Reader comments
Utah firm hired to smear Romney?
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IW | 7:35 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Enter comment Shame on you. Can't you run a business without smearing
someone's personal life.
The least you could be is HONEST.
The least you could be is HONEST.
Anonymous | 7:50 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
SInce the company does not qualify as a Doctor, Church, or lawyer, the cleint
priviledge dodge is a sham. Money for morals is their game. Pay me enough and I
will design a campaign to tarnish anyone.
Comments continue below
Wow! | 8:02 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
You don't need to make things harder for this man especially from his own
kind. I for one belong to the Native American church and the LDS church assisted
in helping us in our time of need. This country is about religious freedom..as
far as I can see there are no black leaders in our church ..there may be members
who are part black but it is no more right to force one's idealogy upon any
one's religion including the LDS church in how to run their doctrine. My
people laid their lives down for the very principles that this man is standing
up for. He certainly can't do any worse than the guy in there, who I
don't ever recall was put under a microscope for all to see because of his
religion. I hope if my children ever run for office , they will be judged by the
content of their character. So don't back stab this brother.
cjsnyder | 8:22 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
While I am both a LDS and a democrat, and therefore not particularly interested
in MR, unless he becomes the representative of his party ~ I am against negative
politicking, regardless of the subject! I feel that our system is better served
by discussing the *issues* or, at the very least, neutral information about each
candidate ~ leaving it to the voter to decide if they think that is *negative*
or *positive* or irrelevent completely. I do not feel, since a President of our
country shouldn't be meddling into religious issues specifically, that his
religion (or lack thereof) should be a factor in decision-making. If it should
then all candidates should be *profiled* in that manner as to how completely
they follow the dictates of their faith.
As to *push* or whatever word one cares to apply, each person has the capacity and responsibility to decide if they care to be tallied in such manner! As to MR specifically, I haven't paid too much attention to him (except as noted by friends whose opinion I respect) and won't unless, as stated previously, he becomes the representative for his party.
As to *push* or whatever word one cares to apply, each person has the capacity and responsibility to decide if they care to be tallied in such manner! As to MR specifically, I haven't paid too much attention to him (except as noted by friends whose opinion I respect) and won't unless, as stated previously, he becomes the representative for his party.
sean | 9:02 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
and the plot thickens...
A smear, or a poll? | 9:10 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
The probability is that these calls came FROM the Romney camp.
No smear | 9:35 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Who here is saying that the questions were "smears"? Weren't
they honest questions about the man's religion? Who reported getting them?
His paid campaign workers, one of whom failed to reveal that when chosen to be
interviewed (and didn't even state she was supporting him fully!)
A distasteful push-poll was the one George Bush and Karl Rove instigated against John McCain years ago: "Did you know McCain has an illegitimate black baby?" (The McCains had adopted the child, but that didn't stop Bush and Rove.)
Yet most of Utah, who knew about that, voted for Bush.
The mind boggles, but you all got what you voted for.
Who else BUT Romney would hire a Utah company to do that? Boggle again, Utah.
A distasteful push-poll was the one George Bush and Karl Rove instigated against John McCain years ago: "Did you know McCain has an illegitimate black baby?" (The McCains had adopted the child, but that didn't stop Bush and Rove.)
Yet most of Utah, who knew about that, voted for Bush.
The mind boggles, but you all got what you voted for.
Who else BUT Romney would hire a Utah company to do that? Boggle again, Utah.
ladyblueyes | 9:57 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
AMEN to CJ
If everyone would just IGNORE the IGNORANT idiots who are push polling or whisper campaigning and look at the track records of those running, then the candidates who are running would all be on the same page and we can look at the issues and compare apples to apples.
Whether you are in Utah or another state (I deplore how MY state voted in the last election), it behooves all of us to STUDY THE CANDIDATES AND THEIR ISSUES ... NOT their religion.
to NO SMEAR: You just did.
If everyone would just IGNORE the IGNORANT idiots who are push polling or whisper campaigning and look at the track records of those running, then the candidates who are running would all be on the same page and we can look at the issues and compare apples to apples.
Whether you are in Utah or another state (I deplore how MY state voted in the last election), it behooves all of us to STUDY THE CANDIDATES AND THEIR ISSUES ... NOT their religion.
to NO SMEAR: You just did.
wustern wuts | 10:33 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
I worked for this company as a teenager 10 years ago. One night we hadn't
hit our quota, so I was forced to keep calling Chicago (11 pm our time, 1 am
their time, I believe) to find a male between ages 18 and 29 to complete my
telephone survey. AT ONE AM! "Hello?" "Hello?" "Who the
#!% is this!" Slam! After three well-deserved hang-ups and being cussed at
ruthlessly by each, I left for the night. Ridiculous. "By their
fruits..."
brent | 10:57 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
two words...slease balls!
LC | 11:35 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
If the voting public can't already see MR for the plastic, creepy candidate
he is, shame on the voting public.
Deloris Swan | 11:41 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
I we all treated others the way we would like to be treated, this would be a
wonderful world. Then none of us would have to suffer unkindness from others.
Claire Fication | 11:56 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007
LC: your equally (we can only hope) insightful estimation of HRC, please. The
free world awaits your decree.
LC | 12:35 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
What makes you think I'm an HRC supporter? Are politics that black &
white these days?
Anonymous | 12:44 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Like a salmon returning, another scandal involving Mitt returns to Utah.
What makes it negative? | 1:13 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
The questions were "Are you award that [followed by a true statement of LDS
beliefs/history]"
The only purpose for such questions, is to help MR decide whether he needs to come out and make a statement regarding his religious beliefs (like JFK did before the 1960 election.
I don't know why people are so offended by this. To those that are: WHICH questions were misleading?
The only purpose for such questions, is to help MR decide whether he needs to come out and make a statement regarding his religious beliefs (like JFK did before the 1960 election.
I don't know why people are so offended by this. To those that are: WHICH questions were misleading?
Boycot Polls | 4:50 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
After watching the Clinton administration run its policy by polls, I have
decided to decline every poll that comes along. We should form our opinions by
educating ourselves.
Anonymous | 8:15 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Boycott, all you're doing is then making sure that your opinion isn't
represented at all. People of faith (esp. Mormons) need to be doubly sure that
our voices are heard.
Blame Clinton | 8:19 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Frankly, I wish GW Bush *would* run his policy by polls. We wouldn't be in
Iraq, we'd probably have captured bin Laden by now....and he may not be
cast still as "worst president ever".
But hey, keep blaming Clinton. Because the Bible (Fox News, Rush and Hannity) tell you so.
But hey, keep blaming Clinton. Because the Bible (Fox News, Rush and Hannity) tell you so.
Claire Fication | 9:15 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
LC: not considering your support, pro or con, "plastic" and
"creepy" seem to unimpeachably describe HRC; that and
"deceitful" and "vengeful".
Blame Clinton: Sorry, the worst presidents in my lifetime are, in ascending order: Johnson, Clinton, Carter, Nixon, Ford.
Blame Clinton: Sorry, the worst presidents in my lifetime are, in ascending order: Johnson, Clinton, Carter, Nixon, Ford.
Bill Snyder | 10:26 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Either way, this makes me hate somebody. And i don't care who.
San Diego | 10:29 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Long ago I learned to say, "I'm sorry, I don't participate in
polls. Good-bye!" If everyone did this, Western Wats and Eastern Wats and
their sleazy peers would have to find legitimate jobs.
Western Watts does it again. | 10:30 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
This is not the first time Western Watts has been tried this type of activity.
Several years ago they got in hot water for the same thing. My guess is they do
it all of the time---and once in a while they get caught.
A push poll by any other name... | 11:48 p.m. Nov. 24, 2007
Man, "message testing"? Push polls are illegal so let's name it
message testing. They're still one and the same. This is an example as to
why the no call list should not have excluded politicians. No one should have to
answer the phone to that junk. Plus, I'm hating when people say,
"well, isn't what they said true?" It's not the true/false
aspect that makes it shameful. All push-polling is based on truth. Based on
being the important words. It's how they say things, and why they say
things that make them inappropriate. It's one thing to say that Mitt Romney
is a Mormon. It's quite another to say, "psst, did you know Mitt
Romey's a Mormon...and he didn't go in the military...he went on a
Mormon mission! Gasp!". Motivation in these instances is important. Plus
you'll notice, they didn't push-poll here...
Joe S | 4:01 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007
It might be useful for the Deseret News to mention that, when this all came up,
Romney's campaign put two of its paid staffers in contact with the media.
Those staffers blamed McCain for the calls, as did Romney himself. One of them
lied about her politics, saying that she was leaning toward Romney but
undecided, when in fact she was on Romney's payroll. Neither staffer, nor
the Romney campaign, disclosed the staff relationship when the interviews were
conducted. This fits a pattern within the Romney campaign, which has had a
number of other ethical lapses.
Joe S | 4:15 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007
I think the calls were made at the behest of the Romney campaign. I think the
idea was to present Romney as a sort of besieged underdog, the victim of
anti-Mormon bias. This would serve several purposes. One is to neutralize the
LDS issue in general by making any mention of Mormonism look
"bigoted." Another is to smear McCain and neutralize him as a
presidential candidate. Another is to motivate Mormons to give money to his
campaign by playing the "persecution" card, which is always popular
among LDS faithful. I don't think Romney counted on the level of coverage
of the campaigns, including the minor stories like this one. Those calls are
something you could get away with in a senate campaign or a gubernatorial race,
but not in a presidential campaign. I'm sure Mitt will be more careful to
cover his tracks from now on.
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However,as a former Utahn, & even a former Western Wats employee, I was disgusted by the push polling from my local candidate and am equally disgusted by the push polling against Mitt Romney or anyone else.
That method is not how I choose to get information, if I am polled I want to give the info, & not be slimed in the form of a twisted question. It's like some creep in a trench coat sidling up to whisper, "Psssst--did you know...." & flashing porn just to try to dissuade you from voting for someone. Very creepy!
If anyone polls you at all this year, JUST SAY NO!