McCain and the GOP's Robocalls
By Bd200789
@Bd200789 (2994)
United States
October 17, 2008 4:54pm CST
The GOP and John McCain's campaign are now using robocalls. The call begins: "Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC," before telling recipients that they "need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home, and killed Americans."
In Minnesota, they are illegal. "Explains Shaun Dakin, CEO & Founder of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry: 'Most robocalls are supposed to have two things, "paid for by X" and a phone number of the group making the call. Most do that. Now, that being said, there are some states that have their own robocall laws and they are much stricter. Minnesota pretty much bans robocalls entirely unless they are introduced by a human voice. And that pretty much never happens because it defeats the point'".
They are even using these calls in Canada! What do you think? Should these calls be legal?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/massive-rnc-robocall-may_n_135348.html
3 people like this
10 responses
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
18 Oct 08
I haven't gotten any of these phone calls this time around but the last one I kept getting one from a state issue for banning gay marriage or something about gay marriage and anyway I would get so mad because it was from the GOP and once it started (yes it called every day several times a day) my phone line wouldn't clear. I wouldn't have a dial tone for several minutes after I hung up. I think that they should be illegal or a person should have to call and say I want them calling me. I don't think we should have to say I don't want to be called.
3 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I got a robocall from Hilary Clinton, at least that is what it said it was. I have never gotten a robocall from any GOP candidates. No, I do not think they should be allowed because they tie up a person's phone line and someone might have to make an important outgoing call. We pay for our phone service and should not have to put up with the phone equivalent of spam.
These campaign calls are especially insidious because they seem to be able to get right past the call blocking. They even bypass the setting I have on my phone to limit all incoming calls to a single ring--they are supposed to go directly to voicemail. However, the calls I have gotten on behalf of the democrat candidates ring through multiple times and bypass the voice mail. Go figure.
Do you mean a live person has to ask you if you want to listed to a recording? That would be funny. I don't pick up the phone to tall to live humans either. Thank heavens for caller ID.
3 people like this
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I wouldn't say illegal, but you should definitely be able to opt out of them somehow. Political robocalls are on the same plane as telemarketing, and pretty much no one would WELCOME a machine calling his/her house and trying to influence them.
It makes you wonder: "Don't these people care enough about my vote to actually even SPEAK to me, person-to-person?" It feels dismissive and cynical, imo.
3 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I don't agree with these types of calls and find this yet another example of the ugly campaign McCain is running. My husband said that someone commented on CNN earlier today that their child answered one of those calls and didn't understand much except for the word "terrorist", which scared her. Now, are our candidates for president supposed to be scaring little girls? 
3 people like this
@travelinjon (49)
• United States
18 Oct 08
Any phone call that is insolicited or not from family and friends should be illegal in my mind. When it comes to campaigns for president don't they innundate us with enough propaganda anyway do they need to robocall us. Now if one wanted to call me personally I would take it.
3 people like this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
17 Oct 08
Geez!!!! This campaign is getting out of hand, and both candidates should be arrested for the crap that they are spewing out on poor unsuspecting innocent Americans everywhere. People all over the world are being brainwashed. It really stinks. I'm not in the USA, but if I ever got one of those calls, I'd hang up right away.
3 people like this
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
18 Oct 08
I think you need to quit reading the Huffin and Puffin Post. With all the crap that's going on with this election why can't anyone just admit that both candidates don't satisfy their needs as a leader. You don't like McCain and I don't like Obama, who cares what those two do to get votes. The fairness has been taken out and the American people act like watch dogs against either party. It comes down to character, plain and simple. Look at the person running for office, are the running to be something or running for something?
@Lazers (152)
•
18 Oct 08
What the hell? in the UK we call that cold calling. It really is a load of crap, the calls should be banned. even if i did live in the USA, i wouldn't vote for anyone who cold called me.
It's like spamming of the American people, and i think this will only decrease McCains popularity more.
Thanks.
1 person likes this
