Posted on 01/08/2010 10:56:54 AM PST by American Dream 246
I received this e-mail from a Massachusetts resident and businesswoman (and I verified her identity through publicly available sources), regarding a phone call she received last night:
I got an odd call last night that presented as a survey on the Kennedy election. I was willing to participate in the survey but was left with a bad feeling when it was over. Today I am hoping to let a few people know. I saw your blog.
They identified themselves as McGrath [sic - see below] from Denver but I was unable to find anything on Google. The questions were obnoxious; for example: "would knowing that hate groups support Scott Brown change you opinion of him?".
They did not identify what a hate group was and today I wonder if they might be referring to a group to which I belong (one never knows in this environment when the ground may shift and you are left as a member of a hate group).
I'm not sure how to proceed, so I am just putting it out there. I'm really sick of politicians doing everything except telling us who they are when they run for office.
In a follow up, the e-mailer went into more detail about the call. The caller initially asked which candidate best represented the e-mailer's views. After the e-mailer identified Brown, the caller asked one question about Coakley (whether knowing she was "a tax and spend" liberal would change the e-mailer's mind) and then a series of negative questions about Brown:
"After this, there were 6 or 7 questions about Scott Brown that were framed the same way: if you knew he was a supporter of the Bush tax program, if he was supported by hate groups, etc." The e-mailer used *69 on her phone, and the number which came up was 888-327-2771. This is a fairly notorious telemarketing/opinion surveying number.
Calling the number brings up a fax ring tone. The number at one time belonged to a collection entity called "Northstar Location Services / Northstar Capitol" in Amherst, NY. I spoke with someone there who says they do not do political polling.
The number also has been attributed to "McGuire Research" of Colorado, which is an opinion surveying firm. The e-mailer thought the caller said "McGrath" but it may be that she misheard the caller, and that it was "McGuire." McGuire has been accused of push polling in the past. I called McGuire, and I am waiting to hear back from them as to whether they would confirm or deny that they are doing polling in Massachusetts. I will update this post if I hear from them.
Regardless of who made the call, this technique is called "push polling" where under the guise of a poll the questioner tries to push the interviewee for or against a candidate.
The technique is meant to sow doubts in voters' minds, and can be particularly effective against candidates with lower name recognition.
If Democrats have started push polling against Brown, that is a sure sign they are worried. And it is a sign that the last 10 days of the campaign will get quite nasty.
The questions were obnoxious; for example: “would knowing that hate groups support Scott Brown change you opinion of him?”.
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Hate groups supported zer0. In Philly they stood out side of polling stations.
The Communist Party USA championed Obama's campaign and cheered his victory. But don't call his policies socialist, because that's racist and unproductive.
100million people died worldwide from Communism in the 20th century. Nazism has been stamped out. Neonazis run around in the woods but pose no substantial threat. Communists rally on our campuses and t-shirts of Communist butchers are proudly worn on stage, in schools, and in restaurants by Communists who are every bit as vile as Nazis.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are well known antisemites.
Hate comes in all colors.
The questions were obnoxious; for example: “would knowing that hate groups support Scott Brown change you opinion of him?”.
- “I’m Ted Kennedy, and I approve this ad”
Just reply, “Hate groups? Why, I’d be happy to see Democrats voting for him!”
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