Are we getting muddy yet? DeVos denies the charges, of course, but one only has to look at his TV ads to see where these scripts are coming from- the calls carry the same sentiment of "disappointment" and supposed broken promises. The DeVos family also has a long track record of doing things such as this- it's to the point where it becomes hard to believe that they are not behind it.
Unlisted phone number, caller ID. It's the only way. I haven't received a robocall in years.
Some Michiganders were angry Thursday about recorded phone messages slamming Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
One, which appears to have been mostly received on Wednesday, used slightly vulgar language and triggered dozens of angry follow-up phone calls to the campaign of Granholm's challenger, Dick DeVos, and the Michigan Republican Party. Both said they had nothing to do with it and don't know who did.
The offending recording is of a woman's voice criticizing Granholm for "empty promises" and ends with the woman exclaiming, "Frankly, I'm pissed."
The message closes with: "This message is brought to you by Michigan Working Families."
Mike Essenmacher of Walled Lake said the message, along with six other political robocalls, was on his home phone when he and his wife returned after three days away.
"I was very annoyed by the whole thing. That kind of language is inexcusable," he said. Essenmacher said his wife spent several hours on the phone Thursday trying to track down the culprit but has been unsuccessful so far.
DeVos spokesman John Truscott said the campaign has distributed automated recordings of DeVos family members, Lt. Gov. candidate Ruth Johnson and Lee Iacocca in recent days. But all are readily recognized as DeVos-sponsored messages, he said.
Michigan Liberal has a repository of some of these calls, along with pictures of some of the nasty campaign fliers distributed by the Michigan Republicans. And let's not forget what happened outside the debate Monday night.
It's pretty easy to see where this stuff is coming from- all you have to do is listen to the rhetoric coming from the DeVos campaign. Same message. And what ever happen to the Mongo flap with the ad comparing Granholm to Hitler?
Dick and Betsy have a history of nasty campaigning. Back in July I wrote a piece that highlighted the work of Betsy against fellow Republicans that had dared to go up against her on voucher/charter school issues- she slimed them with fliers just like the ones that are being sent out today. They also are running into a bit of trouble in Wisconsin where one ad was pulled and a group has filed a complaint with the State Elections Board about a flier that was sent out in a local Senate race. These are just a few examples- I'm sure there are more out there.
If it walks like a
Smear and fear. It's the only thing the Republicans have to sell.
Listen to the robocall here. Thanks go to Matt for putting up the collection, and thanks to the poster who sent it to me in the first place- much appreciated!