Got a call tonight from Voters Consumer Research. These were the same people who were involved in the infamous smear of John McCain during the Republican primary in 2000. Most of the questions began innocently enough, but quickly turned to inquiries as to whether I was aware that the Independent candidate Jim Gilchrist, of vigilante MinuteMan infamy, had supported a Green Party candidate for California governor who had, horror of horrors, supported a woman's right to choose. They also asked if I was aware that Gilchrist had filed for bankruptcy and owed $345,000 in outstanding credit card debt. My response below.
Now I do not care that Gilchrist supported a Green Party candidate, nor owes money to a credit card company. I informed the operators supervisor that were I a Republican I might, but being a Democrat I could care less that the vigilante opponent of Campbell in the CA-48 special election supported a candidate who supported choice and that his personal finances were at this moment of no concern to me. I also informed them that push polling was a disgusting political tactic and would be sure not to vote for any candidate of any party who uses such methods to smear an opponent.
Voters Consumer Research is one of Bush's favorite tools when sampling voter opinon. It also one of Rove's favorite ways to slime an opponent when you care more about molding a voter's opinon rather than honestly collecting it. I did take the time to inform the supervisor that I would be sending a nasty e-mail to Dan Kessler at dan@vcrhouston.com to inform the VP of Voters Consumer Research that they had better be a little more subtle in their push polling language as that even I, a drowsy Democrat late at night, could ascertain that Campbell was paying for a push poll that had as its primary purpose the defamation of an opponent. Gilchrist can go to hell on his own and likely will, but I was a little surprised to hear that the favored Republican candidate here in Orange County CA was so afraid of being run to the right of that he would resort to something so obvious. The Campbell people must be worried.