Just got the mail out of the mailbox. The letter addressed to "Registered Voter" was mailed in Harrisburg and has a return address of "Vote for Change. Vote for Hope. Vote for Life." Interestingly, when I hold the envelope up to the light, I can see that underneath this return address label, that the envelope has the official seal for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and appears to be an envelope from the former state Representative Mark S. McNaughton.
There are two enclosures. Both are low quality - seem homemade. One has Obama's "Record on Abortion" on one side and John McCain's on the other. These purport to be their legislative records. Not sure whether they are complete or accurate, but the "record" being reported is whether or not the candidates are extreme anti-abortion all the time, in every circumstance, including anti-health/anti-life of the mother. There is a pro-choice quote from Obama and a pro-life quote from McCain.
Former State Rep. McNaughton (Republican, Dauphin Co.) does not sign or otherwise indicate involvement with this effort despite these being envelopes from his legislative office (he did not seek re-election in 2006). Rather the mailer states:
This message has been prepared an presented for you in love by a concerned neighbor and does not represent or endorse any organization. The information and images contained have been carefully researched and may be found by anyone wishing to take the time to search the Internet. Don't take my word for it. Do the research yourself.
Although the brochure claims not to represent any organization, the enclosure with the candidates "records" has the "National Right to Life" logo and address at the bottom. If this is really from a "neighbor", why don't they have the guts to identify themselves?? (I do not know Mark McNaughton and he is not a neighbor).
The second enclosure is also a one page fold over brochure which relates the "facts" about abortion. These facts do not include the wrenching medical situations faced by the people I know who've had abortions. The brochure is the stock extreme pro-life sort of thing: simplistic, paternalistic, offensive, and anti-woman.
There is no discussion in either enclosure of other "pro-life" issues: such as sex education, pregnancy prevention outreach, insurance supported contraception, affordable health care, affordable child care, family friendly employer incentives, early childhood education, anti-Bush Doctrine foreign policy, etc. , nor a discussion of either candidates positions on these other "pro-life" issues.
This is clearly a third party effort, but sent to all registered voters at least in my county and probably other neighboring counties in Central Pennsylvania, from a former Republican State Rep. (or at least using his resources).
Have others been getting this sort of thing??