Plug (4.00 / 1)

How about a shout out for Glenn's book The Politics of Deceit, which is all too relevant as we watch another crucial election get shoved through the rusty meat grinder that is the MSM these days:

http://www.powells.com/biblio/...

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by: Ware V. Wendell @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:05:00 PM CDT

But why are they misleading us about their press strategy? (0.00 / 0)

They are claiming that they sent out a press release about this to the NC media ahead of the whole controversy, but in fact no such press release went out until AFTER the News and Observer first wrote an article asking where these odd robocalls were coming from.

If this press release had really gone out ahead of the whole controversy, why wasn't it on their website last week; why wasn't it immediately resent to the News & Observer with a note explaining the robocalls; and why did they issue a press release to a Colorado paper dated Tuesday, April 29 (published online in the paper on the 30th) that was a duplicate of the North Carolina press release, but which didn't say anything about robocalling, possible voter confusion, or whether they were working with the Colorado Secretary of State's office - or where people could call for more information?  They were, in fact, smacked down BY THE CO SEC'Y OF STATE in November for doing what they're doing without coordinating with that office.

Why are they even sending press releases at all to Colorado when there's this massive controversy about them erupting nationally, and then pimping that press release on their website as if it were just another article about their 24-state efforts?

It's all so idiotic.  No, it's dissembling and misleading.

And then there's this: http://southernstudies.org/fac...

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by: jakester @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:09:30 PM CDT

Did Women's Voices Women Vote mislead N.C. elections officials? (4.00 / 1)

FACT IS, WVWV BROKE THE LAW. They also performed operation chaos in 10 other states.

Facing South is THE place to catch up with the continuing unwinding of this voter disenfranchisement story:

In a statement posted yesterday to the website of Women's Voices Women Vote, the D.C. nonprofit behind the illegal and deceptive robo-calls placed to North Carolina residents, President Page Gardner claims her group notified the N.C. State Board of Elections about their activities in the state before sending out registration forms to voters:

....There is no copy of a letter or press release attached to the posted statement. But more important, the group did not notify state elections officials about their registration effort in advance, as Gardner claims -- at least not the whole of that effort.

Go to this link to read the rest of the story, including the NC SBOE's response:
http://southernstudies.org/fac...

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by: lauraroslin @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:12:23 PM CDT

progressive in name only (0.00 / 0)

there is a disgusting pattern of political behavior that should never be associated with progressive infrastructures.  

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by: aiko @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:17:23 PM CDT

Matt, I wouldn't describe this as a digital mob. (4.00 / 1)

Regardless of what the truth turns out to be, the behavior of bloggers in this situation is very healthy. I liken this to what Dali called the "paranoid-critical method." It is a way that the most seemingly irrational connections are made and an image of reality is formed. It is then subject to scrutiny as you are demonstrating.

Sometimes these ideas are indeed the product of a paranoid delusion, sometimes not. Another analogy is the seven blind men and the elephant. Each one touches a part of the elephant and extrapolates a whole-usually wrongly. This forces a skeptical critique on a number of levels. The internet enables these ideas to be generated and then subjects them to research and rational tests-from every direction. The internet is an excellent place to search for an accurate image of reality.

Don't get mad. Let it play out. It often leads to a greater truth.

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by: anothergreenbus @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:21:19 PM CDT

Don't insult us with name-calling (digital mobs) (4.00 / 3)

and resorting to fallacies to silence the "mob". Testimonials from authorities who have no new information to add is not a convincing move. Get the facts rather than telling us "you are wise" and "they are on our side". Then we'll sort this thing out. You may be right and then again, you may have been spun.

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by: IndySteve @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:25:28 PM CDT

exactly (4.00 / 1)

I didn't wade into all this nonsense from the "are they pawns of x" perspective, (damn I'm tired of primary season), but I think the real split is between the relatively small group who are actually in touch with the players the assorted election-centric nonprofits, and a vast ocean of people who have no connection or relationship to them.

If this long series of "our readers are beneath us" posts had been cultivated more along the lines of "we know the people who work there, why don't you ask us questions and we'll get the answers for you," then there'd probably be a way different reaction. As it stands, 99.9% of the people who are responding to this epic screwup are not on the right nonprofit boards or email lists, and -- at least in my case -- mightily dislike getting smacked around for not trusting the proprietors enough. Where the fuck do they get off?

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by: mattw @ Fri May 02, 2008 at 01:33:38 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

They're incredibly incompetent if it wasn't intentional. nt (0.00 / 0)

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by: illlaw @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:38:04 PM CDT

Excellent diary. (0.00 / 0)

Mr. Smith is a man with true integrity and intellectual honesty.

But people will believe what they want to believe.  No matter what evidence you show, some will continue to argue that this was a Clinton voter suppresion plot.  For those people, faith has replaced reasoning; bias has replaced evidence.

Mob mentaility is a correct depiction. The "progressive blogosphere" seems lost in it.

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by: Tom Wells @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 14:59:35 PM CDT

tell it to the NC AG (4.00 / 2)

Why are you mad at the progressive blogosphere?  The North Carolina attorney general called it illegal, confusing to voters, and ordered WVWV to stop their activities.

Plus, they'd been warned by Virginia before and had promised not to do it anymore.  Yet they did it again.

Using misleading information and a black dude to give it.

Oh, and Clinton's campaign manager is linked with this group.

And plenty of local activists, with no ties to the Obama or Clinton campaign, find the whole thing incredibly dubious.

At least will you join us in demanding that WVWV call back everyone they called to clarify that they can still vote by Saturday even if they're not registered?

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by: jakester @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 15:13:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

It is not credible that it was just a mistake (4.00 / 1)

This organization is in the business of getting people to register to vote. The organization is well-resourced and led by people with significant experience who have been in the business for a very long time (Page Gardner since at least the early 1990s). To claim that this was all a mistake is just not believable to me.

Following the local rules and avoiding breaking the law is basic, basic professional responsibility. I cannot believe that people as experienced as this organization and its vendors simply failed to do that. I noticed from WVWV's 2006 990 that the organization paid its legal counsel about $51,000 that year. How many billable hours could it have taken to read the releveant NC election law and check it against the script for the robo-calls? Multiply NC by 24 states, and the organization would still seem to have more than sufficient legal resources to make sure they've gotten it right and are not misleading potential voters. I'd like to know if WVWV's counsel did in fact review the robo-calls.  

In a few minutes of checking the NC State Board of Elections website, I was easily able to learn that:

(1) A qualified North Carolinian may register in person and vote at a One-Stop Site during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period, from 19 to 3 days before Election Day.

(2) Registration by mail-in voter registration forms is also available up to 25 days before the day of the election. Forms that are received by the county board of elections office or postmarked by the deadline are accepted as valid applications for the upcoming election.

(3) People may register to vote at the DMV or at agencies up to 25 days before the day of the elections.

How difficult is it for an organization doing voter registration in 24 states to record two robo-call messages (one male, one female) for North Carolinians that contain accurate information, or at least do not contain inaccurate information? A robo-call targeting voters last Thursday and Friday should have informed prospective voters about one-stop in person registration and voting and told them of the deadline.

If WVWV is serious about undoing the harm it has done, they need to call everyone back by tomorrow and give them accurate information about one-stop registration and absentee voting. Since the deadline for registration is looming, they need to get moving fast.

I think many legitimate questions have been raised about WVWV's activities in NC and other states, and I have not seen answers to these questions. Quoting people who 've been involved in unrelated VR activities that "it's hard work" do not answer the logical and basic questions that have been raised. I also do not think it is necessary or constructive to accuse people who are raising these questions of a "mob mentality."  

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by: Dunyazad @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 15:01:57 PM CDT

I do not appreciate (4.00 / 2)

being called the member of a mob.

And the more I think about it, the more insulting I realize this argument is.

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by: fladem @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 15:07:57 PM CDT

With all due respect... (4.00 / 1)

If a voter registration organization doesn't know the letter of the voter reg laws, then they aren't legitimate in their practices.  When they continue the practice after being told it is illegal, they should be held accountable.  

There is no privilege in the law that protects criminal activity. Not for lawyers, not for priests, not for doctors, not for journalists, and not for political consultants.

And if by "hanging one of our own" means that I should not hold WVWV to the same standards as my own political consulting practices, then I morally defend my position.

If I ran a tv spot in 11 different states with disinformation about voter registration dates and without a disclaimer, this conversation would be different.  

I live and work in Texas too.  I lost my job because of Bush.  You bet I hold progressives to a higher standard than this.  

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by: tired of weakness @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 20:10:07 PM CDT

You can condemn what happened... (0.00 / 0)

...and save the hanging for later, when the facts are in. In other words, the luminol's been sprayed and there's blood on the floor. But we don't know who did what. Let's wait and see. That is responsible, which of course you are being.

Your tone is much different than some others, and your concerns should be respected.

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by: GlennWSmith @ Thu May 01, 2008 at 20:17:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"wait and see"? (0.00 / 0)

Wow.  WOW!  Why not ask questions?  Adam B asked questions and got answers.  Unfortunately, the answers were insufficient and yet there's no follow up.  Mike Lux says there's an emergency board meeting happening in a few days, but yet he also admits to being out of the loop.  I would hope that he'd be soliciting a list of questions from those who HAVE been paying attention, noting inconsistencies in WVWV's stories, etc.  But he's done no such thing.

"Wait and see" sounds nice, but why not also get information in the meantime - before the primary - about whether people in other states have received robocalls?  Why not do what bloggers do, and explore the extent to which WVWV has contradicted itself - aka LIED to us - about when and whether they actually contacted the NC Board of Elections?

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by: jakester @ Fri May 02, 2008 at 14:03:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]