I was recently chatting with a friend who is a Congressional staffer in Washington and he mentioned that a Political Do Not Call Registry was being created to put an end to those annoying political telephone calls most people hate.
Every election hose annoying recorded political solicitation messages ring phones off the hook in homes.
With a Presidential Election this November, you can bet once the national parties have chosen candidates many people will be cursing Alexander Graham Bell for ever inventing the blasted device.
I’ll cut to the chase:
A former John Kerry political campaign staffer has reacted to the negative feedback campaigns get because of unwanted solicitation calls on behalf of candidates. To wit: Shaun Dakin has created the “National Political Do Not Call Registry.”
It’s patterned after the “Federal Do Not Call Registry” that stops telemarketers dead in their tracks.
If you’re interested in halting those annoying recorded political messages that always come at dinner time, go to www.stoppoliticalcalls.org, and get the facts directly from them.
Basically what you’ll find out is you can sign up one phone number for free, but for $1.24 you can include several phone numbers plus email addresses, and your ‘snail mail’ home address. Such calls and these other ways of reaching you will hit a stone wall.
If you happen to be a political junky and want to receive contact from a particular candidate, that can be done.
“But, wait there’s more. . .” he said in tones reminiscent of some TV advertising pitch. Your phone is just one weapon they use against you. Your regular mail deliveries will be heavier as the election approaches. Ditto political emails, and television and radio will be full of political commercials.
You can ignore campaign ads in newspapers by choosing not to read them and that’s easier than turning off the television or radio, leaving the phone off the hook and deleting spam emails.
Now here’s what I think is the downside to making this wonderful idea work:
Mr. Dakin’s National Political Do Not Call Registry will sell lists of all subscribers to the various campaigns with the caveat that the campaigns promise not to contact the people on the list.
First of all, why should any candidate’s campaign pay money to buy a list of people who don’t want to hear from them? If they buy the list they are supposed to keep the promise not to call you. If they don’t buy the list you don’t have their promise and it is business as usual.
Second, the Federal Do Not Call Registry has teeth in it. Telemarketers who violate names on that list are subject to financial penalties. Unless violators of Mr. Dakin’s National Political Do Not Call Registry comes with similar penalties it may have little, if any, value. Without a zinger to whack political campaigns for abusing the list, why should any of them comply?
Then there’s political ‘dirty tricks’ sometimes done in cities or state’s that could swing either way in an election. The idea is to cause voters to be so frustrated with a candidate that they vote for his or her opponent. It’s easy if you have the Do not call Registry list. Just call on behalf of your opponent!
A National Political Do Not Call Registry is a good idea. Will it work in practice?
Reference:
- Copyright (2008) by Timothy B. Benford
