Monday, November 05, 2007
Campaign Tactics
This morning I got a computer call from 877-460-9274. It was from Governor Kaine urging people to vote for Ree Hart. I don’t know whether it was the governor’s idea or Ree Hart's, but I still regard it as an unacceptable campaign tactic. Phone calls interrupt people, whereas US mail and email don’t. I regard such calls as an invasion of privacy. If I receive such calls, I regard that as a point against the candidate who was referred to in the call. I still regard the invasion of the county by developers and the resulting deterioration of our living styles to be far more important, so I will still vote for Ree Hart. But I still regard this as an unacceptable tactic.
I also got a call from 703-488-9929, calling itself “PS 07”, that asked us to vote for all Republican candidates in the state and reportedly from the Republican Party. Therefore, I will not vote for any Republicans this election, no matter what their merits otherwise. And by the way, the number that promoted Ree Hart today also promotes Republicans:
I have opted out of this service twice. The calls show up on my caller id and will leave a voicemail if I don't answer. The messages are pre-recorded and always political messages for Republican candiates [sic]. When I called the number back, it rang into a VRM and allowed me to request that my number be blocked. It told me that it would take one business day to block my number but then two days later, I got another call. I requested it be blocked again. My next call it to Republican National Headquarters in DC. I don't have time for this.
This is from http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8774609274.
I am asking candidates in future elections to please refrain from computer calls on the telephone. I will vote against candidates who do this, and may even campaign for their opponents. It may decide who I vote for in next year's Presidential primaries.
The other tactic that I find objectionable among candidates is signs. This year I find that all three Supervisor candidates have posted signs all over the place, but they are smaller and more dispersed than in previous year. Ree Hart and Dorothy Jaeckle had moderately sized signs, while Roy Wallace had small signs that seem to be as numerous as squirrels. I regard all of this as acceptable. The really bad signiots were Mark Tubbs, a candidate from the Matoaca District, who posted huge signs like billboards on the highways, and Jack Wilson, who had signs even bigger than that last spring in the Republican primary. Fortunately, he got voted out by Dorothy Jaeckle, who had much smaller signs. So back off from the signs, candidates; they could cost you the election.
Later in the day, I got a computer call from 804-706-5891. It asked me to vote for Perry DeMay, the Democratic candidate for sheriff in Chesterfield County. He thereby lost my vote for sheriff. I haven't been as interested in the sheriff's election, as this position does not affect our way of life that a Supervisor does. So a computer call can decide my vote. I won't vote for Profitt either, as he is a Republican, and I am not voting for any Republicans because of the computer call referred to above. So I will vote for Kendrick Hall, an independent candidate for the job.
And I will edit this post if I get more computer campaign calls today or tomorrow.
I also got a call from 703-488-9929, calling itself “PS 07”, that asked us to vote for all Republican candidates in the state and reportedly from the Republican Party. Therefore, I will not vote for any Republicans this election, no matter what their merits otherwise. And by the way, the number that promoted Ree Hart today also promotes Republicans:
I have opted out of this service twice. The calls show up on my caller id and will leave a voicemail if I don't answer. The messages are pre-recorded and always political messages for Republican candiates [sic]. When I called the number back, it rang into a VRM and allowed me to request that my number be blocked. It told me that it would take one business day to block my number but then two days later, I got another call. I requested it be blocked again. My next call it to Republican National Headquarters in DC. I don't have time for this.
This is from http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8774609274.
I am asking candidates in future elections to please refrain from computer calls on the telephone. I will vote against candidates who do this, and may even campaign for their opponents. It may decide who I vote for in next year's Presidential primaries.
The other tactic that I find objectionable among candidates is signs. This year I find that all three Supervisor candidates have posted signs all over the place, but they are smaller and more dispersed than in previous year. Ree Hart and Dorothy Jaeckle had moderately sized signs, while Roy Wallace had small signs that seem to be as numerous as squirrels. I regard all of this as acceptable. The really bad signiots were Mark Tubbs, a candidate from the Matoaca District, who posted huge signs like billboards on the highways, and Jack Wilson, who had signs even bigger than that last spring in the Republican primary. Fortunately, he got voted out by Dorothy Jaeckle, who had much smaller signs. So back off from the signs, candidates; they could cost you the election.
Later in the day, I got a computer call from 804-706-5891. It asked me to vote for Perry DeMay, the Democratic candidate for sheriff in Chesterfield County. He thereby lost my vote for sheriff. I haven't been as interested in the sheriff's election, as this position does not affect our way of life that a Supervisor does. So a computer call can decide my vote. I won't vote for Profitt either, as he is a Republican, and I am not voting for any Republicans because of the computer call referred to above. So I will vote for Kendrick Hall, an independent candidate for the job.
And I will edit this post if I get more computer campaign calls today or tomorrow.
