Phone Jamming

Manchester, New Hampshire
42° 59' North; 71° 24' West

From the 'We are Not the Ukraine' Dept.....

"A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted James Tobin, President Bush’s former New England campaign chairman, on four counts related to the jamming of get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002."

It's a technique called 'phone jamming' in which Republicans hire telemarketers to call Democratic groups, en masse, to tie up voter information/get out the vote hotlines.

Mr Tobin, no small figure in the "Re-Thug Election-Suppression" machine, was working for Cheney/Rove 2004 until two weeks before this year's federal election, despite the fact that one of his closest associates was indicted months ago.

"In the summer, Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the state GOP, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a conspiracy charge and admitted paying $15,600 to a Virginia telemarketing company that hired another business to make the calls. GOP consultant Allen Raymond, former president of GOP Marketplace in Alexandria, Va., also pleaded guilty."

Can only wonder.... Did Gordo got a chance to ask Mr. Bush to 'Please Pass the Jam' during the dessert portion of last night's 'Where's the Beef' state dinner?

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If you want the full, and historical, story on the Jam (not the Paul Weller version) go to Josh Marshall and follow the links.