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2010 Census

Census Workers Have Been Attacked By Animals 24 Times, Assaulted 88 Times

Justin Elliott | June 21, 2010, 4:22PM

There were 409 threats or assaults on Census workers making home visits between May and last Friday, 24 of which were animal attacks and 13 of which involved shots fired, according to data given to TPMmuckraker by the Census Bureau.

The Washington Post had a good story Sunday looking at the hazards of Census work. The paper noted that this year has seen more than double the 181 incidents reported last time around, in 2000.

Republican National Committee

RNC On 'Census' Mailers: It's Dems' Fault For Writing An 'Unclear' Bill

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 5:46PM

RNC Chair Michael Steele

Now this is some chutzpah...

The RNC is taking all kinds of heat for sending out a misleading fundraising mailer marked "Census," even after the recent passage of a law aimed at banning such mailers. And now it's blaming Democrats for writing what it calls unclear legislation.

Republican National Committee

On RNC Census Mailer, Dem Rep. Slams 'Party Of Loopholes'

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 4:40PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

The RNC hasn't elaborated -- despite several requests -- on its view that its misleading "Census" fundraising mailer is legal, despite a recently passed law that aimed to ban such missives.

But it may hang on the fact that the law, which passed last month, only forbids mailers with the word "census" on the outside of the envelope -- while in the RNC's mailer, "Census" is visible through the envelope's window.

Republican National Committee

GOP Rep. To Steele: Stop 'Deceptive And Misleading' Census Mailer

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 3:49PM

RNC Chair Michael Steele

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has fired off a letter to RNC Chair Michael Steele, urging him to put a stop to the deceptive "Census" mailers that the party has been sending of late.

Chaffetz writes that he's concerned that the mailer "violates not only the spirit but the letter" of the law passed by Congress last month -- of which Chaffetz was a co-sponsor -- which aimed to ban such mailers.

Darrell Issa

GOPer Readying New Legislation To Ban RNC 'Census' Mailer Once And For All

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 1:32PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is working on new legislation that would close any loopholes in the law banning deceptive fundraising mailers of the sort sent recently by the RNC, according to his office.

"We're gonna do everything we can to protect the integrity of the census," Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for the California Republican, told TPMmuckraker. "If there is a loophole, we want to close it." Bardella said he expected the legislation would be introduced today and marked up next week.

Republican National Committee

GOP Rep: RNC 'Census' Mailer 'Outrages Me'

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 12:27PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

The outrage over that RNC "Census" fundraising mailer -- sent just weeks after Congress passed a law to ban such mailers -- has gone bipartisan.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), a co-sponsor of the legislation passed last month, told The PlumLine's Greg Sargent that the mailer is intended to "deceive people," and added that he and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) will send a letter to RNC chair Michael Steele urging him to put a stop to the missives.

Republican National Committee

GOP 'Census' Mailer Consultant Dismisses Concerns As Political 'Ankle Biting'

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 11:47AM

GOP consultant Walter Lukens and RNC Chair Michael Steele

The Republican consultant behind the RNC's misleading fundraising mailers marked "Census" proudly touts the mailers on his firm's website. And he's dismissing the bipartisan outrage over the missives as "the ankle biting of the political process," adding that the Virgin Mary "had to go to Bethlehem to be part of a census."

The website for The Lukens Company, run by GOP consultant Walter Lukens and boasting a list of big-name clients, includes "Republican National Committee Census" as an example of the firm's work. The mailer is said to be the "most successful prospecting package for [the] RNC," and to have "generated hundreds of thousands of new donors to the RNC file."

Republican National Committee

Congressional Dems Call For Probe Of RNC 'Census' Mailers

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 9:20AM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

In the wake of TPMmuckraker's report yesterday on the RNC's deceptive fundraising mailers, Congressional Democrats are calling for an investigation. The mailers, marked "Census Document," were sent just weeks after Congress passed a law aimed at banning such misleading missives.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and William Clay (D-MO), both senior members of the House Oversight committee, yesterday evening sent a letter to the Postmaster General, urging him to "act swiftly" to put a stop to the mailers. You can read the letter here.

Republican National Committee

Even After Law Aimed At Banning It, RNC Still Sending Misleading 'Census' Mailer

Zachary Roth | April 26, 2010, 9:38AM

RNC Chair Michael Steele

The Republican National Committee is continuing to send out a misleading fundraising mailer labeled "Census Document," just weeks after Congress passed a law aimed at banning such mailers.

In response, the Democratic member of Congress behind the new law slammed the RNC for "trying to make a buck on the Census." But Michael Steele and co. are claiming the law doesn't cover their mailer.

Darrell Issa

No Let Up: Darrell Issa's Tireless Quest For Scandal

Zachary Roth | April 23, 2010, 8:35AM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Remember the 1990s, when Newt Gingrich, Dan Burton and co. managed to create a steady stream of outrage by playing up every Clinton administration "scandal," no matter how minor? Or how about the last years of the Bush administration, when Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) seemed to function as a one-man investigative machine, making sure that no Bush administration wrong-doing went unexamined?

Today that role is being played by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight committee. But despite the steady stream of made-to-order conspiracy theories coming from Fox News and the Tea Party crowd, it's a much harder job. That's largely because Issa's party is in the minority, so he doesn't have the power to compel testimony or subpoena documents. And it's perhaps also because, though the Obama administration is far from squeaky clean, Issa just hasn't had the kind of material to work with that his predecessors did.

Republican National Committee

In Rebuke To GOP, House Votes 416-0 To Ban Misleading 'Census' Mailers

Zachary Roth | March 10, 2010, 5:29PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

The House has voted 416-0 to ban misleading mailers designed to look like official communications from the Census Bureau of the kind that two national Republican groups recently sent out.

Under the bill, co-sponsored by two House Republicans as well as several Democrats, mailers marked "census" will have to state the name and address of the sender, along with an unambiguous disclaimer that it's not affiliated with the federal government. It will be taken up by the Senate soon.

Republican National Committee

GOPers Blast RNC 'Census' Mailers: 'Nothing Could Be More Wrong'

Zachary Roth | March 4, 2010, 5:28PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Two Congressional Republicans today blasted those RNC fundraising mailers that appear made to look like official Census Bureau communications. "Nothing could be more wrong," said one.

During a hearing of the House Oversight committee, which is looking into the mailers, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) declared: "I am obviously a member of the Republican Party. I have seen the Republican Party send out documents that say 'census.' I think it's wrong, I think it's deceptive, and I wish they wouldn't do it. I would hope our party would cease from doing that."

TPMMuckraker Census

Justin Elliott | June 21, 2010, 4:22PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 5:46PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 4:40PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 3:49PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 1:32PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 12:27PM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 11:47AM

Zachary Roth | April 27, 2010, 9:20AM

Zachary Roth | April 26, 2010, 9:38AM

Zachary Roth | April 23, 2010, 8:35AM

Zachary Roth | March 10, 2010, 5:29PM

Zachary Roth | March 4, 2010, 5:28PM

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