A lot of people are familiar with S&L crook Charles Keating's illegal contributions to John McCain in the 1980s. What most don't know, however, was that Keating was implicated in the BCCI takeover of a number of S&Ls, including his own. With me, so far?

Carl Lindner, an Ohio billionaire with CIA and underworld connections who owned Chiquita Bananas, was Charles Keating's original partner, banker, and mentor. Lindner got Keating wrapped up with schemes involving the usual cast of BCCI characters, shady Saudi bankers, the Bush family, and Iran-Contra money laundering. Keating was always a sort of pass-through guy, without any real money of his own. But, a lot of money flowed through Keating to McCain and his wife, Cindy, in an Arizona real estate scam. Lindner who was recently convicted of financing Right-wing death squads in Colombia, is still giving big, dirty campaign checks to McCain. Now, that's a story that the American people need to hear.


leveymg's Journal - THE CRIMES AND COVERUPS OF JOHN McCAIN, “REFORMER” Jun 3, 2008 ... Like the Bush Family, McCain had his Hand in the BCCI and S&L Scandals McCain claims that his involvement in the Keating S&L scandal wasn’t ...
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/... - 48k

McCain Backer's Firm Pleaded Guilty To Funding Terrorist Group In Colombia ...Jul 2, 2008 ... Late last week, Lindner co-hosted a $25000-per-person fundraiser for McCain and the Republican Party in the wealthy Indian Hills ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/02/m... - 146k -

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They receive the robocall and they STILL could give a rat's ass about Ayers. Seriously, this story, this fictional talking point, is DEAD.

Or maybe the whole University of Chicago is a terrorist organization. Uh oh, that could be a new mcLame ad.

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Any university is a terrorist organization, filled with those pointy-headed lefty intellectuals...I should know.

And if McCain starts ranting about the University of Chicago, I'll just laugh my ass off...given Ayers doesn't even work there.

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oops, yeah I meant University of Illinois at Chicago.

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No matter, universities are evil in their world. After all, they teach evolutionism...

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NOt to mention that they're chock full of people who know how to pronounce "nuclear". Those damned liberal elites!

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They also know how to pronounce the final "g" in "-ing." Elitists.

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Yeah, that Milton Friedman was a terrorist communist, for sure!

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All the polls over the last week have shown that Ayres is *not working* for McCain. If anything it's turning independent voters off. So why the hell is he going for these robocalls about Ayres and equally desperate topics? Does he want to lose? I don't get it.

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It's going to only get worse from here on out because with the final debate last night, McCain can no longer be questioned about his campaign smears and gutter attacks.

We're still about a 10-14 days away from Rev. Wright being brought up though - they want to save that for the final week to make sure it's fresh in voters minds.

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I bet Letterman will give him some questioning tonight.

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I'm telling you, the last week will be the video of Obama saying there's no way he could be ready to be President by 2008.

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But then there would be a rebuttal of such ad with McCain saying he ran for no great cause in 2000, but pure ambition (even though when he announced his candidacy for that election he said it was not for ambition, but some great cause) - tapes of both remarks exist. Also there is a tape of McCain saying he's likely be retired by this time, saying he thought he'd be too old for the Senate.

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The undecideds aren't undecided about McCain's age, they're undecided about Obama's readiness...

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You hope.

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It's not about McCain's age, it's about his readiness and motivation. If he thought he'd be too old for the Senate when asked about running again in 2000, well the President's job is much more vigorous an undertaking. And regarding his motivation, he lied about it before, is he lying again? Does he just want to be President to finally outrank Daddy and Grand Daddy?

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And you should probably look at the polls that ask about McCain's age.

A not insignificant chunk of the population is pretty uncomfortable with the notion of a 72 year old president. In that sense, you're right: they're not undecided. They don't want it.

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I seriously doubt that the supposed numbers of "undecideds" is anywhere near accurate. Mostly likely, they're either not that interested in voting anyway, crave the attention, or are unwilling to publicly admit that they won't vote for one candidate or the other because of less-than-noble reasons (age, race, etc.).

It also seems rather obvious that at least some of those in the televised groups are faux-independents, attempts by both campaigns to drive a bandwagon effect towards their candidates.

"Joe the Plumber"? Sounds like a casting call from All the President's Men.

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Yeah, that will work splendidly after the majority of the country already agrees that Obama won all debates.

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Dude, if you think these guys are playing to a majority of the counrty you're wrong. There's 15% out there who they're after which includes the 2 or 3% in the "I think I want..." category.

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I think I want a Big Mac. No! A quarter pounder. Can I change my order?

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If you're voting for Obama you should order another Whooper (couldn't resist).

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Blast! You turn my snark against me! I guess I'll now take my Sarah Palin Junior Whopper joke and toss it out the window. Maybe I can salvage it with a McCaribou joke?

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I really think that McCain yearns for the good ole' days before the internets and Youtubes. These robocalls are a pretty sly way to sneak a dirty ad in, without it getting much Youtube and internet play.

Nice to know that it takes an outside source to make McCain appear honest, he is unable to do it on his own.

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This is all just a prelude to "El Robocall Ultimato" in which one picks up the phone and just hears, "No, no, no, not God Bless America - God DAMN America! ... No, no, no, not God Bless America - God DAMN America" on a 40 second loop before a frail old woman's voice breaks in: "He sat in that hateful church for 20 years..."

I'm John McCain and I approve this message!

It's coming, folks, it's coming...

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"It's in the Bible!" I think you nailed it Billy.

http://pufferfish.typepad.com/

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I dunno.

It's not that I think McCain has any integrity left. I don't. But wouldn't now be the time to unveil that? Why wait?

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I don't think he'll overtly raise the issue. But robo calls are where you really let the dirt fly. Just a guess. But there's little indication that McCain won't use every weapon at his disposal. And targeting voters his campaign thinks might be open to the Wright attack would seem a move they'd be willing to take.

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McCain’s Robo-Calls Claim Obama’s a Robot
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=4057

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I received this in PA as well -- you'll note that it has a wrong phone number tagged at the end. The number mentioned goes to a DC area obstetrics office.

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I saw that, but was not sure if it was a photo shopped thing or if it was for real. Did he really do that??!

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Here's another angle:

Ouch, again. This doesn't look good. At. All.

Have fun at work!

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He did do this, I saw him, and looked at my husband and said, now THAT is going to look bad tomorrow.

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He really did. Cool, right?

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LOL! It looks almost doctored.

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McIgor is having a where Wolf Blitzer moment.

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Woah! it looks like his inner Voldemort coming out there.

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I wish I could design a program which could destroy those calls. I hope they are missing the cell-phone only crowd. I don't want one of those calls on my phone.

Well, this was a fun hangout. Thanks t'all. I'm out. Gotta go to work.

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Completely disgusting, and par for the course for the dishonorable John McCain.

Please remember these last couple months of the campaign next time any of you feel the slightest urge to 'feel sorry for' either McCain or Sarah Palin.

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http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/16/1487/5140/593/621805

According to this person at Kos, the robocall is hitting NC voters too.

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Of course this is an absurd attack, but it would be a mistake to simply laugh it off.

I recommend something along the lines of "the Republicans are so paranoid and delusional, they're seeing conspiracies in their morning grapenuts."

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Maybe we should write a script and all of us Robo call his Arlington headquarters office over and over for a few days, 1/2 shifts each so we don't get too tired.

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Interesting idea ... something like a DOS attack on their HQ.

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Don't any of you people have jobs?

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Back at ya, Sargeant.

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Back at ya, Sargeant.

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If only Obama had agreed to the series of townhall debates, these wouldn't have been necessary. [eye-rolls]

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Can you believe he brought that up again last night? Well, of course we can. But it's so....petty. Very unbecoming of a Presidential candidate. Obama's response was great though.

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Robocalls are the tactic of choice for cowards -- the chicken-shit way to attack on opponent.

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I hope Obama keeps using the "coward" card about this.

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last night I got a call about racist something I just hung up, it was a recorded voice though,and A women was delivering the speal

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do robocalls even work?

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And, how long have these been playing...and, how much do they cost?

That half hour of TV time is looking more and more valuable.

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I just wondered this too, maybe with this one, if you need a reason to believe and justify your racism?

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Pigdog dirt eating slime oozing reprehensible hate-encrusted subhuman hackery.

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What did pigs and dogs ever do to you? McCain is the bum we have to beat. (-:

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Anybody see McCains Townhall today? I could swear I heard several people yell "Kill Obama" during a lull in McCain's speech. But then McCain acknowledged them and just said "hold on let me tell you something."

I hope the MSM picks this up.

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Mr. DDuke, are you with Aryan Brothers? Do you have a Swastika tattoo on your body? Just curious.

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Oh, but this is gonna be a long three weeks. Keep working; have barf bags at the ready.

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Wasn't it a robocall campaign that was used against McCain in the 2000 SC Repub primary, when they spread the story that he had a black child from an extramarital affair?

Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?

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Lying motherfuckers - this is really outrageous. This shouldn't be happening in America.

I thought I hated Bush - I fucking hate McLame way worse.

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Hopefully Obama and the new Democratic super majority will ban this practice. We can hope.

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I think they should ban them - it's just a way to smear someone with lies that cannot be refuted on the spot.

and it's ugly - really ugly -

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I don't think we should make any distinction between the two of them or the entire GOP for that matter. Check out the story about voter suppression in OH. Josh just put it up on the front page.

Pardon my language, but goddamn I hate these fascist motherfuckers. When we win this - and we fucking will - we need to utilize the grassroots resources that Obama has built to revamp the electoral process so that it is beyond the ability of these evil goddamned bastards to ever cheat the electorate again.

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Yeah yeah yeah...and in 4 years you'll hate that next M-fing Repug bastard more than the last one!

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well, they keep getting worse and worse. take our money give it the rich, thank you very much, slam, bam, thank you ma'm. more and more, worse and worse, year after year.

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lol... Well then the Republican bastard shouldn't behave in such a hateful way, should he? Nor should he support efforts to cheat Americans of their right to vote. I just know you agree.

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Absolutely, except I apply it to voter fraud too.

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C'mon. Voter fraud? As far as I can tell, there have been few if any such cases of actual voter fraud.

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Funny, I don't remember you voicing your concern a couple of days ago over this story:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/237018.php

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What's annoying is that it takes 6 years for retribution, and that's still in the air. Any voter fraud or wrongful tossing of new voters off the roles won't be settled until WAY after this is over. Which, I guess, is why it's done.

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This may be wishful thinking but based on how these attacks have been playing in the polls so far, I think the reaction of a typical swing voter receiving this will be, "What the fuck does this have to do with the fact that I can't make my mortgage payment and my employer's about to do another round of layoffs?"

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Snap poll: Quick, if you can't pay your mortgage and lost your job raise your hand! Hmmm...looks about as real as Joe the plumber...

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I've been laidoff twice in the past 4 years. I also have 4 friends who have been laid off in the last year. Does that count?

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Great - Joe not the Plumber but TaxRebelRacist (the Sammy Davis comment)

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Joe's not a plumber, Joe's not an undecided voter, either.

Joe's a TaxEvadingRacist.

People in northern Idaho are gonna love Joe (Not A) Plumber.

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That's just where he ought to be living - Idaho. You got that just right - a big heavily armed compound in Idaho.

All this fucking nonsense and it's all another big fat lie. I am so fucking offended at being lied to like this for months - All McLame-Painful do is lie and it's insulting.


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No one's claiming Murtha's comment isn't pretty idiotic too. Personally, I think he ought to retire as he's a perennial on the ethics watch list (I think he's been featured on Muckraker more than once.)

Difference is that Obama's not using Murtha as a poster boy.

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Well I want to be a plumber. Someday.

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Robocalls don't work for you when your audience has already had their phones shut off since they didn't have enough money to pay the phone bill.

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A very traumatized young lady. How sad, and her question is excellent.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/campaign-adwatch-rape-vic_n_135278.html

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I've been receiving this Robocall all week here in Charlotte, NC. Odd, since this McCain said last night that this old incident was not important to him.

At least the Obama campaign makes live calls, not robocalls here in NC. Ever try to argue with a recording and tell it that it's full of manure?

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The mere snarls of a cornered and mortally wounded animal.

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Has anyone studied the effectiveness of robocalls in general? Is this even a plausible strategy for changing the race?

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That's the $64,000 question. They probably could be, but check this quote out:

The findings are a reflection of the financial straits in which the GOP finds itself. Robocalls, as Shaun Dakin, the CEO of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry describes it, "are the tool of the underfinanced campaign and the underdog." They also tend to be politically ineffective, to the extent that recipients don't always pay attention, don't actually receive the call, or are turned off by the incendiary tones or messages. Occasionally, campaigns will run robocalls that seem to be coming from the opposition because they know voters hate being bothered and will blame the perceived caller.

H/T Jonze. Link: Do robo calls work?

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Noice!

I know myself that the minute a robocall starts - and businesses use them to solicit when they aren't supposed to, too - I hang up. In fact, I usually hang up before the message starts because you answer and there is nothing until the call starts and you can tell you have a robocall. I just hang up immediately - always. I don't have time to listen to some damn robocall -

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I second that, Tena. Really, who besides someone with a little too much empty space in the skull would actually sit through one of these calls?

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I actually believe, despite the fact that phone numbers are public unless you decide not to make yours public, that it is still an invasion of my privacy to call me to solicit business. I don't like the phone - I don't know why exactly, cause I didn't used to. My best guess is that being a lawyer soured me because every time the phone rings it's a problem - never good news. Between that an having gone through the last years of my elderly parents' lives, when every phone call was potentially life-changing - I just hate the damn thing and I curse every time it rings.

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You're preaching to the choir. I'm curious, though, what typically shows up on caller ID when one of these calls comes through? Is it blocked? Because I screen calls and don't answer any one that's not identified.

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The one I got said "Private Caller". (This afternoon I got an anti-McCain call -- not from the BHO campaign -- that said "Unknown Caller.") I might ignore them, but I've actually taken to answering them and recording them for future reference.

The other thing is that a lot of them come during the day when people are not home. But then they get answered by Voice Mail or Answering Machines, so I wonder if more of them actually get heard that way--during the answering machine playback?

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Jonzie, get a nice paper bag, roll the rim over a couple of times, put it over your nose and mouth and breathe deeply for about 5 minutes.

This will pass.

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Thanks -- appreciate the answer!

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I received one of these and sent the audio to Josh (I and prolly a lot of others).

I'll be honest--I'm no young guy but these things rattle me. Not that I believe them... that's not the point. They just leave me feeling enraged and disempowered--how do we stop this swill?

OK, that's what I was going to write. Then I thought some more. It's just gonna make this family work that much harder to help get BHO across the finish line in November.

And what if we all pledge to kick another $25 in to the campaign coffers every time we get one of these?

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That's your best response - give Obama another donation.


I don't know what else you can do besides complain to your election authorities-

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Desperation Rising.

McCain is rapidly running out of options.

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I am proud to announce that Obama recieved a proud vote today from this dude in NC. Love early voting and the best way to send McShame off to AZ for his fucking retirement. Shame on you John McShame!

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Yay you!

I'm going to be very nervous until my ballot shows up in the mail -

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Biden is on Leno tonight - I don't think this appearance is worth the risk. Under three weeks until the vote, and in the joking atmosphere - what is there really to gain? Especially compared to what one gaffe or off-color remark could blow up into.

McCain kisses and makes up with Letterman tonight as well.

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Jonzie - get a nice clean brown paper bag; roll the edge over 2 or 3 times then place it over your mouth and nose and breathe deeply for about 5 minutes - your anxiety should pass.

Either that or learn to meditate, dude - you're going to kill yourself worrying this much about everything.

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4 letters for you Jonze: GAFFE!

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Isn't that 5 letters?

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Nothing to worry about. Biden will be fine. Gotta counterbalance, after all. Keep our guys in the public eye, we shouldn't be afraid.

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Come on! This robocall is bound to work. You saw how well that Ayers bit went over last night with the dial response group, didn't you! Huh?

Makes you wonder who in that campaign could make that pitch.

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This is the same call I received this morning in Colorado.

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As Obama said last night, this says more about McCain's campaign than it does about Obama. They are just tarnishing McCain's "honorable" image.

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They are really running the 'republican' brand into the ground. It is like some old ways are truly dying and new ones on the horizon and they have to go out in a flaming last hurrah!

I am just saying that's what it feels like... but clearly we have to keep fighting back and working hard until the election is won.

After we win this thing we need to have a big party and celebrate!!

Until then just keep on working.

I live in CO and I can vote early. Spread the word that people can avoid long lines on election day by voting early.

I highly recommend voting early so that you can volunteer on election day if possible.

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How sad John McCain has become. No honor. No integrity. He will do whatever it takes to win and we will all lose if he does!

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Interesting study by Donald Green and Dean Karlan on robocalls.

The calls -- GOTV and "election protection" (basically, know your rights and vote) -- are decidedly different than what the ratf...er...GOP is doing here. I wonder, though, if the reason the types of calls in the study don't work apply to robocall attack ads.

Also, with nearly everyone agreeing that McCain is coming off as a bitter old man, is this going to help?

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How sad John McCain has become. No honor. No integrity. He will do whatever it takes to win and we will all lose if he does!

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Interesting study by Donald Green and Dean Karlan on robocalls.

The calls -- GOTV and "election protection" (basically, know your rights and vote) -- are decidedly different than what the ratf...er...GOP is doing here. I wonder, though, if the reason the types of calls in the study don't work apply to robocall attack ads.

Also, with nearly everyone agreeing that McCain is coming off as a bitter old man, is this going to help?

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This robocall went out to Pennsylvania, too. My parents live in the Carlisle area and found this message on their machine this afternoon.

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This robocall went out to Pennsylvania, too. My parents live in the Carlisle area and found this message on their machine this afternoon.

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We've also recieved the robocall about Ayers in southern Indiana.

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This post highlights the use of dog whistle racism (under the radar tactics that play on racial anxiety) in today's politics. And there are so many examples of this!

We're tracking political race baiting at www.stopdogwhistleracism.com. We find the good, bad and ugly about race in the race. Visit us today for a non-partisan take on the race card, and the race card card, in today's politics.

Hope to see you at StopDog!

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My wife says we have this Ayers ad on our answering machine here in Media, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia.

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I got this call yesterday (Milwaukee, WI). Disgusting.

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As you know, here's an interesting picture of the travestitravesti I would expect if you do not have enough information.

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