Politics & Dirty Shenanigans!
With the South Carolina Democratic Primary growing closer, the campaigning is heating up. Former President Bill Clinton is canvassing the state and attempting to parlay his popularity into votes for Hillary. Meantime, Michelle Obama has likewise been campaigning for her husband. John Edwards is making news with his impassioned promises to stand up for ‘the little guy’.
There’s been another sort of campaigning going on that has Hillary Clinton’s campaign furious and the other Democratic candidates disavowing any knowledge of or connection to it. I’m referring to a massive phone campaign that has rattled the candidates and residents across the state.
‘Robocall’ is a term I was not familiar with, but telemarketers use these pre-recorded phone messages all the time. Now, citizens across the state have been receiving 90-second messages attacking Hillary Clinton and purporting to reveal sexual indiscretions and criminal acts on the part of both Clintons. Bitter accusations against the candidate and her husband have shocked South Carolinians, who contacted news agencies to report the calls.
While these robocalls are legal, since political candidates are not protected by slander laws, they have been almost unanimously labeled as “vulgar”, “outrageous”, “atrocious”, and “not suitable for children” by the recipients.
The campaign of Barack Obama was fast to condemn the calls, so who is behind them?
Robert Morrow, a 43 year old Ron Paul supporter from Austin, Texas has taken credit for the calls. He is a self-proclaimed “expert on Bill and Hillary Clinton”. He says he is just doing his part to reveal “the way they’ve violated so many people over the years”. Identifying himself as Libertarian-Republican, he has recorded a 90-second message that graphically details Bill Clinton’s behavior with Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky, as well as alleged statements by James Carville and supposed criminal acts by both Clintons. Is this dirty politics?
The Clinton campaign called the robocalls “atrocious, vulgar based politics and deplorable tactics”.
It will probably never be known whether the calls are truthful or not, nor if they will have an impact on the Primary results. But they may very well backfire on Mr. Morrow. As one resident said, when interviewed on local TV, “I’m gonna vote FOR Hillary Clinton, just BECAUSE of that phone call.” Heck of a way to choose, or not choose, a President, isn’t it?
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Democrats, Hillary Clinton, James Carville, John Edwards, Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Politics, Presidential primary, robocalls, Ron Paul, South Carolina PrimaryLeave a Reply
Minimal Wordpress Theme by David Cooley
WordPress Powers Non Party Politics