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Huck Pollsters Targeting Michigan Dems
A TPM Reader writes in about Common Sense Issues' calls in Michigan:
I got a call from Huck's "independent" push pollers [Friday night]. It was a robo-call with a script that was micro-targeted for my Democratic union household. The robo-voice, which asked "poll" questions and left me time to answer, was an African-American male voice. Wanted to know if I was aware that "there is no real choice in the Michigan Democratic primary this year" and encouraged me to vote in the Repub primary instead.Also asked if I was aware that the Machinists Union had endorsed Huckabee "for the first time in history..." (I assume by tonite they will add the Painters, too.) And if I knew that Huckabee was a fighter for working families, etc.
At the end, the robo-voice said the poll "was not affiliated with or authorized by any candidate or committee," but all the "questions" were designed to communicate positive information about the Huckster.
It's a classic ploy for these types of calls to play on ethnic and racial stereotypes -- though in this instance, the pollsters seem to have chosen their voice with the idea that a typically African-American male voice would appeal to Democrats. (When I asked Common Sense Issues' executive director Patrick Davis* whether it was accurate to characterize the voice in these calls as "an African-American male voice," he said "it could be.") Former dirty trickster Allen Raymond writes in his book How to Rig An Election that he had an array of actors available to portray a range of stereotypes, including "angry black man," which was deployed to frighten middle-class whites.
Unfortunately for the group, one of the Michiganians to get one of the group's two million calls in the state (most of which are going to Republicans) was Mitt Romney supporter Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI). He told the Politico that it was "an attack call masquerading as a poll."
Hoekstra also said that there was no disclaimer at the end of the call identifying the group behind the call. Davis says that the calls always have such a disclaimer, which is required by law. So please: TPM readers, if you get one of these calls, let us know what you hear. And if you're lucky enough to get one on your answering machine, we'd love to hear it.
*Update/Correction: This post originally referred to the group's executive director as Rick Davis. His name is Patrick.
Comments (18)
Anonymous wrote on January 14, 2008 5:09 PM:Not to nitpick, but it's Michigander.
RockGolf wrote on January 14, 2008 5:13 PM:What's good for the Michigoose is good for the Michigander.
MikeV wrote on January 14, 2008 5:34 PM:My wife and I have gotten two of these robocalls over the past week.
POed Lib wrote on January 14, 2008 5:48 PM:Last night she answered the phone and apparently it began: Do you have a high opinion of Carl Levin?
By the third No, the call hung up.
Can we get the home telephone numbers of the principles behind the robocalls? We need to go to the mattresses on these robocalls.
ROSSinDETROIT wrote on January 14, 2008 6:04 PM:I got one of the pro-Huck push poll robocalls today at 1:30 PM. It came up on the CID as POLITICAL CALL, which is a first. The call cut off without the usual attribution notice at the end. I thought that was odd. Southeastern Michigan was just flat covered up in politicians this weekend. I'd be surprised if I don't get at least one more robocall before I go to the polls tomorrow.
Terry wrote on January 14, 2008 6:32 PM:This is the strangest year for politics in MI. I'm a Dem and I'm going to vote in the GOP primary for Mitt to monkeywrench the works. My dad is a lifelong GOP-er who told me yesterday he's voting Uncommitted in the Dem primary in the hopes of keeping Hillary out.
Clearly this open primary jazz is not serving us well in this election cycle.
I am a progressive, living in Michigan, and I fully INTEND without any help deciding, to vote for Huckabee tomorrow. (So do my family and a number of friends, although we have not made a campaign of it. I wish we had.) Here's why:
I want to see the Republicans with a presidential candidate who admits that he believes that humans and dinosaurs cohabited on this planet less than 6,000 years ago and that he believes (and hopes) that the whole thing (humans, life on Earth) is gonna end very soon.
I want the spotlight of a presidential campaign shining on that cesspool of ignorance. The intelligent religious folks will have to abandon their connections with such stupidity. And Republicans will be saddled with the "Party of Stupidity" label.
chabuka wrote on January 14, 2008 6:49 PM:Adolf Hitler was a Christian.......
Anonymous wrote on January 14, 2008 7:34 PM:I assume that is not the same Rick Davis who is/once was involved in McCain's campaign.
Riesz Fischer wrote on January 14, 2008 7:43 PM:Terry says "And Republicans will be saddled with the "Party of Stupidity" label."
They have had that label for a long time, at least since they elected Benedict Ronald, the senile movie star.
Maggie wrote on January 14, 2008 8:01 PM:My robocall came in on Sunday. My CID identified it as "Virginia call." As others have said, my so-called robo poller had an African American male voice. Since I was being talked to in 'artifical intelligence', I felt I needed to respond accordingly and answered as a Republican. It was easy to identify the phone call as a push-poll (awfully clumsy)and as the computer hung up on me, I wondered where Huck Slim got the funds for my call.
Phil wrote on January 14, 2008 8:35 PM:I have a robo-call on my answering machine, but it's a little different from the described here. The point of the message obviously is to get me to vote in the Republican primary. The voice is a woman's, there is no attribution, and the complete text is:
"The presidential primary is tomorrow.
Michigan is losing jobs, we're in a war against radical Islamic extremism, and yet some people aren't bothering to vote. You can't complain if you don't vote.
There isn't a competitive Democratic primary in Michigan. The Republicans, Independents and Democrats are all voting in the Republican primary.
Please remember to vote tomorrow. For information regarding the location of your polling place, please call toll-free 1-888-767-6424."
David wrote on January 14, 2008 9:49 PM:Damn, this stuff in interesting! Over on Dkos, there are lots of posts from wet blankets who claim it's somehow underhanded and cynical for Democrats to vote in the Republican primiary to get the best result for our party. By now they should be over it though:
Here are the Republicans explicitly giving us permission to do just that. They are even ASKING us to do it, fully aware that our goal is to benefit our party. It's OK with them! I hope this puts to rest any trepidations we may have had, and makes us relize that it's exactly what we should do, in order to benefit our eventual nominee. Of course, the Republican we should be voting for is Romney, but Huckabee is a good second choice.
Katie wrote on January 14, 2008 9:49 PM:We got the CID identified "Virginia call" on Saturday. It was clearly a pro-Huckabee push poll, complete with the reminder that there wasn't really a choice in the Democratic primary, so perhaps we should consider voting as Republicans.
And I must agree with Terry, and say that I am tempted to do just that, and vote for Huck in the primary tomorrow simply because his staggering ignorance is absolutely fascinating.
LeftinFlint wrote on January 14, 2008 11:14 PM:We got the CID identified as "Virginia Call" too. I answered and tried to give intransigent answers. I said I was voting for Mitt. When the robo-voice provided me with "facts" about Mitt and Huck, and then asked if that changed my opinion, I said no. There was no organizational identification at the end of the call, but I didn't get it recorded.
Anonygander wrote on January 15, 2008 12:29 AM:It used to be "Michigander," but then someone somewhere decided it should be changed to "Michiganian."
Being a Professional Curmudgeon, I'll stick with Michigander. It has a nice, goosey/Teutonic ring to it.
By the way, I'm voting in the Republican primary, first time ever. But I'm sincerely voting for Ron Paul.
Michelle wrote on January 15, 2008 9:16 AM:We got a call CID "Political call" yesterday afternoon here in Michigan. Started with the same info as Phil's above, but then stated that the frontrunners were McCain, Huckabee and Romney and asked which I would be voting for or if I was undecided. Since I was undecided about which was the best choice for my spoiler vote (Romney or Paul), I chose undecided. It then provided me with positive statements about McCain and asked if that changed my opinion. After two questions to which I answered "no," the phone disconnected.
Anonymous wrote on January 15, 2008 10:04 AM:Wouldn't it make a whole lot more sense if the disclaimer was required to be given at the *beginning* of the call?
Now and then wrote on January 15, 2008 10:51 AM:got the call on answering machine..."do you support president george w. bush...from common sense issues nevada...719.....