Huckabee and Push Polling

[Annie]

For such a 'nice guy' it seems he's channeling the Clinton campaign:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/12/huckabees-push.html

03 Dec 2007 12:08 pm

Pretty rough for a "nice guy". And the gay-bashing is ubiquitous. He's got to be worried about the Dumond story too, his very own Willie Horton moment.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonat...ty_group_floods_Iowa_with_negative_calls.html

Apparent pro-Huckabee third-party group floods Iowa with negative calls

A newly-formed group claiming to support Mike Huckabee hit the phones of Iowa Republicans tonight with an automated push-poll attacking Huckabee's GOP opponents and praising the former Arkansas governor.

Officials representing the Iowa campaigns of Fred Thompson, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani all said that their supporters contacted them to complain about the calls. A spokesman for Romney's campaign said they had gotten reports of calls, but did not know of anything negative being said about their candidate.

For each target, the pattern was the same -- a recorded message using voice recognition technology asked the recipient if they would participate in the caucuses, considered themselves pro-life and thought marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Then the dirt came, right after those called were asked which candidate they were backing.

For all three, the calls were phrased in the same manner: "If you knew that..."

But different candidates were targeted with different attacks.

For Thompson it was his past lobbying for an abortion rights group, his support of McCain-Feingold and that McCain-Feingold had also been known as "McCain-Feingold-Thompson."

For Giuliani, it was that he's "pro-abortion," supports civil unions and that "his police chief and business partner has been indicted" on various charges.

And for McCain, it was about his support for campaign finance reform and opposition to a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

At the end, the automated voice directed the recipient of the call to www.trusthuckabee.com

...

Now it's started in New Hampshire:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4005347&page=1

Apparent Huckabee Backers Smear McCain
N.H. Phone Campaign Starts as Poll, Then Turns to Anti-McCain Ad
By JAKE TAPPER

Dec. 15, 2007—

Bernie Campbell, a 26-year-old public school teacher in Laconia, N.H., was eating dinner at home Friday night with his wife, a graduate student at Dartmouth, when he got a phone call.

"Would you like to participate in a 60-second poll on the New Hampshire primary?" the automated voice asked.

Campbell, a West Lebanon, N.H., co-chair for the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., figured what the heck, it was just 60 seconds.

After he told the automated caller that he intended to vote in the Jan. 8, 2008, New Hampshire GOP primary, that he considers himself pro-life, and that he intends to vote for McCain, the poll took on a decidedly negative tone, Campbell told ABC News.

"It was a series of questions that you would associate with a push poll," Campbell said, referring to the negative campaigning technique of pretending to be a pollster gathering information from voters when really the intention is to spread negative information about a rival.

The automated machine, which identified itself as being with Common Sense Issues, threw Campbell questions about whether he'd be less likely to support McCain if he knew the Arizona senator opposed a federal amendment to ban same sex marriage, or that he'd hurt the anti-abortion-rights cause by leading the charge for campaign finance reform...

 

[jillian]

For such a 'nice guy' it seems he's channeling the Clinton campaign:

The Clinton campaign? I'd say the world champion of push pollers was Bush, but there ya go.

 

[Annie]

The Clinton campaign? I'd say the world champion of push pollers was Bush, but there ya go.

Got some links?

 

[maineman]

the Rove inspired push polling in South Carolina against McCain suggesting he had fathered a black child is legendary. Do you really need a link for that?

 

[jillian]

Got some links?

why would I link something that's common knowledge? the bush campaign killed mccain in the carolinas with their lovely little push poll asking if people's opinion of mccain would change if they knew he had an illegitimate black daughter.

or are you just funnin' me?

 

[Annie]

the Rove inspired push polling in South Carolina against McCain suggesting he had fathered a black child is legendary. Do you really need a link for that?

Certainly possible, but Hillary's campaign regarding Obama's drug use and kindergarten aspirations are so much more recent.

 

[maineman]

Certainly possible, but Hillary's campaign regarding Obama's drug use and kindergarten aspirations are so much more recent.

those were comments by Shaheen's husband...not push polling, to my knowledge.

 

[jillian]

those were comments by Shaheen's husband...not push polling, to my knowledge.

and there was a change in staff over it.

 

[DeadCanDance]

LOL

Republicans have perfected the art of push polling for years...and NOW they're crying like little babies about it? Where was the outrage last month?

November 15, 2007
Read More: Iowa

Anti-Romney, anti-Mormon calls being made in Iowa

In an apparent push poll, a research firm has called Iowa Republicans this week praising John McCain and critcizing Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith.

An individual in Manchester, Iowa, contacted me on Wednesday night saying he received a call with information about McCain's military service and anti-spending record.

Then there were "lots of negatives on Romney," said the recepient of the call in an e-mail, including mentions of his "flip-flops," hiring illegal immigrants as landscapers and extensive discussion of Mormonism.

"Statements were on baptizing the dead, the Book of Mormon being on the level of the Bible, and one about equating it to a cult," said the Iowan, deeming them "common criticisms of Mormonism."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonat...mney_antiMormon_calls_being_made_in_Iowa.html

a better case of faux outrage, there's never been.

 

[Annie]

When both MM and Jillian respond, well something is up.

 

[Gem]

yeah...Clinton's had to let several of her advisors/staff members go because they keep going out "completely of their own accord," and "completely without her knowledge" saying potentially damaging things about her competition that she would "never ever say or approve of anyone saying." Yeah.....right.

Either Clinton has absolutely no control over her people (which bodes poorly for her leadership ability).

Or (and far more likely)

She has friends willing to go out and say highly controversial things (a la Edwards "I imagine if we ask Cheney's daughter.....who is gay") and then step down so that a) the damage to her opponent is done while b) she gets to look responsible by "letting them go for saying it"

Come on, Jillian...surely you have more political saavy than you are letting on...you're not falling for this bullsh*t, are you?

 

[maineman]

yeah...Clinton's had to let several of her advisors/staff members go because they keep going out "completely of their own accord," and "completely without her knowledge" saying potentially damaging things about her competition that she would "never ever say or approve of anyone saying." Yeah.....right.

Either Clinton has absolutely no control over her people (which bodes poorly for her leadership ability).

Or (and far more likely)

She has friends willing to go out and say highly controversial things (a la Edwards "I imagine if we ask Cheney's daughter.....who is gay") and then step down so that a) the damage to her opponent is done while b) she gets to look responsible by "letting them go for saying it"

Come on, Jillian...surely you have more political saavy than you are letting on...you're not falling for this bullsh*t, are you?

my guess is that you have never worked on a grassroots political primary campaign. right?

 

[Annie]

my guess is that you have never worked on a grassroots political primary campaign. right?

I have. When you get such 'middle weight' volunteers doing the same bad things, seems curious, no?

 

[maineman]

I have. When you get such 'middle weight' volunteers doing the same bad things, seems curious, no?

no....not curious at all...completely understandable. in the early stages of a primary campaign, volunteers are overzealous and bring overzealous friends with them.

 

[Gem]

my guess is that you have never worked on a grassroots political primary campaign. right?

Nope. Can't say that I have.



Oh...also wanted to add that Clinton was the President whose push-polling came up with the "What do you think of the President personally" "Now, how do you feel about how he's doing as a President" during the Lewinsky scandal...deliberately setting up the idea in the minds of those polled that what the President did with Lewinsky and others was and should be considered separate from what he did as President. Bush may have done something similar...but i do think that credit of perfecting the technique still has to go to the Clinton Administration.

 

[maineman]

Nope. Can't say that I have.



Oh...also wanted to add that Clinton was the President whose push-polling came up with the "What do you think of the President personally" "Now, how do you feel about how he's doing as a President" during the Lewinsky scandal...deliberately setting up the idea in the minds of those polled that what the President did with Lewinsky and others was and should be considered separate from what he did as President. Bush may have done something similar...but i do think that credit of perfecting the technique still has to go to the Clinton Administration.

whatever. Have you offered any proof that Hillary's campaign is making extensive use of push polling? If so, I missed it.

 

[Annie]

no....not curious at all...completely understandable. in the early stages of a primary campaign, volunteers are overzealous and bring overzealous friends with them.

With the same phone script, I think not.

 

[maineman]

With the same phone script, I think not.

what push polling phone scripts were being used by the clinton campaign?

 

[Annie]

what push polling phone scripts were being used by the clinton campaign?

Regarding Obama and muslim questions.

 

[maineman]

Regarding Obama and muslim questions.

I have not read any such reports....