OK, I'm just kidding about the title...but only in part. Yesterday afternoon and evening, even after the Kilgore campaign was fined by the State Board of Elections for its campaign shenanigans, many of us received yet ANOTHER phony Republican robocall aimed at suppressing Democratic turnout today. As Waldo Jaquith puts it:
My mother got the Honest Leadership for Virginia PAC phone call again today. This time it was slightly changed, with the introduction claiming that it?s from NARAL, and they?re endorsing Russ Potts over Tim Kaine. (Astute politicos will recall that NARAL sat this one out, realizing that their endorsement would hurt Kaine.) Then the same audio clips were used as in the previous ad, and at the end came the legal disclaimer that it was paid for by the ironically-named Honest Leadership for Virginia PAC.In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.
So, the same shady, Republican "Honest Leadership for Virginia" PAC, the one that was whining and bullying members of Raising Kaine yesterday for DARING to challenge them, is back to their slimy tricks again. The same "Honest Leadership for Virginia" PAC that funnels millions of dollars in national Republican money to Virginia, while basing itself in a private residence in Alexandria (so that they can bitch when people call them on their tactics and reprint their already publicly available address), has no shame whatsoever. Pathetic.
Sure, this MAY NOT be illegal under weak Virginia campaign finance laws, but still...it's wrong. This abortion call contained a major mischaracterization, or even an outright LIE, about NARAL and the Virginia governor's race (see Waldo's comments above). Do not believe it for a second. It's utter garbage, and after this election the people responsible should be held responsible -- if not legally, then politically. We will not forget this crap that the Republicans pulled the last few days leading up to the 2005 Virginia gubernatorial election. Are these slimeball tactics what Republicans mean when they talk about their "72-hour plan?" Sure looks like it.
The fact is, we Virginians are proud people. We don't like national Republican political operatives telling us what to do, and we don't like people LYING TO US. So get out there and vote for Democrats today UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT. Tell these cynical, disreputable Republicans EXACTLY what you think of them.
Oh, and when you're done voting for Tim Kaine, you might want to take a few minutes to contact those "Honest Leadership for Virginia" folks and tell them EXACTLY what you think of them. For your information, the group's phone #, as PUBLICLY listed -- as is required by law -- on the Virginia Public Access Project website, is 703-751-0612, and their Treasurer is Mary Clancy (mclancy@rga.org). How about we give THEM a few "robocalls" of our own?
P.S. If any Republican thugs have questions about Raising Kaine, they can contact our attorney and treasurer, Brian Patton and stop harrassing 64-year-old women. We are well aware of who you are and what you're doing, so don't f*** with us! (In other words: we have attorneys and we are prepared to use them.)