Posted on 01/30/2016 8:47:23 AM PST by COUNTrecount
It has now been confirmed - The photograph of Ted Cruz campaign shaming letters is legit (see below). The letters are officially from the Ted Cruz campaign.
Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler confirmed to IJ Review that the mailer was theirs in a phone call Friday evening, saying that the targeting had been "very narrow, but the caucuses are important and we want people who haven't voted before to vote." (link) The personalized letters target individual Iowa voters and identifies them as having failed to vote in prior elections. They are admonished and then encouraged to vote this year. In addition the letters identify the neighbors of the voter, and provides their voting history.
The text reads: "You are receiving this election notice because of low expected voter turnout in your area. Your individual voting history as well as your neighbors' are public record. Their scores are published below, and many of them will see your score as well. CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE and please encourage your neighbors to caucus as well. A follow-up notice may be issued following Monday's caucuses". In an effort to shame the recipient, the notice also informs the targeted voter their neighbors have also been notified of the recipients poor voting record. How the Cruz Team would think a public shaming campaign is a good idea is just staggeringly unbelievable.
The campaign scheme was exposed via Twitter where "Tom Hinkeldy, a resident of Alta, Iowa, tweeted a photo (which was later deleted because it included his personal address) on Friday evening of a mailer Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign sent addressed to his wife, Steffany" -link-
Word spread rapidly.
(Excerpt) Read more at theconservativetreehouse.com ...
“Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler confirmed to IJ Review that the mailer was theirs in a phone call Friday evening”
Here: lending my extra vest and extra case of bug spray to help you get thru the mess of cruz bots.....
What the?? Everything we dread from the dems, and they’re not that stupid to be so overt. Hoping Cruz didn’t know, but he still hired the person responsible. Bracing for plummeting polls. Yikes.
Creepy
This is some nasty guy tactics.
Nasty. I feel sorry for the people “outed.” It was their right not to vote.
Canadians just do things different, thats all.
Ted Cruz is not going to win the Iowa caucus....Donald Trump will win in a landslide victory...and Marco Rubio will come in second. Ted Cruz will finish in third place or lower...done in by his own hand...or, his campaign manager’s hand!!! His Campaign Manager is a number one loser and buffoon to boot!!! Any Iowa caucus voter that votes for Ted Cruz is simply throwing their vote away!!!
Shucks......GO DONALD J. TRUMP!!!
Oh my. This is tacky. Sounds like a desperation move. Has big brother all over it.
So all those FReepers who claimed this was Trump dirty tricks will recant now?
This is supposedly to encourage more voters to participate. You would think that the Trump worshipers would support such a purpose since according to conventional “wisdom” the Donald will do much better if more voters show up than usual; so why are they so upset??? They should approve of anything that would get a bigger turnout, right???
UPDATE 5:00am: It looks like Howie might have found the culprit within the Ted Cruz campaign. A guy named Christopher Larimer works for Ted Cruz, and previously put a stunt like this together in Alaska. As outlined in a 2014 PBS article:
[...] “Why would they think that shaming would make people comply?”
Because, well, it does. That’s according to Chris Larimer, associate professor of political science at the University of Northern Iowa. And he’s done the research to prove it.
“We found that when you make people aware of the norm of voting and that somebody else is going to observe whether or not you vote, people are more likely then to vote,” he said.
The letter from the so-called Alaska State Voter Project is nearly identical, word for word, to one that Larimer and other researchers tested in Michigan, right down to the typography and punctuation. In that 2006 research, Larimer and colleagues sent voters one of four different letters.
The softest message just urged people to do their civic duty and vote. The most aggressive letter matched the Alaska mailer. It included the addressee’s voting history as well as those of their neighbors, and contained something of a threat by promising a follow-up letter to show the results of the upcoming election. Larimer says they got complaints, but the technique worked quite well. (read more)
That emboldened segment describes the current Cruz Campaign mailer 100%. Also, Chris Larimer is noted in this recent Texas Tribune article about the controversial debate:
[...] For Cruz, the No. 2 candidate in many polls, Trump’s snub could make him the center of action at the Iowa Events Center, a role that comes with both risks and rewards.
“If Trump’s not there, it affects the strategy other candidates take toward Cruz,” said Christopher Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. “Do they treat Cruz like the frontrunner, or do they talk about Trump?”
At the same time, Larimer added, the debate could be a “lost opportunity” for Cruz to challenge Trump on his conservative credentials in what’s likely their last meeting before the caucuses. (read more)
Looks like another one of those ever brilliant political consultant types sold the Cruz campaign on a version of their already extensive “psychographic analytics”. Wouldn’t be surprised if billionaire Phd Robert Mercer, via Cambridge Analytica targeting - isn’t involved in the engineering of this too.
Given this nasty tactic, I would imagine people would rather vote for Trump than the sleazy guy who approved this flyer. Way to go, Cruz!
I think it will be Marco coming in second too. Cruz did not get a bump from the debate, Rubio did.
“They should approve of anything that would get a bigger turnout, right???”
House to house raids would increase turn out too but some things leave a bad taste in people’s mouths.
There were reports that Ted had a psyops unit that would employ psychology to address voters. This must be some of their brilliant efforts. Maybe Beck was another.
My latest e-mail from Ted Cruz. I’m one of the “trusted few†— nuff said :eyeroll:
Ted Cruz Personal Email – May Include Privileged Communication
. . . you’re my last resort.
This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m emailing you again because you’re one of a trusted few.
I’ve got less than 36 hours to raise $126,000 or risk letting you and all of the dedicated volunteers in Iowa down.
The latest polling shows that Donald’s attacks against me are swaying voters, and unless we can hit this goal and give our volunteers the resources they need — we may not turn out enough voters for the Iowa Caucus.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to quit.
DON’T GIVE UP: I can donate $5 >>
DON’T GIVE UP: I can donate $35 >>
DON’T GIVE UP: I can donate $50 >>
DON’T GIVE UP: I can donate $100 >>
If I can’t count on you, one of my closest supporters, then I could be in serious trouble…
Please don’t let that happen!
I won’t give up on you, and I will not give up on our country.
Will you back me?
For liberty,
Ted Cruz
This was in my email today....I have repeatedly asked for them to stop, I don’t believe the bottom of the barrel these people will go to....
I think this tactic backfires bigtime among Republicans.
Anybody know how widespread the mailing was?
Did it to to all registered Republicans in Iowa?
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