Washblog

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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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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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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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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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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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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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 Democrats have refused to allow a vote. The calls and ads will target swing-vote areas where minority Republicans hope to reverse their numerical inferiority at the Legislature (Democrats control the House, 55-43, and the Senate, 26-23), and they will stop if Democrats pass the bill, according to Kevin Carns of The Speakers Roundtable, which is paying for the media campaign. DeBolt has connections to the roundtable group, which has filed campaign spending reports showing that his wife, Amy DeBolt, has been reimbursed for expenses related to the group's work in the past. But DeBolt at first said Thursday that he didn't know about the recorded calls. By day's end, he said he had become aware of the television ads and insisted they were being done independently of his caucus. Democrats such as Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, see sinister forces at work, noting that Jim Hines, the Gig Harbor activist who is spearheading a public campaign to toughen penalties on certain molesters, has a record of giving money to Republicans and has been a strong presence at the Capitol this week and in drumming up public support for the GOP proposals.

by Brian on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 09:49:06 AM PST

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This sex offender tactic is a well thought out ploy directly related to the fall elections. By targeting swing voters and districts, the Republicans hope to lay the groundwork for their candidates.

I wrote about this strategy in my Jan. 13 post entitled FEAR IS THE ANSWER in Washblog.

Democrats must counter this move immediately, and with throroughness.

The "Roundtable" group responsible for the Vancouver area must be exposed in the media.

Republicans in office must be forced to respond to this tactic in a public forum.

Clark County Democrats must expose this ploy for what it is: dirty scare tactics by a desperate party. The Democratic legislation will result in more convictions, more often, and better monitoring of sex offenders.

Take note: this fear tactic is effective, powerful and nasty. It must be countered with equivalent force, and in a timely manner.

by Andrew Tsao on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 12:41:49 PM PST

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...to Phil Talmadge's office who I was told was supposed to be involved with this issue in south King County.  I talked with his secretary and made sure they have seen the two dairies that have been posted here.

I will be calling them again Monday to get a response, hopefully one that is worth putting up here on the site.

Has anybody tried contacting Representative O'Brien, since the Democratic bill up for consideration on this issue, HB2411, is sponsored by him?  He should be able to shut this down by succinctly showing where the Republican plan, HB2476, falls short.

by palamedes on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 06:29:25 PM PST

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