Benjamin Sarlin's Blogtag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/tenninja//67272008-11-03T17:47:22ZMovable Type Pro 4.21-enIs Phone Jamming Back in Florida?tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/tenninja//6727.2422432008-11-03T17:08:26Z2008-11-03T17:47:22ZVolunteers at a campaign office in Dade County, Florida, are reporting suspicious calls that they say resemble the phone jamming scandal of 2002 in New Hampshire.According to volunteers at the office Sunday night, at about 4 PM the phones started...Benjamin Sarlin According to volunteers at the office Sunday night, at about 4 PM the phones started ringing every few seconds. The person on the other line would then ask to speak to "Levi Johnston," Bristol Palin's fiancee, then quickly hang up. After being told by a volunteer that phone jamming was a federal crime, the person on the other end said he was a member of a Republican organization in Minnesota and then hung up.
Shortly afterward, a series of phone calls began coming in from people claiming to represent Obama's campaign in Florida, who, when questioned, delivered a rant about "not being confused by Obama's lies" before hanging up.
Soon others followed "every five seconds", with sounds of a crowded room in the background resembling a call center. These callers also identified themselves as part of Florida Campaign For Change and said they were making calls on behalf of Obama to voters. After a volunteer asked to speak to their supervisor, they were told by a man on the phone that they had been hired by the Florida Democratic Party to call volunteer lists. Suspicious, a volunteer in the office, responding to a call from the "Florida Campaign for Change" asking to speak to "Yolanda," said that Yolanda was out, but that he was an undecided voter and interested in hearing an argument for Obama -- the caller apparently had no script, as volunteers typically do, and could not offer any reasons to support the Democratic nominee, instead saying that he was "only taking a head count." After that exchange, the calls abruptly stopped, a volunteer said.
The total time of the calls was about an hour.
In the past, one dirty trick around election time has been to repeatedly call the same home pretending to be from the opposing candidate's campaign, the goal being to annoy the people to the point that they will not vote for that candidate. It is possible the campaign's office number was on such a list and the calls were meant for voters not for them. Either way, anyone hearing similar stories coming out of campaign offices or voters' homes should report it immediately.
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Blogging McCain's Midnight Florida Rallytag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/tenninja//6727.2422292008-11-03T16:42:35Z2008-11-03T16:58:59ZJohn McCain absorbs a lot of mockery for his listless crowds in comparison to the candidates, but the University of Florida stadium in Miami last night was plenty enthusiastic and energetic. Several thousand audience members, clad in "Joe" stickers, danced...Benjamin Sarlin If only every McCain rally were 80% Cuban, the GOP's one and only ethnic constituency. One thing that has struck me during my time in Florida this week is how much the new campaign theme of anti-socialism has touched a nerve with Cuban Americans. A lot of McCain supporters were wearing t-shirts reading "Cuba got "CHANGE" in 1959" or slogans with similar variations. Anti-communism is their core cause and any whiff of socialism from Obama, real or imagined, provokes a strong response.
"It's very real for these people," one Cuban American attendee told me. "My uncle was killed on an operating table being tortured by Fidel's thugs. When we hear 'socialism' it strikes a real chord."
Making matters difficult for the GOP, however, are signs that young Cuban voters are less loyal to the Republican party. Indeed, I heard reports from audience members of sons, nieces, and cousins arguing with older members of the family over the election.
As for McCain's speech itself, it was not so much a speech as it was a series of buzzwords and phrases. Obama makes a long, flowing argument --- his topics connect from one to the other and he speaks as if he's trying to convince you. McCain rallies the crowd by giving them a set of pre-approved, already established applaush and chant lines -- "Drill Baby Drill!" or "He's running for redistributionist in chief, I'm running for commander in chief!" There's very little binding one sentence to the next.