WVWV is a non-story

shimanepdf — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:02:38 -0400

This is a non-story. Mostly it is about incompetence of political staffers not understanding marketing / direct mail / robo calling.

The interesting story, at least for me, as head of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry (StopPoliticalCalls.org) a non-partisan, non-profit org working to reduce robo calls is this:

- Non-profits are exempt from the robocalling law.
- Politicians are exempt from the robocalling law.

It is interesting that the AG is going after WVWV for violating the law, but they are not going after other non-profit organizations that may also be violating the law.

The calls violated the law according to the AG's press release:

"The calls violated state law by failing to disclose who sponsored the call and failing to offer the organization’s contact information to get the calls to stop."

The reality is that there are more than likely several campaigns and other non-profit organizations that are "failing to disclose who sponsored the call" and "failing to offer the org's contact information to get the calls to stop".

In fact, I know of no political campaign at the national level that offers voters a way to opt out of further calls.

That is why Sen. Feinstein and Rep. Lofgren have introduced the Robocall Privacy Act.

As I stated in my op-ed in Politico( http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9978.html) today.

Recently, a bicameral and bipartisan effort has been led by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Reps. Zoe Lofgren (-Calif.) and John Campbell (R-Calif.) with the introduction of the Robocall Privacy Act. The bill would sanction groups or individuals who make political robocalls between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., make more than two political robocalls to the same number in the same day, fail to disclose the party responsible for the political robocall or block caller identification information.

Why is the AG not going after other organizations?

Is it because this is a political hot potato?
--
Cheers,

Shaun Dakin – CEO & Founder
The National Political Do Not Contact Registry
-- A non-partisan, non-profit program by Citizens for Civil Discourse
Register Your Phone Number Now for Free: http://www.StopPoliticalCalls.org/
Blog: http://blog.StopPoliticalCalls.org/

Cheers,

Not buying it from Women's Voices

Ruby Sinreich — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:37:44 -0400

I might have believed that Women's Voices just honestly screwed up if this was the first or second time it happened. Even then it would be a stretch - these are very savvy political operators. But North Carolina is the 12th state to report misleading voter outreach that is being funded by this organization. At some point (probably back in Arizona) this became a pattern.

It has nothing to do with Obama or Clinton, this is simply unethical and/or criminally incompetent.

(FYI, I have more to say and a collection of links about this here.)

Daily Digest: The Online Cacophony Gets the Vanity Fair Treatment

Joshua Levy — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:09:56 -0400

A fury over robo-calls in NC; Slate's history of the Democratic race; James Wolcott on the growing schism in the Democratic party; a March Madness-inspired game lets you pick McCain's running mate; Lookforgood.org wants to attack negative campaigning with peace; the MOMocrats interview Obama; and Obama posts the delegate count on his website.

techPresident - Daily Digest: The Online Cacophony Gets the Vanity Fair Treatment - Comments

WVWV is a non-story

Not buying it from Women's Voices

Daily Digest: The Online Cacophony Gets the Vanity Fair Treatment