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Political Robocallers Indicted In Maryland
sanzibar writes with a llnk to Politico with an object lesson for modern political campaigners: don't harass the electorate with unwanted robocalls. "Ehrlich campaign manager Paul Schurick and Baltimore political consultant Julius Henson were both charged with three counts of conspiracy to violate election laws, one count of attempting to influence a voter's decision and one count of failing to print an 'authorized by' line on campaign material. Schurick was also charged with a single count of obstruction of justice for failing to turn over materials sought by the grand jury."
Any politico worth his salt knows that robocalls, no matter how many and who is talking, do nothing but piss the electorate off at you. They aren't even good at raising awareness because people tune out. It's a waste of time up until the summer before an election anyway, and then it's only any good if you're using volunteers and getting people to turn out. I've run call centers for campaigns before and it's incredible to me that somebody who was affiliated with statewide campaigns, that is someone who has experience winning elections, would be this stupid.
I read a bit of the article, and the calls targeted likely supporters of candidate A, and basically said "You can relax, candidate A has enough votes" the defendant is being charged because he was attempting to deceive voters to influence the outcome of the election.
If only politicians could be charged with something like that for not fulfilling campaign promises.
When robots pass a Turing test, they will get free speech. Not before.
Sorry? Yes, indeed. Robocalls are a form of trespass. Around these parts, trespassers are usually shot. Survivors are shot again. If you're caught doing Robocalls, make sure you're not in Texas, or much of the rest of the South or Midwest. Keep your gay ass in one of the gay states, like California.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
The key words in the memo were "suppress the vote".
I do get tired when our fellow Americans who are black play that race card. But, had you RTFA, you see that this is indeed a bigoted attempt to prevent a specific group of people from voting - BLACK people.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
I'm pretty sure freedom of speech includes the right to say whatever you want on the phone.
But does it really include the right to call and/or harass people by ringing their phone? That doesn't seem like "speech" to me at all.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
It's not necessarily bigoted; blacks vote over 90% with Democrats. No other constituency is that aligned with a party.
Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Runaway1956. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down.
It was fraud. They robo-called predominantly black riding to say the election was over and there was no need to vote which was an out and out lie. Then they attempted to hide the evidence.
This has nothing to do with free speech, it is out and out fraud and is a criminal matter.
Anarchists never rule
There were robocallers that were calling people like 3am in the morning...paid for by the opposing party pretending to be the other party here in Canada to piss people off from voting for them.
Robocalls aren't free speech - it's speech forced down someone's throat without asking for it during dinner time causing indigestion.
I would say that if robocalls for a political campaign is done against someone's will that party should be banned from participating in the election for the next 4 years. That would be a clear enough statement to say that it has to be entirely clear that robocalls aren't wanted.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
I helped a couple campaigns get a correcting message out in the last federal election when someone dialed a bunch of homes with the lie: "This is elections Canada, there has been a change in your polling station, please go to X to vote". Typically the fake poll was in the middle of a crowded mall or some other difficult to reach place, I'd assume the goal being to dissuade the voter or delay them until voting ended.
Politics in close ridings can be dirty business, and it's ultimately the Candidate and their Campaign Manager's responsibility to choose the tone of their campaign. It's not a partisan thing, I've been told by friends on other sides of the fence that this happened to their candidates in other ridings too.
My hope is that this crap gets enough press to inform the electorate so they don't fall for these again.
-Matt
--- Need web hosting?
Political Robocallers Indicted In Maryland
Now for the robowalkers!
Every end has half a stick.
There's a difference between influencing the voters how to vote (legal) and influencing the voters not to vote (illegal).
the defendant is being charged because he was attempting to deceive voters to influence the outcome of the election.
All candidates in all races always attempt to deceive voters to influence the outcome of the election.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
There is a difference between "free speech" and "protected speech". Google the words "firehouse" and "fire", together, for the grounding in First Amendment law that you appear to lack. Then we can move on to the finer points...
Robocalling and various forms of "voter suppression" are most certainly not protected speech. Granted, anyone dumb enough to change his mind about voting after receiving an unsolicited robotic phone call, suggesting that he should stay home because his candidate has the election in the bag, probably deserves what his apathy/stupidity gets him, but that doesn't change the fact their are indeed some rules about what one can say and how they say it.
Not very many months ago, there was a story of a woman in Houston, who looked out her window to see someone breaking into her car. She blew the joker away. No charges were filed. Anywhere you go in Texas, it is "open season" year round on thieves and other lowlifes. A trespasser is not on safe ground, period. You do realize, after he's been shot, it's the shooter's word against - uhhhh - NOBODY'S word! Or, as ye olde pirates would have said, "Dead men tell no tales!"
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
The right to freedom of speech applies to people, not robots!
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Are you sure? What's your phone number?
Free speech doesn't include the right to use MY resources for YOUR speech. That is, MY phone and the phone service I pay for. That also includes MY time to see who's calling and hang up. The least you could do is the courtesy of having an actual human being call. If you'd care to make a speech on the steps of the courthouse or buy some ads, I'm fine with that. You can also put up a website and tweet to your heart's content. You can put flyers in my mailbox if you'd like.
Beyond that, it's (unfortunately) not about the calls themselves, but that they attempted to influence the election by telling supporters of his opponent that their candidate won. In the process, implying that the call came from a supporter of his opponent. We do not have an inalienable right to lie.
You can say what you want to convince people to vote for you, but attempting to obstruct the election process itself is off limits.
Dude, the countries that call you lazy have way more comprehensive social systems.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Did you even read the laws I linked to? Protection of property "during the night" is one of the circumstances that allows for the use of deadly force.
If someone cares to pay for a telephone line into my house, they can robocall me on it all day long. The line that I do have is paid for by me, and I control who gets to talk on it.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!