CA-50: GOPer Sends Out Possibly Illegal Mailer (& More!)

Fun stuff. Until recently, the CA-50 special election had been a surprisingly low-key affair. However, with the election now less than three weeks away, the Republicans are - unsurprisingly - resorting to dirty tricks. When it comes to sending out campaign communications, there's a little thing called "the law," and one GOPer candidate (Eric Roach) looks to have broken it. Check out 2 USC § 441d:

Whenever a political committee makes a disbursement for the purpose of financing any communication through any... mailing... such communication... if paid for and authorized by a candidate... shall clearly state that the communication has been paid for by such authorized political committee....

In other words, if you send out a mailer, you've got to put one of those little disclaimers on it, saying who authorized and paid for the mailer. The Roach campaign sent out a two-page letter - purporting to be from his wife, Meg - but didn't include any disclaimers at all. Not on page one, not on page two, not on the front of the envelope, not on the back of the envelope.

What's even more pathetic is the visual presentation of the letter itself. It's a lame-ass attempt to make the letter look like a true "personal note" from Meg Roach. Check out how cheeseball it looks, from (as the SD Dem Party put it) the "folksy letterhead to the faux-handwritten printing":

Between the typeface (I think they used the font "Teenybopper 12 point") and the absence of any campaign indicia, this letter is seriously misleading - and, as far as I can tell, illegal. Fortunately, the aforementioned San Diego County Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the FEC. Given how glacially the FEC moves, I'm sure nothing official will come of it until long after the election is over. But this is a big black eye for Roach (who was the second-place GOPer in the most recent known poll).

In other CA-50 news, a major conservative group called the California Republican Assembly has launched a website attacking... a fellow Republican, front-runner Brian Bilbray. It's pretty hilarious - the site tries to make the claim that Bilbray is both a "liberal" and in bed with Jack Abramoff. I'm more than willing to buy the latter argument, but as to the former... well, if the Republicans want to savage one of their own with ridiculous claims, who am I to argue? (The CRA has apparently endorsed Bill Morrow, one of the straggler candidates.)

Lastly, Francine Busby has released a new ad. You can check it out here.

(Hat tips to McJoan, Juls, and the SD County Dems.)

•  Self-destruct

  In 5... 4... 3.. 2.. 1

  by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:32:26 AM PDT

•  Wait

  It's a "Special Election" now? I thought it was just a Special Election. ;)

  It doesn't top the City Council candidate here who has signs saying '"Caring" leadership' (No, I don't know why he put caring in quotation marks)

  As for Republicans breaking the law. They're just emulating their President.

  by RBH on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:33:29 AM PDT

  •  Click

    Click the links to the rest of the letter. I think she puts "grassroots" in quotes, too.

    by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:34:04 AM PDT

    •  She?

      So you think this is a personal note?

      by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:36:26 AM PDT

      •  Letter

        I was referring to the letter itself. Sort of like how you also call a ship "she". :)

        by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:47:36 AM PDT

      •  To me it does look handwritten

        If you look at the individual letters they each appear fairly unique within the constraints of being someone's hand.  Unlike fonts where every "n" looks the same and generally so does every other letter match.

        I'm not saying it's not wrong or that she sat down and wrote to everyone individually, just that they didn't type up the master.

        Doesn't make it any less wrong but it does leave you open to a distractive attack from the right that it wasn't written on computer.

        by Bionic on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:04:02 PM PDT

        •  Agree - handwritten

          If this is a computer font, it's an extremely advanced one.  More likely it's a hand-written original that was then duplicated.

          by Pyesetz the Dog on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 10:50:39 PM PDT

        •  Is there a graphologist in the house?

          I believe it's handwritten as easily seen comparing the variations in the "o"s in the 2 "you"s at the bottom.

          And fascinating handwritng at that.  The pronounced backward tilt of the initial "I" indicating a repression of self, despite the strong upward tilt of the top bar.  The variations in tilt and in loop size could show an instability of thought, with the tendency to close the loops of the "e"s marking a certain, shall we say, stinginess.

          I've only dabbled in this stuff.  Anyone here have a deeper well to draw from?

          by Crashing Vor on Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 05:41:04 AM PDT

          •  I've only dabbled too

            I'd rather not take a frist at it.

            by Bionic on Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 10:33:04 AM PDT

    •  Did she also

      put Representative or California in quotation marks?

      I should check the full letter to see if "Hee Hee" is anywhere in it

      by RBH on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:38:02 AM PDT

      •  No

        But she did put "step up" in quotes and used an apostrophe to pluralize "PAC", as in, "PAC's".

        by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:50:26 AM PDT

    •  'grassroots' is correct

      A candidacy is based on dropping a half mil of his own cash for introductory ads during the winter olympics can't be described as grassroots, unless you put quotes around it.  Meg was using the quotation marks to indicate she understands the irony, no doubt.

      by sickandtired on Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 12:37:45 PM PDT

  •  quotation marks

    It's an epidemic, drives me crazy.  

    by Petronella on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:38:11 AM PDT

    •  Restaurants

      Restaurant menus in NYC always have shit like "Free Delivery" in quotes. I'm always like, "What does that mean? 'Free Delivery' ha ha?"

      by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:51:16 AM PDT

    •  Don't you mean...

      It's an "epidemic"?

      by ogre on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:06:49 PM PDT

    •  It's meant to be 'ironic'

      heh

      by robla on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:25:17 PM PDT

  •  The President is like Kramer from Seinfeld...

    ...when it comes to the law.  No dis to Kramer.

    Jerry: What you're suggesting is illegal.
    Kramer: It's not illegal.
    Jerry: It's against the law.
    Kramer: Well, yeah.

    by CO Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:39:36 PM PDT

•  Bogus mailers in California

  Bogus mailers are unfortunately common in California.  There's a whole industry of "slate mailers" who send out bogus election slates which closely resemble official party slates, and charge candidates (and initiative backers) to be included.  Since a lot of people get confused by these slates, serious candidates are more or less forced to pay.
  

  
  This looks one step worse than the usual crop of election slates.

  by silence on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:36:48 AM PDT

•  Not surprising

  I hope the Republicans tear each other apart prior to 4/11.  Check out my diary (just posted) comparing Busby with Bilbray and Kaloogian on Iraq, Abortion, and the Environment:

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  Also, remember to contribute (if you can!) here:

  http://actblue.com/...

  by anthonyLA on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:37:06 AM PDT

•  If Bilbray is a 'liberal'

  Then I'm a fucking communist.  Hell I must be a Trotskyist.  Whatever.  All the Republican candidates are bad.  I hope this race gets really nasty between the Republicans.  

  by SoCalLiberal on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:38:54 AM PDT

  •  What's really rich about this

    Check out this part of the CRA's attack page:

    When our troops were deployed to Kosovo, Bilbray voted to not support American troops already engaged in combat.

    Uh, wasn't not supporting the troops engaged in that cheating liar's illegal war the politically correct conservative position at that time?

    When they're resorting to whipsawing each other this blatantly, they are in deep trouble internally.

    by Daniel Case on Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 08:47:10 AM PDT

•  The repug ass is[ Republican Assembly)

  Mike Spence [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Jeffrey Atteberry [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Sandra Gray [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Tom Hudson [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Bob Kowell [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Mike Zimmerman    
  Vice President
  Scott Voigts [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Pete Weber [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Mark Zappa [phone] [e-mail]
  Vice President
  Noel Zimmerman [phone] [e-mail]
  Recording Secretary
  Janine Heft [phone] [e-mail]
  Corresponding Secretary
  Lesley Ann Stoll [phone] [e-mail]
  Membership Secretary
  Peggy Mew [phone] [e-mail]
  Voter Registration Sec.
  George Park, Jr [phone] [e-mail]
  Treasurer
  John Fugatt [phone] [e-mail]
  Assistant Treasurer
  Kurt Wells [phone] [e-mail]
  Sergeant-at-Arms
  Aaron Park [phone] [e-mail]
  Nat'l Committeeman
  Peter Amundson [phone] [e-mail]
  Nat'l Committeewoman
  Anne Moll [phone] [e-mail]
  Immediate Past Pres.
  Dick Mountjoy

  by dynamicstand on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:41:54 AM PDT

•  Type font?

  I think you need to reconsider the claim that the note isn't handwritten. I'm no expert, but a cursory examination of the text tells me this is probably not a type font. Look closely at the letter "t" in the words 'to' and 'today', and compare it to the same letter in the words 'think' and 'the' for example. Also, compare the letters "y" and "l" in different words. Whose handwriting it is I can't say, but I figured you'd want this FYI to be as accurate as possible in your presentation of the story.

  by scoff0165 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:42:26 AM PDT

  •  Once

    That was a joke - um, "Teenybopper 12 point"? It may well have been handwritten, once. But it was obviously photocopied.

    by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:45:58 AM PDT

    •  perfectly plausible

      I have a font on my computer called Schoolhouse Cursive that looks A LOT like this. Reality is stranger than fiction!

      by Hollywood Liberal on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:14:32 PM PDT

    •  Over my head

      is where that one went. I missed it, my bad.

      I'd agree it was likely a photocopy.

      by scoff0165 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:15:45 PM PDT

      •  I guess I should add

        a comment on the purpose of the post in the first place.

        Please, do continue to point out the ethical lapses that seem to be so consistently part and parcel of Republican campaign tactics. Sunshine, as they say, is the best disinfectant. Let it shine.

        by scoff0165 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:50:08 PM PDT

    •  Whoever wrote it,

      it's rude.  What kind of candidate issues a "challenge" to the voter?

      by hannah on Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 05:38:43 AM PDT

  •  It is handwritten, not a typeface

    Note how the characters are not consistent. It's defnitely handwritten.

    It does look like it was written (i.e. lettered, not necessarily authored) by a 12-year-old.  Which may say all sorts of things about his "wife"....

    by leftyboy666 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:48:17 AM PDT

    •  LOL

      I feel like the TANG memos all over again!

      by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:52:05 AM PDT

      •  well, of course, look at the kerning

        I thought the same thing.

        I wouldn't have a non-professional do something like this, but would a pro make the lines rise like that?  How many committee meetings did it take to get this thing right?

        by unterhausen on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:01:18 PM PDT

    •  Not 'definitely'

      There are fonts that can produce variations now. I've seen them. This is 2006 man! It will be a lot more expensive if it was hand-written, even if it was only hand-written once.

      by Florida Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:56:16 AM PDT

      •  Really?

        That's interesting. How do they work?

        by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:01:47 PM PDT

        •  Easy...

          You just program in some variations ahead of time. It takes some research but once it's done it's all encoded into the font, so you don't have to worry about it.

          Look at the three instances of the word "You" the "u" letter has a stretched tail. That tail can be a "variable" in the font that gets randomly 'stretched' everytime you write it.

          Other techniques, are based in letter ordering. A "t" after an "o" could be written differently than a "t" next to another "t". And even then there could be variations programmed in for making it different.

          The program I saw wasn't physically drawing every letter differently. It simply had 40 different lower case "u"s instead of just one.

          The more telling feature is how it was printed. If I had this in my hand, I could have a much better idea if it was printed by a computer or photocopies. Based on how the ink feels and if there was any hint of smudging.

          by Florida Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:08:32 PM PDT

          •  I can't wait

            'til I can download a program that will help me design my own handwriting into a font ! Probably out there already, if this is what can be done with a faux handwriting font.

            As to the use of snark inside a factual diary, it is a fine line using snark in print - one's NY-edginess-sarcasm works a lot better when accompanied by body language, tone and vocal nuance.

            So I would say it's not that there are a lot of literal thinkers that are too dense for snark, but that it was the mix of the two with no auditory or visual cues to help note the transition.

            by Dvalkure on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:54:58 PM PDT

            •  Yes, it is already out

              http://www.fontifier.com/

              by Florida Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:59:19 PM PDT

              •  Wowie !Thanks ever so much..n/t

                by Dvalkure on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:38:48 PM PDT

          •  Ah, but she could have handwritten it and then

            the committee could have scanned it into a computer and had the computer print it out. Although, the variable font idea is a viable one too.

            by Demfem on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:34:37 PM PDT

        •  Scan it and run it through the software

          And it's cheap. This stuff was expensive when Viguerie used it in the 70s. It was cheap by the late 80s. The quality of the paper in the mailing will play a larger role in the cost of the mailing than using a simple, cheap program.

          Got one from Hillary in the mid-90s for the DNC. Stuck in along with insert with envelope and donor slip. Got one from Allen last week. Probably got plenty of others I used to start the logs in my fireplace.

          They should have put some letterhead or a little footer on the bottom of the back page...but this approach is nothing new.

          Interesting to know if the vendor for Roach is same one Allen is using. Is this lame-assed fundraising gimmick cataching on with several GOP mail vendors or just one firm figuring it's safe to use the same, lame stunt on opposite coasts.

          Haven't seen it a lot lately. I figured this was because no one is dumb enough to believe they really are handwritten...until I saw the debate following your post.

          by pinhickdrew on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:34:39 PM PDT

    •  Another interpretation

      Which may say all sorts of things about his "wife"....

      Which, alternatively, may say all kinds of things about the way Republican operatives view wives and women in general...

      by sunbro on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:38:16 PM PDT

    •  Now there's a point

      It's juvenile as hell. And the choice of this pastel shade doesn't exactly add to Mrs. Roach's gravitas, huh?

      by pinhickdrew on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:24:42 PM PDT

  •  I thought the same thing.

    The same letters are written different ways.

    I'm sure this note was handwritten by someone but I doubt it was "Handwritten" on every single one.

    by DawnG on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:53:07 AM PDT

    •  Funny

      I doubt it was "Handwritten" on every single one.

      Now that would be hilarious - campaign staffers manually writing out copy after copy of this same letter until their hands fall off.

      by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:54:46 AM PDT

      •  Maybe they used that thing

        that Rummy used to send his sincerest personal condolences to families of KIAs.

        http://www.signaturemachine.com/

        by Moli on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:36:05 PM PDT

      •  That used to be how it was done

        In Age of Anxiety, the book says something to the effect that Joe McCarthy had campaign staffers hand-write postcards to every household in the state, and it really made him popular. Nowadays, people would be so numb to xeroxed mailings that they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a handwritten letter and a fake so no one would care.

        by Cecrops Tangaroa on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 07:15:51 PM PDT

    •  Somebody add

      a <SNARK> tag to autoformat, quick!

      by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:57:56 AM PDT

  •  Wow

    Have you noticed that use of sarcasm varies considerably across the US? It's pretty funny being a NY'er in SF Bay.  After a bit, you lose that edgy-style and then a NY'er shows up and confuses the hell out of you.

    by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:55:43 AM PDT

    •  16

      I first noticed this when I was 16. I spent a couple of weeks at a writing program in Virginia that summer. It was the first time I spent any appreciable amount of time away from home as a teenager. Out of a hundred or so kids, only a couple were from New York.

      After a couple of days, I realized that my sarcasm was not being recognized at all, and people would give me looks either like I was nuts or an asshole. I basically had to turn off all the sarcasm while I was there, lest I be grossly misunderstood for two weeks.

      by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:59:54 AM PDT

  •  actually

    I agree with you even thought we've now established this as snark. I think this is an irresponsible post in that regard - mixing snark with real accusations doesn't do us any good. It sounds serious and anybody on the opposition side who is looking to spin on the charges has your snark disguised as fact to run with. Nothing about the style of handwriting makes this suspect, and as a matter of fact, I think it's a good idea..... The illegality is that it doesn't have the legal clauses printed on it.

    by Hollywood Liberal on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:22:07 PM PDT

  •  It's the kerning, people!

    Obviously, a simple cursory glance at this document reveals that it was typed on a 1967 IBM Model D Executive typewriter.

    by GOPhuckYourself on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:23:51 PM PDT

    •  I think you're on to something.

      It would have to be pre-1969, since all IBM typewriters made during the Nixon/Vietnam era dotted their i's with little hearts.

      by Moli on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:43:59 PM PDT

•  Years ago, in Utah, we

  received a similar style "note" from a "wife" (or was it from "one of the wives") named Susie of a GOP candidate urging us to support her "husband" in the upcoming primary.

  The capper was that the dots on the i's where in the shape of hearts.  Just reading that letter could give you diabetes.

  by Sam I Am on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:42:51 AM PDT

•  so if communism was the subject of...

  ...the "red scare".  Is fear of liberalism the new "Blue scare?"

  by DawnG on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:47:04 AM PDT

•  Well at least it's better than Bush's letters

  

  by Zackpunk on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:48:59 AM PDT

•  oh man

  what won't they try. Is it so hard to follow the rules? And you'd think San Diego might be sick of corruption already.

  I'm behind Francine. I don't love every single Dem just because they are a Dem, but I really think Francine is great. I was sad that Donna Frye lost so I am really keeping my fingers crossed this time around.

  by OrangeClouds115 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:49:29 AM PDT

•  Great Catch

  I love it.

  We have to expose these marketing tactics. This kind of thing is probably the number one reason why Republicans win elections, no joke.

  It may "look" teenybopper, but trust me, this is a very cold, calculated, scientific move by a well oiled direct-mail media machine. The science isn't just in the content either, in fact it's mainly in the targeting.

  I bet you anything ,this was not sent to everyone. It was sent to white-bred, suburban families who may not even be Republican. It's trying to take advantage of "white" nostalgic feelings for a simpler times when you used to receive notes from your neighbors. This kind of direct mail almost always comes in flavors. Something with a slight christian message for those names-on-the-list who are determined to value that kind of thing. Something with a pro-life message, but only to those households known to be anti-choice. The name of the game is "figure out what will persuade someone and build a cutom campaign just for that person." Well, it's not quite economical to do it at a person level (but mark my words, it's coming) but you can easily do it to small groups of people already.

  Now that you just moved into a newly built, 100% financed variable rate home, and you have to work 10 hours a day to pay the mortgage, you don't have time to be "neighborly." You don't have time for neighborhood functions, you don't even know who your neighbors are. Well, I wonder if there's anything in the mailbox that will give you some of that homely feeling you've been craving since childhood?

  This is what we call narrowcasting.

  by Florida Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:50:37 AM PDT

  •  Post

    I bet you're right. It was really the purple that got to me, though.

    (P.S. I had a bunch of help with this one - see the credits at the bottom of the post.)

    by DavidNYC on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:53:42 AM PDT

•  by the way

  I love how the letter says "Congressman" - not "representative" or something gender neutral. Is she already counting on beating Francine that much?

  by OrangeClouds115 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:50:42 AM PDT

•  Dem Response SHOULD Be

  to hit the bastards back, hard and often, on the air, when stuff like this happens.

  We've had some good zingers up here in Washington in the last few years at the last minute, and

  instead of there being a ready to pounce ready to fight ready to kick butt ready response team to smear the smearers with their crap,

  we peon Dems gotta rely on "THE TRUTH" getting out over weeks and months, and 1/2 the people you talk to are repeating the thug talking points for 3 freaking weeks.

  ugh.

  I am NOT knocking the great work of hte blogger world - the truth is getting out immediately, thankfully.

  however, the lame-ass Dem party outta be blasting the airwaves with the truth within 1 news cycle, OR, they ain't doing their job.

  rmm.

  by rmdBosSea on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:57:22 AM PDT

  •  find a sample of her real handwriting

    I doubt it's anything close.

    by Florida Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:01:54 PM PDT

•  It's clearly a fake

  There aren't any little hearts above the i's.

  -dms

  by dmsilev on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:57:51 AM PDT

•  Idle observation

  Every time I stop by Francine Busby's website, I'm struck by how much she looks like my sister-in-law.

  Since my SIL is smart, funny and capable, that's a good thing...

  by ogre on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:10:07 PM PDT

•  Wait...

  Have the Republicans ever sent out a legal mailer? Because it seems like they haven't...

  by Shapeshifter on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:14:48 PM PDT

•  Attack why do Republicans hate America

   Have you ever noticed that ever Republican will always use the same talking point Democrats are not tough enough on terror, war, courts, immigration, gays and every thing else. The response  should be when ever  a Democrat speaks if they could work in to their speech or article Why do Republicans hate  America so much are why do Republicans Hate Americans so much, as a few examples.
  Why dose Bush hate Americans so much that he has killed 2300 in a war that we should not have been in
  Why dose the Republicans hate America so much that they cut taxes so much that we can’t educate our children
  Why does the Republicans Hate the American children so much they are running the country in debt so much that it will  hurt the children and America just so the rich Republicans can be richer.
  If this is said often enough the American people will believe, it is called brain washing. That is why the Republicans repeat the same lie over and over it will soak into the brain the dumber brains first.
  

  by roxnev on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:15:42 PM PDT

  •  It would go over better if you used the correct

    tense..Why DOES George Bush...Why DO Republicans....

    by Demfem on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:42:25 PM PDT

•  Teenybopper 12 point? Umm... no

  I think that's actual handwriting, sure it's being reproduced on a massive scale but look closely at the letters.  There's differences in the 's' in ask and the  's' in husband.  Then look at the 'e' in Dear and the 'e' in vote or personal.  

  No faux handwriting font I have seen does those little inconsistances.

  by Siberian on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:16:12 PM PDT

  •  Fine fine

    I wrote the dang note, OK?

    by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:17:56 PM PDT

    •  They made me do it

      They have my Mojo...
      

      by TPaine on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:27:46 PM PDT

  •  Handwritten, then reproduced.

    Agreed.

    by underwhelm on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:27:35 PM PDT

  •  yeah

    all the lowercase gs are different too.

    by Mark Arsenault on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:21:35 PM PDT

•  cool

  glad this is getting out more.  i noticed the links on Friday but was too busy with work work to write it up.  luckily DavidNYC stepped up and did some more digging.

  speaking of handwriting this would be an excellent opportunity for people to give Busby some Turkee.  (ok who is going to get that reference or was that too old school?)

  oh and Calitics had some SUSA polling up today

  A SurveyUSA poll conducted the weekend of March 18-19, finds just four candidates with 20% or higher "favorable" public perception:

  Francine Busby (D)  38%
  Brian Bilbray (R)  23%
  Howard Kaloogian (R)  20%
  Eric Roach (R)  20%[

  [snip]

  When asked about the candidates, district residents had the following degree of unfamiliarity with the top tier candidates.

  Francine Busby (D)  20% (unfamiliar)
  Brian Bilbray (R)  29% (unfamiliar)
  Eric Roach (R) 32% (unfamiliar)
  Howard Kaloogian (R) 40% (unfamiliar)

  by juls on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:37:52 PM PDT

•  Something similar

  happened in Virginia last year during the governor's race. Somone named Kelly Timbrook was being used by Kilgore as a spokesperson against Kaine's death penalty stance. Her husband was a police officer and had been killed and claimed that Kaine wouldn't uphold the death sentence for the killer. It was also a letter made to look like it was handwritten on personal stationary and mass-produced as well. Apparently, there is some sort of computer program that will let you do that. The letter can be viewed here. Here is a blog post on the Washington Post site about it. It just shows the republicans will try to use anything to seem "personal" and get elected.

  by smartguy11 on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:45:47 PM PDT

  •  That's a font

    You can tell because every letter 'a' is made the same as every other letter 'a'.  It's just a matter of creating a style for the letters that mimics a handwritten style.
    You can even get one that mimics your own for about a hundred bucks or so.

    With these apparently handwritten notes, it's all about appealing to emotions.  Americans tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves in both a good and a bad way.

    The Republicans have made a science of finding out what issues appeal to those who respond most to these direct mail type appeals.  They've woven those issues into their platforms.  Remember when Repubs were allowed to be prochoice?  It's not by chance that it's no longer tolerated.

    by Bionic on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:14:21 PM PDT

•  Busby's new ad:

  . . . talks about fighting 'corruption in both parties'.

  I'm still supporting her, but I'm very disappointed that she described corruption in her ad in a way that puts the Democrats and Republicans on equal footing in that respect.

  by osterizer on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:49:26 PM PDT

  •  be realistic

    if you think that corruption is only a problem within the GOP, you are very wrong.

    by anthonyLA on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:56:35 PM PDT

    •  It's a difference of orders of magnitudes.

      It's like saying that "I'll fight outsourcing by both Wal-Mart and Ed's TV Repair!"

      A statement like that will cause a lot of people to wonder what Ed's TV is doing to get mentioned in the same breath as Wal-Mart.

      I know there are corrupt Democrats, but if you think they deserve to be mentioned on equal footing with the Republicans, you are very wrong.

      by osterizer on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:27:11 PM PDT

  •  also

    she needs to appeal across the spectrum, given the demographics of the district.

    by anthonyLA on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:57:02 PM PDT

    •  Yep.

      She can SAY that she's running against corruption in both parties--and corruption, of some degree or the other, does indeed exist in both parties--but her type of reforms will dramatically affect Republicans much more than Democrats.

      You have to know your district.  This is a Bush district.  If Francine takes a "principled independent" reform stance, it'll be more palatable for conservative-leaning independents to vote for.

      by HellofaSandwich on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:17:15 PM PDT

      •  Agreed

        I'd be a lot more upset if she represented an overwhelmingly Democratic district, or state...

        ...and then not only lumped Democrats in with Republicans, but went out of her way to trash Democrats  and kiss the administration's collective ass despite the blueness of her Times-reading constituency...

        ...remind you of any Senators we know?

        by brownsox on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 06:02:28 PM PDT

  •  Not quite 'Ed's TV repair'...

    The Dems have gone alone with Neo-Liberal 'free trade' policies that end up stealing public resources from people in disadvantaged regions, so that the super-rich can profit.  

    The Republicans have additionally fostered huge profits for the super-rich through military contracts, oil market manipulation, and by cranking up the national debt, the national deficit, and the domestic 'credit card' debt.  

    Busby is very nice, but she has yet to demonstrate even the slightest understanding of the economics at work behind our vast criminal empire.  

    by Eikyu Saha on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 06:13:28 PM PDT

•  'misleading and . . . illegal'

  I know what "values and attributes" I "would like in our new congressman"!

  (There!  I think I used the quotation marks correctly.)

  by ChiTom on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 12:55:35 PM PDT

•  Meg writes a lovely, touching note

  But she neglected to include a drawing of her cat.

  All handwritten faux notes from Republicans must include a drawing of a cat.

  That is unforgiveable. I won't be voting for her husband.

  by ex republican on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:01:51 PM PDT

•  Field Testing

  They are field testing various strategies to determine which ones turn out the votes.  Yes, eating your own happens on the other side too.

  by FLDemJax on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 01:22:28 PM PDT

•  The GOP did the same thing in IL..

  We got those fake "notes" here in IL right before the primaries.
  The notecard was addressed to my wife. Inside was a folksy note to support the husband (I think it was McSweeney or Murphy.) Yes, looked handwritten and had a similar font, I called it the "nice 15 yr old girl" font.
  The envelope was purple. Looked like a greeting card almost. Inside it said how wonderful the candidate was, how he LOVES the all of his children, and he is for "family values"--- so he would be the perfect candidate.
  My dear wife shredded it.

  by vassmer on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:26:57 PM PDT

•  We are having a robo-calling scandal here.

  Certainly is analogous to what you are going through.  More slander and lies.  

  by CO Democrat on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 02:53:05 PM PDT

•  I think that the Postal Inspection Service may

  have some jurisdiction on this one.  I might be wrong, but the local dems should also contact the Postal Inspection Service because I think they have the power to enforce FEC laws where it comes to the mail.

  Just a thought...  Oh and the Postal Inspection Service also has teeth - real penalties for mail fraud.

  by inclusiveheart on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 03:29:24 PM PDT

•  I hardly see what the problem is

  this seems like a petty exploit. Is it technically illeagal? Who cares. It's obviously from the Eric Roach campaign. What's misleading is the context - someone who's running a grassroots campaign and won't take money from lobbyists or special interest groups sure has professional glossy mailings - and a lot of them. THis guy's got money to burn on this election!

  And around the neighborhood, I counted four Eric Roach campaign lawn signs, 3 Bill Morrow, and 1 Francine Busby.

  And Bill Morrow And Eric Roach both claim they're not in it for the money, not in PAC's and not in the pocket of anyone. I think that's the same stuff Busby's saying, is it not? Maybe they all have the same campaign manager...

  by NeoconSemanticist on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 03:33:29 PM PDT

•  I love the website. The Democrats need to

  steal it to use against the Republicans just like Subway builds near a McDonald's or Burger King instead of spending their own money on site research.

  As for the letter, I prefer when I receive a typewritten letter with a post-it note on it with a handwritten(machine printed) message like, "He's just great!"  or "You have to take advantage of this offer!"

  by msstaley on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 03:39:37 PM PDT

•  I agree

  with leftboy666. anything who knows anything about type can see that it is not a 'faux handwritten-type face' it actually IS handwritten.  Why is everyone getting their panties in such a bunch? can't we foucus on issues? Aren't we supposed to be the party protecting the erosion of the 1st ammendment? I say get over it. it's an idiotic and annoying piece of trash mail, but are we really so pathetic as to stoop to nit-picky legal motions? i mean come on.

  by Mark Arsenault on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:17:22 PM PDT

•  Old Tactic

  Reid, T.R. "Crane Plays His Ace: Wife's Letters to 100,000 Friends."  The Washington Post. October 28, 1978

  Clearly, the situation called for heavy artillery. So Crane called Richard Viguerie, the direct-mail guru in Falls Church, Va., and told him to launch The Wife Letter.

  The Wife Letter, a "personal" message from a candidate's wife to a selected group of voters, is the piece-de-resistance of the elablorate system of post office politics that Viguerie has designed for conservative candidates around the country.

  "The Wife Letter," explains William Radigan, a top executive in the Viguerie organization, "is the most potent single piece of mail in American political history. I mean, that thing works like gangbusters. I don't know who thought it up - probably Viguerie, he's the genius - but every place we use it, that wife mailing is the most effective thing that anybody's ever seen."

  Although Viguerie is best known for the success of his direct mail fund-raising drives, his computerized letter-writing operation also grinds out missives for other purposes, such as convincing public officials to adopt certain positions, or convincing voters to elect certain candidates. The Wife Letter falls in the last category.

  The genius of sending voters a chatty, amiable letter from a candidate's wife (Viguerie has not yet tried a letter from a female candidate's husband) lies in the recognition that family values generally count more with the voters than political stands on particular issues.

  That was reflected in a poll of the 22nd District commissioned last winter by Gene Stunkel, who ran unsuccessfully against Dan Crane in the GOP congressional primary. The survey showed that 58 per cent of the people here prefer candidates who are "conservative"; 63 percent favor those who have experience in public office; 72 percent like candidates with a background in business. But 95 percent of the voters said they would like their congressman to be a "family man."

  Another explanation for The Wife Letter's success is that it is carefully camouflaged to remove all the telltale signs of mass mailing.

  Viguerie requires that The Wife Letter be written out in longhand by the wife herself. The manuscript is then shipped to Viguerie's Falls Church headquarters where it is reprinted, still in longhand, on ladylike stationery, and stuffed in a personalized envelope, preferably of some pastel hue. The envelopes are stamped with real postage stamps - postage meters are too businesslike for this purpose - and shipped back to the candidate's district to be mailed from the post office nearest his home.

  All of this makes The Wife Letter something of a Rolls-Royce among political mailings. With bulk rate postage (8.1 cents) and computerized printing, a normal mass mailing costs about 15 cents per letter. The Wife Letter, with its 15-cent stamp and its complicated photo-offset printing, is more than twice as expensive.

  But the return seems worth the extra investment.

  "The wife mailing really works because it is personal," Radigan explained recently. "More personal than any radio or TV ad. It's a personal, handwritten letter from the wife."

  To preserve the personal aura of the correspondence, Viguerie dictates that The Wife Letter should be heavy on family chit-chat and relatively light on issues. Judy Crane followed those rules carefully last winter, during the 22nd's primary, when she went a personal letter, via Viguerie, to about 50,000 of the district's Republicans.

  "Dear Friend," Judy's letter said, ". . . with the family and all (we have four small children and are expecting our fifth in July) . . . I haven't had too much time to myself. But I made up my mind today to sit down and write you . . ."

  For four pages the letter went on, explaining Dan's concern, as a family man, about inflation, taxes, energy, and farm problems.

  After the discussion of issues, however, Judy got back to family matters. "The baby's crying so I must close for now," she wrote at letter's end. "P.S. If you would like to chat with me about Dan's campaign, please feel free to call me at home at 217-443-0885."

  The letter, and the picture of Dan's family that was enclosed with it, were a big hit among primary voters. Stumpling farm towns on the Saturday before the primary, Dan was approached time and again by people who said "I got a real nice letter from your wife," or "You have a real nice family - thanks for the picture."

  The effet was incredibly long-lived. When Dan was campaigning in Pana, near the 22nd's southwestern corner, on Labor Day weekend - six months after the letter was mailed - voters were still telling him how much they enjoyed hearing from Judy.

  The letter was so helpful in the primary that Dan knew all along he would want to use it in the general election as well. The only question was timing. There was some feeling within the Crane camp that it should be saved for the campaign's last weekend.Eventually, though, it was decided that the letter would go, to 100,000 selected voters (representing one of every two households in the district) this weekend.

  The Wife Letter would reach the voters Monday or Tuesday, giving them a week to talk about it before voting day. And that might help deal with a serious problem facing both Dan Crane and Terry Bruce: getting people interested in the election.

  by dtmky on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:31:15 PM PDT

•  Two Things:

  
  1  Out of the Entire Kos World, don't you think there's at least one handwriting analyst out there?  Of course, this is a computer generated thing, but, nevertheless, I'd like to know if my analysis of the subtext of this is, indeed:  "I'm really stupid!  Tee Hee!  How 'bout you?!"

  2  Thanks, Buck.  God bless you.

  BenGoshi
  __________________

  by BenGoshi on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 04:55:12 PM PDT

•  I bet she was one of those...

  girls in middle school who'd communicate to everyone through notes...

  like..

  "Hey Carla!!!

  Oh my god, i talk to matt and i think he likes you!! <3<3<3  OH GOTTA GO TEACHER IS COMING!"</p> HAHAHAHHAHA!

  by ease august on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 05:06:10 PM PDT

•  What do they care?

  They break the law over and over.  And it works.  They get elected and nothing happens to them.  A few might get a slap on the wrist or a small fine.  But Scaife or some other rich GOPer will pay.

  Easy.

  by shell5960v on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 07:20:05 PM PDT

•  Good Lord! What about the choice of color?

  The faux handwritten letter is an old fundraising trick. The signer writes it by hand, you scan it into the software, lay it out how you prefer, then print them and mail them.

  Hell, Reagan was sending out this style in the lat 1970s.

  Yeah, there are programs which will digitize it and autoformat irregularities into it to make it look more handwritten. You can even use ink that is slightly raised when dired to make it look even more like each and every one was written by hand.

  But they ain't. Too time-consuming...obviously.

  What I don't get is the focus is on whether it ws handwritten rather than the hideous choice of some kind of Easter egg pastel.

  As for the possible violation, I think they'll skate. As I recall, in enforcement the FEC looks to intent to skirt the regs. Since she clearly identified her husband as the candidate, I doubt they will get fined.

  Still, it's worth raising as an issue. As Davidnyc noted, the FEC moves on this sort of thing at a glacial pace. By the time they blow off the complaint we'll already have inflcited the damage by complaining. FEC sanctions do not amount to much and these after the fact. The real damage is in screaming about the presumed violation.

  And the risk in doing so is offering Roach the chance to call us whiners.

  But, again, the question in my mind is just how in hell anyone could think, hey, I think a soft shade of lavender will really jump off the page.

  by pinhickdrew on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:22:28 PM PDT

  •  Eh

    So what if they complain that we're whiners? They go nuts for every Democratic violation, real and perceived, no matter how ticky-tack.

    Also, it's hard to make an effective complaint that someone else is whining, because when you do that, you necessarily sound like you're whining, too.

    by DavidNYC on Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 07:42:07 PM PDT

•  New misleading Roach mailer

  I just got a new one today. Classic stuff, but very misleading. It is a faux newspaper, "The California News" or something like that. There are several articles, hmm...they're all about Eric Roach. In the "opinion" section, there are several letters to the editor, one attacking Bilbray and the other three praising Roach. And the paper's editorial staff decided to endorse Roach (after much careful deliberation I'm sure!). I can scan it and email it to you if you want DavidNYC. (note on this one at least there is a little "paid for" disclaimer, but still very misleading)

  by reid fan on Sat Mar 25, 2006 at 11:41:33 PM PDT

•  mailer is legal

  Basic First Amendment stuff: the government can't tell you what to say.
  Disclaimer laws were found to be unconstitutional in Talley v California, 1960 - it was one of the key cases of the civil rights movement, setting out a right to privacy.
  In 1995, McIntyre v Ohio clarified that there's no elections exception to Talley. Three more times since then the court has upheld the right to anonymous speech.
  The FEC is illegally refusing to follow these decisions. The people filing a complaint are open to being sued for violating civil rights.
  More info at majors.blogspot.com.

  by arbi on Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 06:24:19 PM PDT