Posted on 06/07/2004 5:32:18 AM PDT by Constitution Day
Politician's campaign tactics questioned
Former N.C. GOP leader accused of unfairly using party resources to bolster bid for governor
RALEIGH, N.C. — GOP rivals are accusing former N.C. Republican Party chairman Bill Cobey of unfairly using the party's common resources and staff to boost his bid for governor.
Supporters or aides to three other Republican candidates for governor — Southern Pines insurance executive George Little, former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot and former state Sen. Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington — complain Cobey is using party mailing lists and e-mail lists in his campaign to win the party's nomination in the July 20 primary.
"It is fairly obvious that, one way or another, the lists, contacts — the proprietary information - ended up in the hands of the Cobey campaign," said Jack Hawke, a former Republican Party chairman and a strategist for Little.
Cobey's spokesman said the claims of cooperation are not true. The Cobey campaign has compiled its own address lists, spokesman Jeff Miller said.
Cobey's competitors also said the fact that the state Republican Party's chief of staff, Bill Peaslee, set up Cobey's Web site is evidence that state party staffers are helping Cobey instead of staying neutral in the party primary.
The current party chairman said no staff member is helping a candidate while they are on the party clock.
Cobey, Ballantine, Little and Vinroot are among six candidates for the Republican nomination. The other two are state Sen. Fern Shubert of Union County and Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett.
When Hawke was state chairman from 1987 to 1995, he inserted fake or uniquely identifiable names into the party's mailing list, a technique known as "salting," to monitor how the list was used. Any time a political mailing showed up addressed to those names, Hawke knew the list was being used. He said several Cobey mailings have been sent to those addresses.
Jim Hastings, another former state party chairman who is backing Little, also "salted" the list and has received Cobey mailings to those names.
Republican state Sen. Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County, a Ballantine supporter, said he has received repeated e-mails from Cobey on a private e-mail address he provided to the state Republican Party.
"I've never given (Cobey) my e-mail address, but I get two or three e-mails a week," Rucho said. "That's my personal e-mail, not my legislative e-mail. If he's gotten my e-mail, he has it from the party."
Neeley, Vinroot's campaign manager, said Vinroot heard similar complaints starting in February.
Miller said no one on the Cobey campaign obtained mail or e-mail lists from the party.
"For anyone to make accusations like that is pure crap," Miller said.
Instead, the Cobey campaign has aggressively tapped into publicly available databases, such as lists of Republican donors at the state Board of Elections or the Federal Elections Commission, Miller said.
The "salted" names Hawke described would not show up on those public lists because the bogus contributors did not make any contributions. There was no money processed and recorded for state or federal filings. Only the names were placed on a mailing list.
The state Board of Elections and FEC lists also do not contain e-mail addresses.
Miller said Cobey supporters throughout the state have been asked to compile e-mail lists from friends, families and political activists.
Cobey's three competitors also complain that Peaslee set up Cobey's Web site.
Peaslee said he did so on his own time and on his own computer before Cobey announced his candidacy.
The Web site's registration information shows Peaslee registered the Web site at 4:35 p.m. July 16. News stories appeared the following day saying Cobey was considering a run for governor. He announced his candidacy July 21.
Peaslee has not registered domain names for any of the other five candidates in the primary.
Ferrell Blount, the N.C. Republican Party's chairman, said no staff member has used party resources to help any candidate. Blount said he has no control over what staffers do on their own time.
He said when he took over from Cobey, he made clear that "if anybody helped anybody in a primary, we weren't going to do that, and I would deal harshly with them."
Asked about Peaslee's Web work, Blount said: "What Bill Peaslee does on his own time is his own business."
this is more than an accusation its a fact!
Now I know.
me too pal....I mentioned this on our board awhile back...it aint right!
Not that Jack Hawke is exactly a scion of ethics, but Cobey's and Peaslee's use of the salted lists is pretty much a smoking gun.
Ferrell had better do something about Peaslee if he wants to maintain any sort of credibility. Right now he just looks like Cobey's stooge.
CD
yep!
Yeah, he does.
I wasn't too thrilled about Cobey, a party hack, running for Gov, and this makes me even less so.
Bang, bang, bang! Oh, my fooooooot!
Here we go. You see, what is lost here and what should be receiving at least equal attention is that the NC GOP and all GOP candidates MUST be squeaky clean about all they do. I mean, you think there aren't similar stories to be told about the Dims and Weasley? But don't hold your breath waiting for the N&O, Charlotte Observer or the A.P. to report them.
Well, I don't know much about the Charlotte Observer, but we both know that the N&O is at the front of the NC Dem's claque.
I got an email from Cobey and also a solicitation letter. The only previous contact I've ever had w/him is sending in a donation to NC Republican Party.
I sincerely hope and pray that Cobey doesn't get the nod in the primary, I'd have to have an industrial pair of clamps to wear on my nose to vote for him in Nov.
MKM
"Above all, we must realise that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
-- President Ronald Regan
Although I'm not supporting Cobey, this is nothing new. I get e-mail from many candidates who never should have my e-mail address unless there's a lot of "sharing" going on. Cobey could have gotten his lists from the party, from people associated with different campaigns, or maybe even the RNC. Who knows. I never signed up for Ballantine e-mails either, or George Little, but I get junk from them too.
This is a list of email addresses (GOP or conservative) that I receive email from at the same email address that my Cobey email comes to. I have indicated with a star those to whom I know that I have given this particular address:
Bill Cobey
GOPteamleader.com*
NCGOP*
Ballantine for Governor
Vernon Robinson*
Ken Mehlman*
CWA Alerts
Myrick for Congress*
Winter Soldier Newsletter*
Southern Republican Leadership Conference rpof.org*
Newsmax
Richard Burr
George W. Bush.com*
Dick Armey*
Barrett for Governor
Don Reid*
Cumberland County GOP*
Protestwarrior.com*
Contributions @freerepublic.com*
aim.org* Accuracy in Media
Jim Snyder
Tech 5
National Right to Life
George Little
American Anglican Council
If we all put up our lists, this may help us identify the root of the problem. I suspect someone is selling email lists.
*****If you choose to share your list, please DO NOT give out any exact email addresses.*****
Thanks,
CD
I've only gotten a few unsolicited political emails -- I have several email addresses so it's hard to keep track of what I've signed up for where. I'm pretty sure Tech5/Barrett/et al "shares" email addies -- but let's be honest, we know people pass lists around to people they're supporting.
NC GOP*
Edgecombe County GOP*
Free Republic Contributions*
Winter Soldier*
Free Republic Network*
Geo. Little for Gov.
Bill Cobey for Gov.
Ballantine for Gov.*
Burr for Senate*
GOPUSA.com
Carolina Journal*
American Enterprise Institute*
RegisteredMedia.com*
American Conservative Union*
I omitted DC Chapter of Free Republic, which I gave my address to.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.