New and Improved Fake Republican Census Aims to Pick Your Pocket
Scammy appeals for political donations are nothing new. Politicians using ‘surveys’ to capture the interest of voters are nothing new. And Republican National Committee mailers claiming to be a census have been used since the start of the millennium.
But this year’s GOP ‘Congressional Census’ takes this hustle to a whole new level. Although the phrase ‘Commissioned by the Republican Party’ appears throughout the mailer, people --especially senior citizens-- are saying it’s deceptive.
A quick online search found stories probing this year’s RNC ‘census’ published in major news outlets from coast to coast. None of them concluded the mailer was illegal; just a little hinky. In an age where skirting legal boundaries has become a defining characteristic of the current administration, this is just another step away from the rule of law.
The packet opens with a letter from RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who says Trump requested a survey of every congressional district in the country. The letter says this is the largest such survey the party has ever taken and is part of a “massive grassroots effort all across America.”
A similar survey targeted swing districts in California and across the country ahead of the 2018 midterm election, in which the Republicans lost control of the House but strengthened their hold of the Senate.
In the letter, McDaniel asks for the survey to be returned by May 13.
The son of a woman in the 51st Congressional District who received the mailer, called the RNC to ask them to stop future mailers and was told there were legal actions that could be taken for failure to return the form. Unfortunately, he failed to make a record of who he spoke with.
https://twitter.com/JustSumGuy176/status/1123366900161863680
Accounts in various media outlets say No Party Preference voters are the intended recipients.
The envelope reads "DO NOT DESTROY OFFICIAL DOCUMENT." When you open it up, it says "2019 Congressional District Census." The addressee’s Congressional District and a “tracking code” appear below the Special Notice informing recipients they’ve been selected to represent voters in their area.
In 2000 and again in 2009, Representatives Lacy Clay and Carolyn Maloney wrote to the U.S. Postmaster General claiming that the RNC had violated federal law with these mailers.
"Under 39 USC 3001, or the Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act, it is illegal for an organization to misrepresent a solicitation for donations as an official government mailing," Clay and Maloney wrote.
There is no record of any action being taken.
The House passed legislation in 2010 requiring any mail in an envelope marked 'census' to clearly indicate the sender and return address.
The word 'census' is not marked anywhere on the envelope from the RNC. So, legally, the group is in the clear.
It starts with basic questions, about party affiliation and age and then gets into meatier policy issues.
Questions on the GOP version include:
Do you think the Democrat Party as a whole is promoting a Socialist agenda for for America?
Do you believe the national media has a strong bias against all things Donald Trump and Republican and fails to tell America's voters the real facts about Republican policies, principles, goals, and accomplishments?
Do you support cancelling all federal funding to sanctuary cities that fail to enforce U.S. immigration laws?
Although some questions allow respondents to cast doubt on Trump’s positions and performance, the survey ends with a call for donations to help in his re-election.
It also asks the respondent for a $15 donation “to help pay for the cost of processing my census document.” That $15 “donation” is actually a campaign contribution, by the way.
The Democratic National Committee also has a mailer questionnaire. However it’s labeled as a survey, not a census, and says "Official Party Business" on the envelope instead of "Official Document."
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This coming year’s elections will be susceptible to a PAC scam made possible by a Federal Court ruling in March.
Federal Election Commission rules prohibiting unauthorized political committees from using a candidate's name have now been modified.
The case originated from a challenge by Pursuing America's Greatness, a super PAC supporting former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2016 presidential campaign.
The ruling means these type groups can’t use a candidate name in their organizational title but can use names freely in any other materials they produce.
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Agree !
https://twitter.com/acbowen/status/1124330456613187584
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Email me at DougPorter@WordsAndDeedsBlog.com