Robo-Calls on B’ham Mayoral Election Eve
Automated phone calls have been made this evening in Birmingham, saying (paraphrased), “Early signs are that the Birmingham mayor’s race will come down to Larry Langford and Bernard Kincaid. Which one would you vote for in a run-off? Press 1 for Larry Langford. Press 2 for Bernard Kincaid.”
If the Birmingham News poll is to be believed along with what I have heard from campaigns, this is not true. I interpret this as an attempt to suppress the turnout for Patrick Cooper tomorrow as in, “If I support Cooper, and he is not going to make a run-off, maybe I won’t go vote.”
Is there some other interpretation that I am missing?
Related Articles:
This is Matrix trying to keep Coopers people from voting.
Comment by Anonymous — October 8, 2007 @ 11:21 pm
According to Valerie Abbott, there were also some fliers attacking Cooper that were sent out with her name on them but DID NOT come from her campaign. She found out when an angry constituent left her a voice mail. Looks like someone (or several someones?) is trying to make sure people don’t vote for Cooper or for Abbott.
Comment by Kathy — October 9, 2007 @ 8:13 am
All very curious. I didn’t think Kincaid would go down without a fight, but I also didn’t think he would wait quite this long.
Comment by SamfordDem — October 9, 2007 @ 9:56 am
sounds like a targeting device. hypothetically, matrix figures that they share the same type of voters with kincaid, so they ask this question and make sure to pull out their voter today and not the kincaid voters. it would allow for more target specific GOTV instead of just pulling out a certain neighborhood.
of course it could be kincaid’s people behind it too.
Comment by Observer — October 9, 2007 @ 10:30 am
Often enough its not the candidate, but the staff behind most of the smear tactics… I personally have a hard time conjuring up a mental picture of a dastardly politician spending countless hours researching oppenents for a grade A smear campaign. Matrix on the other hand… $5.45/hr for someone to process phone numbers, set up a phone tree… I wonder if legislation requiring campaign finance reports to disclose what each dollar was spent on would eliminate some of this, or simply hide it further. Either way I can’t vote as I’m registered in Baldwin County. Good luck to the candidates.
Comment by AJ in Foley — October 9, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
this is stupid - Cooper is all over the place and has been for quite a while.
#4 is correct - this is a targeting device. it would be stupid to use phone banks like this to suppress coopers voters, who from demographic standpoint would be less likely to be influenced by such a ruse….this is to split out the kincaid from the langford voters…who by and large probably do share most of the same demographic / targeting characteristics.
in that respect, this is a great GOTV tactic
Comment by intheknow — October 9, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
I would look not at Matrix, but at one of two former Birmingham city councilMEN for the source of these phone calls.
Comment by Anonymous — October 10, 2007 @ 8:53 am