Posted on 11/17/2007 2:42:59 PM PST by Graybeard58
WASHINGTON — 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.
In another part of Iowa, Ralph Watts got a similar call the next day. Are you aware, the caller asked, that Mormons consider the Book of Mormon superior to the Bible? Would that make you more or less likely to vote for Romney?
On Friday, the calls, which lit up the phone lines in the two key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire this week, became the target of Romney's outrage, as well that of as his Republican rivals, and the subject of a formal inquiry by the New Hampshire attorney general's office.
The calls, a year before the election, were a vivid reminder of how ugly the 2008 presidential campaign could become and how Romney's Mormon religion could play an important role.
McCain strongly denied having anything to do with the calls, saying "it is disgraceful, it is outrageous and it is a violation, we believe, of New Hampshire law." The Arizona senator's complaint Friday triggered the New Hampshire action.
"We are looking at whether the calls qualify as push polls," said Assistant Attorney General James Kennedy.
Push polling is so named because the surveyors first ask standard questions, such as a first or second electoral choice. But they quickly begin mentioning negatives about a candidate and ask if that would make the voter more or less likely to back that candidate. They "push" the caller toward a negative conclusion, in short.
New Hampshire has a nine-year-old law requiring anyone who engages in push polling to tell the person being surveyed if the call is "being made on behalf of, in support of or in opposition to" a candidate.
They also must identify the candidate and give the phone number where the call originated. Failing to do so could be a felony. No one has ever been prosecuted under the law.
The calls reportedly were placed by Western Wats, an Orem, Utah-based survey research firm. In a statement, the company said it "has never, currently does not, nor will it ever engage in push polling."
In the offensive polls, voters reported identical patterns.
"They started by asking about 15 or 20 questions about different candidates," recalled Sabrina Matteson, a New Hampshire Farm Bureau editor who got a call Wednesday evening.
Soon, the undecided Republican said, the caller noted that Romney's five sons had never served in the military and asked if that gave her a more or less favorable view of him.
"What kind of question is that?" Matteson said she responded. After another question or two she got increasingly angry, finally telling the caller, "You should be ashamed of yourself. How do you look at yourself in the mirror?"
In Iowa, Watts, a state representative from Adel, was in his office around 5:30 that evening. The caller, Watts recalled, "said, 'If you knew Mitt Romney was a member of the Mormon church, would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?'''
Watts figured that was a fair question (a Romney supporter, he said "more likely"). The caller gradually got negative. Were you aware, the caller asked, that a lot of people didn't like Romney's health care program in Massachusetts? Are you aware that Mormons consider the Book of Mormon superior to the Bible?
After a while, the caller spoke of McCain, saying nice things about him.
The issue of Romney's religion is highly sensitive. He's seeking to become the first Mormon in the White House, and national polls have found that many voters are likely to oppose him because of his religion.
The Romney camp was outraged Friday.
"Whichever campaign is engaging in this type of awful religious bigotry as a line of political attack, it is repulsive and, to put it bluntly, un-American," said Romney communications director Matt Rhoades.
There was no clear evidence, though, that any opponent was behind the polls.
"There is no room for this kind of smut in a Republican primary election," said Todd Harris, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson's communications director.
"Our campaign does not support or engage in these types of tactics, and it is our hope other campaigns will adhere to the same policy," said Katie Levinson, the communications director for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
If the push polling had any apparent impact, it may have been to discredit politics further.
Kramer, a Romney supporter, got so angry that she missed the opening of her show.
"I was still ranting at my husband," she said.
Romney is a Mormon?
“Romney is a Mormon?”
Yes and Rudy was mayor of NY during 911....oh and John Kerry served in Vietnam. Just a few tidbits one would pick up if they were paying VERY close attention to this and the past election.
That may have been the point of the poll. It could have been done by a Democrat in order to reduce Republican interest in the election.
Damn! Had I known that I might have voted for him.
Wow, thanks.
Democrats wouldn't stoop that low would they?
Some possible questions:
“Would you still support Clinton if you knew she gets pedicures for her cloven feet at a non-union business?”
Why does this remind me, of the recent instances of liberals reporting “nooses” and “racist scrawlings”?
I suspect liberals.
They just lie. It’s what they do.
I’d look at Democrats for the source of this.
“Some possible questions” = “one possible question”
(I thought the rest would just write themselves.)
Harry Reid’s a mormon too but the bigots on the Left keep quiet about it, power trumps all.
John Kerry served in Cambodia???
FWIW:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926832/posts?page=90#75
“Wow, thanks.”
Just want you to have all the info you can to make an informed decision ;)
I thought the subject sounded familiar, however a title search didn’t turn up anything from this source or title.
If you find it irksome, I won’t be offended if you hit the abuse button and it’s deleted.
I have had the same problem...it helps to run a keyword search also, just for your information. I have no problem with the thread being posted again..some of the links I posted have additional information on them.
Not sure I follow?
Are you hinting that perhaps the Republican Party might actually have a viable candidate, who’s actually as good at smash-mouth politics as Democrats?...
/no that’s not sarcasm ;)
Harry Reid’s a mormon too but the bigots on the Left keep quiet about it, power trumps all.
Good point.
Lighten up Francis. If it is a duplicate, the admin mods will take care of it. Leave the thread policing to the professionals.
Ooops... this is what I meant!
Honestly, how can you vote for a guy who wears magic under wear?
Maybe some brave MSM reporterette will ask Mitt the Clinton boxers or briefs question, but will ask: Magic or plain?
The way I read the post...was Mr. Romney or his campaign attempted some deceit...Victimology at it's finest.
If that's smash-mouth politics in your mind.....so be it.
I’m all for the Golden Rule, but the next election is pretty much as near a battle of good vs evil, as we’re likely to see without accompanying brimstone.
If Romney’s actually out there operating at that level of effectively done sleight of hand - to actually pull off such a PR stunt, he must might. Might. Be a formidable enough candidate to beat Hillary’s machine.
We need a competitor. Not a gentleman, or a lady.
Someone who will win. Against the most dishonest, effective, manipulating juggernaut of disinformation the world has witnessed since Goebbels.
Yes. Smash mouth is good.
i may be mistaken, but didn’t mccain do something like this to bush back in 2000? i instantly thought of mccain when i heard this.
There are way's to be strong, and forceful..while being honest. And this supposed action, was taken against fellow "Pubbies"....albeit RINOS.
Well...heck maybe it's just RINO season...and they are thinning the herd. LOL
Don't mean it didn't happen though....HA!!
He did? You'd think he'd at least mention it...
I know I’m close to stepping over a line of principle, which I’m trying not to cross.
However, it’s important we field a fighter.
Someone whose powers of public persuasion rise above monotone explanations that this, that or the other thing is “in our interests”.
Bush is the only person I can imagine, who makes the word “interests” seem difficult to pronounce. And it seems like it’s really all he ever says.
Clinton has a huge, effective propaganda machine which is gearing up to demolish the opposition.
That’s us.
We need to demolish that machine, and her credibility.
We need a candidate, who is frankly, a bit ruthless. And able to manipulate public opinion.
It’s important.
Fight fire, with fire, and all.
And John Kerry was in Viet Nam.
Bush was blamed for a similar poll AGAINST McCain. More here Matthews condemns Romney campaign, attacks Tompkins’ record (UPDATED)
Romney has hired Warren Tompkins: Warren Tompkins has been described as South Carolina's most prominent Republican operative -- he runs what may be the state's most visible political consulting firm, TTS Strategies, and is the go-to guy for national strategists who need help understanding the nuances of South Carolina politics and want access to his network of contacts in the state.
The “campaign of sleaze” to which Chris Matthews refers was the one waged against John McCain in the 2000 South Carolina Republican presidential primary. It is interesting to note that Warren Tompkins - who was a consultant to George W. Bush at the time - all but admitted responsibility.
I think his record is suspect...And I think...GASP!! his religion is an issue....like it or not. And those two things will be attacked by whomever the DemoMarxistSocialistLiberal candidate is.
Frankly....Duncan Hunter speaks more to me...than any other candidate. But the powers that be....don't seem to agree.
We agree on that 100%!
There’s still time. I do wish however, that Hunter would get out there and start mixing it up. Loudly.
He’s far too well-behaved.
I have never got a push poll but if these are some of the negative questions, I’m not so sure what’s wrong with these calls. I can see how these “anti-Romney” calls are useful to the political operatives of any candidate, even Romney’s. This is just gathering reactions, data, intelligence, etc. Information is power. I am not condoning push polling, I just don’t know enough about it.
I smell Rudy behind this.
He knows McCain doesn’t like Romney. So he gets his backers to slip money to Huckabee to run enough ads to blunt Romney in IA and tries this trick to get Romney and McCain fighting with each other publicly.
I don’t think McCain would resort to this. I don’t think any of them woud except Giuliani. This has sleazy New York politics written all over it.
We don’t have any ruthless candidates this year; all our Republicans are afraid to be ruthless.
“There’s still time. I do wish however, that Hunter would get out there and start mixing it up. Loudly.
He’s far too well-behaved.”
Hunter is retiring and turning over his seat to his son, that is what this campaign is largely about, he would not want to act in a way that would hurt his sons taking over his district.
Huckabee sounds like a “Lazio Republican” — one afraid to take HRC on frontally.
Speaking of SC, whatever happened to the “tough” Republican who was going to challenge L. Graham in the primary? He must have “chickened” out. I guess people in SC still believe in Graham after all.
I heard a radio host yesterday read something that the “Western Wats” is a firm that has been used by Giuliani in the past.
Gosh darn it, that’s funny.
And true.
I meant “divert attention AWAY from my group”.
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