UPDATED: Who’s behind robocalls against Zweifel, Page?
‘Tis the season for robocalls, those automated political calls that flood the phone lines right before an election.
This time, Democrats contend there’s a new twist — namely, that Republican campaigns are calling Democratic households, to try to influence Democratic primary battles.
In one robocall, Democratic treasurer candidate Clint Zweifel is accused of saying “no” to everything from “low-income energy assistance” and “school lunches for our kids” to “prescription drugs and medical care for seniors.”
Since the attack comes from an anonymous woman’s voice, we can’t ask the sponsor to back up the allegations. But they certainly don’t ring true.
Zweifel, a Teamsters official, has been an outspoken critic of the Medicaid cuts and the sale of student loan assets. He has offered tax-cut plans for seniors and working families. Zweifel is the best-funded candidate in a four-way Democratic primary for treasurer.
“The Republican establishment is clearly nervous about the possibility of Clint Zweifel bringing needed reforms to the state treasurer’s Office,” said his campaign manager, Patrick Lynn.
Brad Lager, the presumptive Republican nominee for treasurer, couldn’t immediately be reached. But he has hired that well-known robocall attack architect, consultant Jeff Roe of Axiom Strategies in Kansas City. Roe is running Sarah Steelman’s gubernatorial campaign.
Asked whether he was behind the Zweifel calls, Roe said Friday: “I haven’t heard about them. I don’t think I am, but I’ve got 21 people in the office so I’ll check on it.”
In another race, Democrat Sam Page, who is running for lieutenant governor, said he has been hit with robocalls that “blatantly distort my record.”
Page said the points made by the robocaller are similar to those made in radio ads being run by the Republican incumbent, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
“It’s an unprecedented intervention in the Democratic primary by an incumbent” from the other party, Page said.
Kinder’s spokesman, Paul Sloca, responded: “I don’t know anything about those robocalls.” After reading the script, Sloca said: “That sounds like a Democratic robocall to me.”
UPDATE (from Jo Mannies):
Page’s chief Democratic rival, St. Charles lawyer Michael Carter — who runs an automated phone-call operation — said Friday that he wanted to make clear that he was NOT involved in the robo-call effort against Page.
Two things…
First, Kinder’s slimy, mudslinging robocalls against Sam Page aren’t “similar” to Kinder’s mudslinging radio ads: they are exactly the same! Unlike the radio ads, Kinder’s mudslinging robocalls are illegal because they don’t carry any disclaimer or any indication who paid for them at all. You’d have to be dumber than dumb not to know quite clearly that Kinder is behind the robocalls. What a coward Kinder is! What a woos!
But by failing to use the disclaimer, Kinder is in violation of the campaign laws of the state and somebody should file an ethics complaint against him right now. Only someone who is a complete idiot would buy Kinder’s denial of any knowledge of the robocalls. It’s a despicable, cowardly tactic.
And 2…
Zweifel has little room to complain about negative robocalls given that he is paying for anti-Simckes robocalls. What chutzpah!