Posted on 11/21/2007 7:07:01 AM PST by JRochelle
I thought that I was going to have a nice quiet Thanksgiving. Perhaps not.
Erick Erickson at Redstate (disclosure I too contribute to Redstate) has uncovered some more information on the Mitt Romney phone scandal. Leon Wolf, another Redstate contributor who today endorsed Mitt Romney, also pointed out that this happened previously (described then) when Leon was on the Brownback campaign.
The basic facts are that a Romney staffer, Marshan Roth contacted the Salt Lake Tribune, identified herself as "leaning towards Romney", and told her story:
Marshan Roth, of Fairfield, Iowa, got a call on Wednesday night. It started out like a regular poll, she says, but then asked positive questions about Sen. John McCain and delved into disparaging things about Romney. She was asked whether she knew that Mormons have ‘baptized thousands of dead people’ and that the Book of Mormon was more important than the Bible to Mormons. ‘It was sick. It really was. It made me just furious,’ says Roth, who is leaning toward backing Romney. ‘If you didn’t know enough about McCain, you’d think he was the white knight coming in on his charger saving the world and that Mitt Romney was tantamount to the devil
Erick points out that Roth receives $500/month from the Romney campaign.
Similarly, Rose Kramer, another Romney staffer who describes herself as "a supporter," told a McClatchy reporter her story:
Rose Kramer was at her Dubuque, Iowa, home, waiting for the TV show ‘House’ to start at 8 p.m. Tuesday when a pollster called and started asking her about John McCain. After a few polite questions, the caller started saying unflattering things about Mitt Romney. Kramer, a Romney supporter, got so angry that she missed the opening of her show. ‘I was still ranting at my husband,’ she said.
Rose isn’t just a supporter. She is a staffer, making $1,000/month. She is also a co-chair of Romney’s Iowa Faith & Values Steering Committee.
It doesn’t stop there. Rose told a different story to Real Clear Politics:
Rose Kramer, an Iowa voter who backs Romney, told Politics Nation the call, which she received around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, began with typical screening questions on whether she planned to caucus and if she had caucused before. After an initial ballot test — on which she says Romney’s name was listed last — the pollster offered five questions about John McCain, all of which she characterized as ‘glowing.’ Kramer said she asked the caller whether he was working for a campaign; he said no, his was an independent research group.
First, when Rose talked to McClatchy, it was Tuesday 8pm. With Real Clear Politics, it was 8:30 on Wednesday. She lied to one of the reporters.
Second, in both (all three?) cases, the Romney staffers highlighted the McCain questions. It seems to me that the Romney campaign was deliberately pushing the McCain angle.
Third, either the staffers didn’t disclose their relationship to the reporters or the reporters didn’t disclose it in their stories. My money is on the staffers, something that, as Leon pointed out before, Romney consultants in Iowa have done in the past.
This raises several questions:
First, is there any evidence that this poll contacted anyone in Iowa who was not a Romney staffer or supporter? If not, is there any evidence that the calls actually occurred? Could this be a story manufactured by the Romney campaign? After all, Western Wats only seems to talk through another Romney official, Justin Hart.
Second, were they directed by either Boston or Des Moines to deliver these messages? If so, were they told to hide their relationship with the Romney campaign?
Is Romney auditioning for FEMA Administrator?
UPDATE: Jonathan Martin had reported a non-Romney supporting phone call recipient.
ROTRL...too many margaritas for the Romney folks!
They both confirmed they are on the Romney payroll.
They both called the Romney field offices after they got the push poll calls.
The Romney camp asked them if they would be willing to talk to the media. They both agreed.
The Romney camp never told the media that those women are both paid staffers.
The Romney campaign is full of idiots.
It's all very Nixonian.
No it was some fat loser in Missouri, I believe.
Even had pics.
Bye-Bye Mitt.
It's funny that Romney is trying to make himself out to be a victim of misleading push polling by McCain, when this is exactly what McCain pulled on Bush.
Does anybody remember when he trotted out the weepy South Carolina "phone boy" who was devasted by a poller who said something mean about Johnny?
McCain almost started crying himself, empathizing with the boy who suffered the horrors of allegedly hearing something unpleasant said about John McCain. I think some members of the press were wiping back tears in the room as well.
It just seems stupid for the Romney campaign to have push polled through Western Wats - but the Romney campaign is the only one that seems to benefit and now you have the staffers. I really want to know, one way or the other.
"yap"
I am going to go donate to Fred right now!
Good idea! :)
LOL! Wish I saw them. Stupid yag!
Wille Horton?
Actually, it is all very Clintonian.
I read through all the Redstate posts. The only scenario missing would be:
4. The calls were NOT “push polling” but an ACTUAL poll, to gauge anti-Mormon feeling, but were horribly botched and alarming to the staffers.
The problem with this one is that the 3 “supporters” who complained were not forthcoming at all about their relationship to the Mitt campaign.
One can hope...
One massive RINO in the race is enough.
At least Rudy is honest about it...
I’m somehow getting the image of Mitt following in his father’s footsteps, tearfully withdrawing from the campaign.
Yeah, except the Clintons are good enough at it to get away with it.
[In the comments over at RedState a Romney supporter has called both women and asked them some questions.
They both confirmed they are on the Romney payroll.
They both called the Romney field offices after they got the push poll calls.
The Romney camp asked them if they would be willing to talk to the media. They both agreed.
The Romney camp never told the media that those women are both paid staffers.
The Romney campaign is full of idiots.]
At some point, the response to the scandal becomes as bad as the scandal. Whoever was responsible for the polling, using staffers without attribution to respond is a separate issue of trickery.
This being a Romney-hater thread, the former precludes the latter.
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.