Washblog || GOP fake "sex offender notification" mailing

GOP fake "sex offender notification" mailing

By Jon DeVore
Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 08:27:48 AM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Repubs

John DeVore, good friend and former blogger from ColumbianWatch now writes for the Vancouver,WA alt-paper the Vanguard. - Brian

The Speaker's Roundtable, a GOP political action committee, has been attacking Democrats in swing districts using radio ads, robo-calls and now mailings over the issue of sex offender sentencing.

I've taken to calling it "the sneak attack" as the Republicans tried to pass their bill on the first day of the Legislature, when nobody had even read it, and then immediately threw these attacks up. The whole thing was obviously planned in advance.

I'm working on a story about it for Vanguard, and I got my hands on this yesterday. A truly despicable mail piece, IMHO.

Cross-posted at VanBlog by Vanguard.

I've been working on the story of how the Republicans launched their sneak attack on Democrats in swing districts after trying to force a vote from the floor on opening day, when nobody had even read the legislation. (See the VanBlog post Crazed Rovian Zombies from Jan. 14.)

In the course of reporting that story for the next issue of Vanguard, due out Jan. 26, I learned that the Speaker's Roundtable, the GOP political action committee responsible for the assault on Democrats, has sent a post-card style mailing into at least three districts, including one aimed at Democratic Rep. Deb Wallace of the 17th District. My sources tell me that the office of 28th District Rep. Tami Green (D-University Place) reports a similar mailing. There may be and probably are others.

I've seen a lot of offensive things as a participant and observer of politics, but this is one of the most vile things I have ever seen.

Vanguard obtained this copy of the mail piece late today from a concerned citizen here in Vancouver.

Please visit VanBlog to see a copy of the mailing, I'm not trying to post it here.

You'll recall that the Republicans have also launched robo-calls and radio ads against Wallace.

This mailing raises a whole host of ethical issues, not the least of which is the effect it has had on concerned citizens who are calling Wallace's office worried that a sex offender is moving into their neighborhood. I haven't had time to look into whether it is actually legal to send out fake sex offender notificiations, but I certainly intend to look into it.

There's a lot more to this story, and I'll keep you informed as time allows.

UPDATE--I did not find anything at the The Washington State Sex Offender Information Center to suggest that sending out mailings called "sex offender notification" when they are, in fact, no such thing, would violate any laws. But it's still pretty low. Plus I'm neither a lawyer nor a legislator, so if someone has a different view I would love to hear about it.

I know legislators like to maintain some semblance of collegiality, but exactly how one does that in the face of this kind of assault is beyond me. Maybe they're used to being defamed, but in this case regular people may think this is some kind of official notification, and that's just wrong.

< Important Democrats You Should Know (About) | Good editorial (for us) >

GOP fake "sex offender notification" mailing | 12 comments (12 topical)

Easy remedy

Whoever gets one of these disgusting calls, or anyone in a District where people are gets these calls should contact their local Republican Party, or the campaign of the Republican opponent of the Democratic incumbent, should accuse them of being behind it, and should demand that this kind of politics stop. Flood their damn switchboards.

Then Local Democrats (start with the LD organization), should organize to inundate their community newspapers with letters to the editor decrying the gutter politics that these calls represent, and calling the GOP by name out on it.

Don't let them make sex offenders the issue. Ths issue is gutter politics, and making a political football out of their kids' safety.

Some of the letters should ask: How dumb do they think we are, to fall for crap like this? Or: Do these slick consultants think we're hicks from the sticks, and can't see through this?

Attack the politics, attack the insult to intelligence, and attack the people who would benefit from it. Make the tactic the issue. Hold it up to ridicule.

We did this successfully in Pierce County in the 2004 campaign. It works if we are organized and motivated.

If perception is reality, then the world must be flat and the sun must revolve around it.

by ivan on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 09:19:14 AM PST

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Absolutely disgusting

I can't believe that we would let the GOP get away with this dirty trick! I think we should bring all those cards to their offices and say something like return to sender for mail fraud.

by walla wallow on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 10:37:45 AM PST

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asdf

I agree that the gutter nature of the this needs to be publicized. And I'd like to give some credit to Erick Anderson, the publisher and editor in chief of Vanguard, who agreed that it was more important to post the mailing on our blog rather than hold it for our print issue.

I guess it seems obvious to us that the SCLM should cover this story, but it's the weekend, etc. Whatever folks here can do to alert reporters around the state would be great.

Thanks for letting me post this here, great job on the site update.

by Jon DeVore on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 11:40:43 AM PST

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THANK YOU by eastside lib, 01/23/2006 11:34:07 AM PST (none / 0)

I agree, thank you for writing this by walla wallow, 01/23/2006 04:16:11 PM PST (none / 0)

And

Brad Shannon has done a good job covering the charade for The Olympian, so it was very appropriate to give him that credit by citing him above.

by Jon DeVore on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 11:41:49 AM PST

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Somebody please go wake up Paul Berendt

and tell him to do his fucking job! Where the hell is he on this???

by eastside lib on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 03:12:20 PM PST

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THE Problem is the Dem "Resonse"

these people having been liars since ... they fought against shortening the 7*12 hour work week?

THE problem is that the Dem leaders aren't playing hardball with these sons of bitches & therefore the sons of bitches get away with it.

wanna stop this crap?

then ya gotta find EVERYONE involved,
and ya gotta hire operations research people to post EVERY SLIMY thing,
EVERY suspicous thing,
EVERY rumored thing,
EVERYTHING and ANYTHING
EVERYONE of them,
and EVERY member of their families,

has done, might have done, and might have thought about doing

24*7*365

with video cameras & live web feeds.

then, and only then, will they stop this bullshit.

OR,

we could whine about how mean, unethical and slimy they are ... even though it didn't work against Raygun or Bush I or ...

rmm.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 06:09:56 PM PST

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Additional info

Here is some more background from Brad Shannon:

It also appears that Republicans see the issue as one that might bear fruit politically, and House Republicans appear to have been planning a political offensive on this issue. Groups friendly to the House GOP began launching recorded-message telephone calls to voters in Democratic swing districts shortly after session began, complaining that House Democrats refused to allow a vote on the GOP's tough bill on sex predators. The reason no vote was taken is that the request for a vote came on the session's first day, with no notice, and Democrats said they wanted to have a hearing on it first. The telephone calls — as well as television and radio ads in the works — tell voters that Democ