Posted on 02/11/2003 8:40:03 AM PST by End Times Sentinel
Manchester police have alerted the U.S. Justice Department to an Election Day operation allegedly ordered by a Republican telemarketing dealer that jammed get-out-the-vote phone banks operated by the citys firefighters union and the state Democratic Party.
Lt. Fred Roach of the citys detective bureau said this week Idaho-based telemarketing firm Milo Enterprises was hired by GOP Marketplace of Alexandria, Va., to make repeated hang-up calls to a group of New Hampshire phone banks on Nov. 5.
Union and Democratic officials said the phone jam, broken by Verizon after two hours, lasted long enough to hurt their efforts to reach people who needed rides to the polls. Union president William Clayton said many intended contacts with potential riders, especially seniors, were not made, and, I know a lot of them got shut out of voting.
Roach said a state harassment law may have been violated. The cases multi-state nature prompted him to contact authorities about possible federal violations, he said.
State Republican Chairman Jayne Millerick said yesterday the state committee hired GOP Marketplace, but not to jam opposition phone lines, something she said she knew nothing about.
Millerick, elected chairman two weeks ago, said party executive director Chuck McGee told her that, at the very end of the election cycle, the state party contracted with GOP Marketplace with the thought that the party may use telemarketing to do more get-out-the-vote calling. But the calls were never made, and the state party is currently working on getting a refund.
She noted the hiring occurred before my time as party chairman. Millerick worked with the state GOP in the fall to direct the Republicans own get-out-the-vote effort in the final hours of the campaign.
GOP Marketplace calls itself the first Internet-based political B2B (business-to-business). We link campaigns and committees with telephone vendors online.
The Republican State Committee paid GOP Marketplace $15,600 on Nov. 1. A lawyer for GOP Marketplace would neither confirm nor deny the firm hired Milo Enterprises.
State Democratic Chairman Kathleen Sullivan said, It breaks my heart that anyone in this country would engage in criminal activity to try to prevent seniors from voting and to interfere with a free election.
City firefighters head Clayton said union volunteers noticed they could not make or receive calls at about 7:30 a.m. on Election Day. After an hour, he said, the problem was reported to police.
Lt. Roach said Verizon was contacted, freed the phone lines and identified the caller as Milo Enterprises.
He said Milo officials, contacted last month, were very cooperative. They said they were a telemarketing firm for hire and had been paid in advance (by GOP Marketplace, Roach said,) to repeatedly call a variety of phone numbers in New Hampshire on November 5.
Roach said Milo officials told him that when they arrived at work early on Nov. 5, their workers had been making the calls for about an hour. But after checking the work order, Roach said, they stopped the blocking operation, realizing it could be a problem.
Roach said he later spoke to a vice president at GOP Marketplace, and, He was very evasive. The Union Leaders call to GOP Marketplace President Allen Raymond was returned by company attorney John Partridge, who said Raymond cant confirm or deny that Milo Enterprises was hired.
Clayton said the firefighters dont ask riders their party affiliation. He noted many union members are Republicans and the state firefighters union backed Republican Craig Benson for governor.
Sullivan said she identified the party numbers blocked as those for the Democratic City Committee office, the state partys now-closed coordinated campaign office and state party field offices in Nashua, Rochester and Claremont.
Roach noted a state law making it a misdemeanor to make a telephone call with a purpose to annoy or alarm another. Prosecuting an out-of-state entity on a misdemeanor is difficult, he said, but he said he has contacted the U.S. Justice Department in Washington.
One federal law prohibits causing the telephone of another repeatedly or continuously to ring, with the intent to harass any person at the called number. Roach said, It appears (the Justice Department) may be interested in pursuing the matter.
McGee, the Republican State Committee executive director, said early yesterday he had vaguely heard of GOP Marketplace and did not hire the firm. Later, Millerick called The Union Leader to say that McGee was mistaken, and had in fact hired it for telemarketing.
Sullivan said, I find it fascinating that Chuck McGees initial reaction was to lie. I dont know if I can believe anything now.
Roach said blocking phone lines is serious crime, regardless of whether its a misdemeanor or a felony. Whether it be you, me, or a union hall, theyre all victims.
Raymond is a 33-year-old organizer whose recent clients included Republican National Committee co-chair Patricia Harrison and former Presidential candidate Steve Forbes 2000 campaign committee, according to the firms Web site. Last year, he headed the Republican Leadership Conference, which spent about $150,000 advertising against conservative GOP former candidate for governor Gordon Humphrey.
Unleash the Hogs of Peace.
P.J. O'Rourke Parliament of Whores
That would be hillarious if it weren't illegal.
See Primary School - Field organization (Albert Gore's team sabotaged 2000 New Hampshire primary) which starts "Vice-President Al Gore may have won the 2000 New Hampshire primary and subsequent primaries, which fed on the New Hampshiregenerated momentum thanks to a traffic jam. At least thats what many Democratic operatives with experience in New Hampshire seem to think. "
Well, not in this case. If there is truly evidence of illegal, malicious activity, on the part of either side (or their surrogates), I'd expect the majority of the folks on FR to support the laws being enforced. In this case, turnabout is not fair play, it would be illegal.
Although maybe I'm misinterpreting your comments as being in support of selective use of the law for political purposes, an all-too-typical Demo/Commie tactic which should not be emulated by Republicans.
Take a hike, liberal whiners. There are plenty of ways for you all to contact your dead/felons/pets/children/non-existent voters and get them to the polls.
I do.
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.