I have two land lines (don’t ask).  

One is rather old and the other I have had for over twenty years.

Tonight, I have gotten Romney robocalls on both.  The message is the same: Santorum has flipped on supporting Planned Parenthood.

My spouse tells me we had a call for Paul and a call for Santorum on the old land line.

I wonder how much a robocall costs.  And, Romney appears to be carpet bombing at least my part of the state.

Are you getting any calls?

Talk about failing upward. Remember this, one of the ugliest campaign attacks of the 2010 election?:

Female voice: This is an urgent alert for all Christian families. Before you vote you should know that state representative candidate Courtney Cole has taken hundreds in campaign donations from a representative of the hard core pornography industry, including gay pornography. By allowing her Democratic campaign to be funded by those who are involved with and support hard core pornography Courtney Cole clearly does not share our Christian family values. On election day stand up for what’s right and decent by voting no on Courtney Cole. Paid for by House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc.

[emphasis added]

Who was responsible for that?:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

….The folks in the HRCC who paid for this robocall were walking with Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) and wearing his campaign t-shirt in last weekend’s homecoming parade in Warrensburg:

Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and

Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)

That makes it difficult for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) to distance himself from the HRCC, don’t you think?….

[emphasis added]

Robo calls accuse candidate of porn ties

Posted: 10.28.2010 at 11:49 AM Updated: 10.29.2010 at 9:30 AM

….The message says it’s paid for by the House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc. That is not the Missouri Republican Party. I called the campaign committee and left messages, and didn’t hear anything back. KHQA did get a statement from the Missouri Republican Party. It says it did not authorize, approve, or pay for this campaign activity….

[emphasis added]

Ooh. The Missouri republican Party was so upset that they disavowed any knowledge of the robocall. Wink, wink.

Today we find out that maybe the Missouri republican Party does approve (via Randy Turner at The Turner Report) because they gave Robert Knodell a new job:

…Lloyd Smith, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party, announced today that Robert Knodell will join the MOGOP as Political Director. Knodell will be in charge of legislative outreach and grassroots organization throughout the state as we build upon our 2010 victories at the federal, state, and local levels and move forward into the 2012 election cycle.

Knodell, a Poplar Bluff native and graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has spent the last four years as Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee. During his time at the HRCC, Republicans have made historic gains in the State House. Thanks to strong candidate recruitment and outstanding campaigns, the GOP now holds an unprecedented 106-57 majority in that chamber…

[emphasis added]

They left out the stuff about dog whistle homophobic and “family values” attack robocalls. I wonder why. They said they didn’t approve.

Maybe it was a social promotion.

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

Campaign Finance: old media needs to learn to do some freakin’ research (October 29, 2010)

I guess I’m going to have to go with “No Comment” (October 29, 2010)

Another Democrat fights sleazy robocalls (October 30, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I just like their swag… (October 30, 2010)

Missouri’s HRCC and the robocalls: follow the money (October 31, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I’ve never heard of them… (November 1, 2010)

I see nothing! I know nothing! (November 24, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I’ve never heard of them, part 2 (December 2, 2010)

Evidently people on the phone can say untrue things while using false caller identification information:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 176

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES McNEIL (Sponsor), STILL, SCHUPP, CARLSON, ELLINGER, PACE, KANDER, WEBBER, WEBB, ATKINS, SCHIEFFER, MEADOWS AND OXFORD (Co-sponsors).

0436L.01I                                                                                                                                                  D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To amend chapter 570, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to caller identification spoofing, with a penalty provision.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

           Section A. Chapter 570, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 570.195, to read as follows:

           570.195. 1. As used in this section the following terms shall mean:

           (1) “Caller”, a person who places a call by a telephone or over a telephone line, even if the person begins the call on a computer;

           (2) “Caller identification system”, a listing of a caller’s name, telephone number, or name and telephone number that is shown to a recipient of a call when the recipient answers;

           (3) “False information”, data that misrepresents the identity of the caller to the recipient of a call; except that when a person making an authorized call on behalf of another person inserts the name, telephone number, or name and telephone number of the person on whose behalf the call is being made, such information shall not be deemed false information;

           (4) “Insert”, the insertion of data by voice communication, by written communication or by otherwise entering into a computer.

           2. Any caller who knowingly inserts false information into a caller identification system with the intent to mislead, defraud, or deceive the recipient of a telephone call shall be guilty of caller identification spoofing.

           3. Caller identification spoofing shall be a class D felony.

           4. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

           (1) Any blocking of caller identification information;

           (2) Any law enforcement agencies of the federal government, state government, a county or municipality; or

           (3) Any intelligence or security agencies of the federal government.

[emphasis in original]

Who would do such a thing? Oh, yeah, right.

What are the odds in Vegas that our republican dominated General Assembly lets this bill see the light of day?

Robocall anyone?

The “30 Day After General Election” reports were due in at the Missouri Ethics Commission today. At this point we usually start wading through final campaign reports by race (and we are) and post as many stories as we can on the interesting minutiae and connections we find in our research. In starting that research today we ran into another blatant connection to the robocalls in the 121st Legislative District race. Yes, we were very interested in this race – it had a hardworking and hard charging newcomer in Courtney Cole (D) challenging a republican incumbent who managed to keep shooting himself in the foot. Alas, Denny Hoskins (r) was reelected.

Right at the end of the campaign the Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) loosed homophobic robocalls against a number of Democratic candidates across the state, including Courtney Cole, on October 27th. You might want to remember that date.

Of course, the republican candidates disavowed any knowledge of those calls. Wink, wink.

We followed the story and tracked the source of those robocalls:

HRCC? What HRCC? I’ve never heard of them… (November 1, 2010)

….The Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) filed a “no name” report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 29th. There are some enlightening expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC

ReportDate: 10/29/2010

Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hoskins $1,288.54

Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Brattin $1,141.13…

That’s for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) in the 121st Legislative District and Rick Brattin (r) in the 124th Legislative District….

On October 29, 2010 Denny Hoskins (r) publicly disavowed any knowledge of the robocalls in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

10/29/2010 2:08:00 PM

GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values’

Warrensburg – Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent….

….Hoskins said in a prepared statement. “I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message….”

You might want to remember that date.

Denny Hoskins (r) filed his “30 Day After General Election” report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on December 1st. There was an interesting entry in the expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

ReportDate: 12/2/2010

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

SURVEY ST. LOUIS PO BOX 432 ST. CHARLES, MO 63302 10/29/2010 PUSH CARDS $1,712.15

[emphasis added]

That’s right, on the same day that he disavowed the robocalls, and two days after those calls were made, Denny Hoskins (r) paid the perpetrator of those calls, Survey St. Louis, for campaign paraphernalia. How nice.

The right hand doesn’t know what the far right hand is doing? Yeah, right.

So, we thought we do a little searching on Survey St. Louis via the Missouri Secretary of State:

Survey Saint Louis, LLC is a fictitious business name registered to Display Stuff, LLC. The owner is a Thomas Smith.

Business Name History

Name Name Type

Survey Saint Louis, LLC Legal

Fictitious Registration – Domestic – Information

Charter Number: X00589093

Status: Fictitious Active

Entity Creation Date: 5/24/2004

State of Business.: MO

Expiration Date: 8/28/2014

Owners

Name: DISPLAY STUFF, L.L.C.

Address: 320 MONROE STREET

ST. CHARLES MO 63301

The registered agent for Display Stuff, LLC is a Thomas Smith:

Business Name History

Name Name Type

DISPLAY STUFF, L.L.C. Legal

Limited Liability Company – Domestic – Information

Charter Number: LC0044000

Status: Active

Entity Creation Date: 10/26/2000

State of Business.: MO

Expiration Date: Perpetual

Registered Agent

Agent Name: THOMAS W. SMITH, JR.

Office Address: 320 MONROE STREET

ST. CHARLES MO 63301

Mailing Address:

Organizers

Name: JAMES W. MATHIS

Address: 911 WASHINGTON AVEUE

ST. LOUIS MO 63101

Where have we seen that name before?:

…Tom Smith, the owner of the company hired by the HRCC to blast the calls (and who also happens to be a staffer for outgoing Speaker Ron Richard)…

[emphasis added]

Apparently, the right hand washes the far right hand, too.

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

Campaign Finance: old media needs to learn to do some freakin’ research (October 29, 2010)

I guess I’m going to have to go with “No Comment” (October 29, 2010)

Another Democrat fights sleazy robocalls (October 30, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I just like their swag… (October 30, 2010)

Missouri’s HRCC and the robocalls: follow the money (October 31, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I’ve never heard of them… (November 1, 2010)

I see nothing! I know nothing! (November 24, 2010)

Today, from our good friends at Fired Up!:

Smith Still Doesn’t Want To Talk About His Deceptive Robocalls Questioning Democrats’ Faith

….St. Luke’s sued the company hired by the HRCC to make the calls, Survey Saint Louis, which just happens to be owned by Speaker Ron Richard’s legislative director, Tom Smith. Last week, the AP reported that Smith claimed no knowledge of the bogus caller IDs until he learned about them in the media, but was nevertheless paying St. Luke’s legal bills in their lawsuit against him.

Wagman reports today that Smith still isn’t interested in explaining why his company lied to voters.  And incredibly, HRCC Chairman and Speaker-elect Steve Tilley (R-Perryville) claims that he hasn’t even talked about issue with Smith.  Even though he’s in charge of the caucus and professes to dismayed by the calls, he says he hasn’t actually talked to the government/campaign staffer in charge of the calls.  (Maybe he’s been too busy moving into his new Las Vegas mansion?)  In fact, Tilley hasn’t even pretended that he’s taken any action to stop this sort of garbage in the future, except to condemn it in the media after the fact.

Impressive stuff from the Party of Personal Responsibility.

Previously on the republican robocalls:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

Campaign Finance: old media needs to learn to do some freakin’ research (October 29, 2010)

I guess I’m going to have to go with “No Comment” (October 29, 2010)

Another Democrat fights sleazy robocalls (October 30, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I just like their swag… (October 30, 2010)

Missouri’s HRCC and the robocalls: follow the money (October 31, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I’ve never heard of them… (November 1, 2010)

The republican robocalls:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

And we followed the money.

The Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) filed a “no name” report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 29th. There are some enlightening expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC

ReportDate: 10/29/2010

Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hoskins $1,288.54

Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Brattin $1,141.13…

That’s for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) in the 121st Legislative District and Rick Brattin (r) in the 124th Legislative District.

A photo taken on Thursday in Harrisonville, Missouri in the 124th Legislative District:

10/29/2010 2:08:00 PM

GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values’

Warrensburg – Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent….

….Hoskins said in a prepared statement. “I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message….”

A photo taken today in Warrensburg, Missouri in the 121st Legislative District:

Why, that’s just across the street from Denny Hoskins’ place of business, complete with a campaign sign!

So, who is the representative from the 146th Legislative District?:

Representative Darrell Pollock, a Republican, represents part of Laclede and Camden County (District 146) in the Missouri House of Representatives. Rep. Pollock is a small business owner in Lebanon….

…He has two children, Stephen….

Where have we seen that name before? Oh, wait…someone is in the employ of the HRCC:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE [pdf] INC 10/12/2010

Stephen Pollock

Bolivar, MO

9/15/2010

Payroll

$10,330.80 [aggregate]

$750.00

Stephen Pollock

Bolivar, MO

9/2/2010

Travel Expense

10,330.80 [aggregate]

$1,098.42

HRCC? What HRCC?

Is someone working for the HRCC driving dad’s car around the 121st and 124th Legislative Districts? Around the same time as those robocalls? Just asking.

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

Campaign Finance: old media needs to learn to do some freakin’ research (October 29, 2010)

I guess I’m going to have to go with “No Comment” (October 29, 2010)

Another Democrat fights sleazy robocalls (October 30, 2010)

HRCC? What HRCC? I just like their swag… (October 30, 2010)

Missouri’s HRCC and the robocalls: follow the money (October 31, 2010)

The nasty republican robocall that started it all.

We received yet another mailer from Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) today and noticed a little detail that belies this assertion in yesterday’s Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

…Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent….

….Hoskins said in a prepared statement. “I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message….”

It’s kind of hard to distance yourself from the House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) when you’re wearing their swag in one of the few mail pieces paid for by your own campaign:

Nice shirt. Where’d you get it?

Uh, the HRCC?

Or when the Executive Director of the HRCC walks in the UCM homecoming parade with you, wearing your campaign t-shirt:

Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and

Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)

Yesterday Courtney Cole‘s (D) campaign ran a robocall in response to the HRCC’s sleazy effort last Wednesday to promote homophobia.

The transcript:

Hello, this is Courtney Cole and I want to apologize to you for a phone call that my opponent sent out this week which contained false allegations attacking our Christian values.  My husband Jason and I raise our little girl, McKenzie here in the 121st district and we should expect integrity and decency from the campaigns of our local candidates.  Unfortunately, some people are willing to attack our community and my Christian values for their own political gain.  I ask for your support to allow me to represent the values that make our community a wonderful place to live and work by voting for me on Tuesday.  If you have any questions, please call me at home… or visit my website at http://www.votecourtneycole.com.  Paid for by Cole for House, Laurie Squiric, Treasurer.

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

Campaign Finance: old media needs to learn to do some freakin’ research (October 29, 2010)

I guess I’m going to have to go with “No Comment” (October 29, 2010)

Another Democrat fights sleazy robocalls (October 30, 2010)

I hope you got out and got some sunshine. I spent my day trying to get in touch with a couple of republican fellows who are up to their armpits in robocall bilge. –BG

I managed, through a source that was promised anonymity, to locate the cell phone numbers of the Executive Director of the HRCC and the Executive Director of Victory Strategies, a political strategy firm that is closely associated with the HRCC.

They are also pretty closely associated with Denny (Noun, Verb, CPA) Hoskins in Warrensburg, as you can see in this photo:

Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and

Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)

Marching together in the CMSU UCM homecoming parade kinda makes the whole ‘recoil in horror and deny everything’ approach Denny has chosen not merely unbelievable, but, frankly, laughable mockworthy.

I first left a message for Mr. Knodell, but I didn’t expect a callback. He doesn’t even say his name on his voicemail greeting, just his number, but I gave it the old Mizzou try…Keep in mind I hate talking to machines…

“Hi, ah, my name is Tammy Booth and I am a reporter with “They Gave Us a Republic” that’s a national web, ah, national news website…they gave us a republic dot com, if you want to look at it…Ah, I was wondering…I’m looking for a man named Robert Knodell, and I’m wondering if I can get a comment on the HRCC decision to pull the robocalls that went out attacking schoolteachers and, and other Democrats, um…at the end of the, ah, that have now been pulled…and if you had a comment on the decision to launch them, and the decision to pull them. Thank you.”

I wasn’t too pushy…I waited a bit before sending him the following text message:

Hello, I am looking for Robert Knodell and a comment on the robocalls that went out and were quickly pulled.  Thank You. Tammy Booth theygaveusarepublic.com

I didn’t call Mr. Hageman. He wasn’t going to answer for me, and we both knew it, so I just cut to the chase and sent the following message:

Hello Mr. Hageman. My name is Tammy Booth and I am a reporter with the national news site theygaveusarepublic.com   I am looking for comments on the decision to first launch, then pull the robocall campaign that accused Democratic candidates of taking money from the gay porn industry?  Thank you.

It is now 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and neither of these fellows has seen fit to “man up” as Sharron Angle would say.

I can only assume then that they know they have no excuses, realize that they have done more harm than good (or as my father used to say “stepped on their dicks”) and they are bravely laying low ’til Tuesday.

They don’t just have “no comment,” they have the double-secret “no comment” that no one has to say.

Previous coverage below the fold.

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission there was an interesting little tidbit in one of the reports:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C000953 MO REPUBLICAN PARTY [pdf] 10/29/2010

House Republican Campaign Committee

Jefferson City, MO

10/28/2010

$100,000.00

[emphasis added]

Yeah, that Missouri HRCC.

Robo calls accuse candidate of porn ties

Posted: 10.28.2010 at 11:49 AM Updated: 10.29.2010 at 9:30 AM

….The message says it’s paid for by the House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc. That is not the Missouri Republican Party. I called the campaign committee and left messages, and didn’t hear anything back. KHQA did get a statement from the Missouri Republican Party. It says it did not authorize, approve, or pay for this campaign activity….

[emphasis added]

Really?

Yeah, that $100,000.00 went the other way on the same day. As if they don’t know each other? With that kind of money moving around they all must be good friends, eh?

“Guy’s a clod. Promises were made, gifts exchanged…”

Our useless old media. Look! Over there, another shiny bauble!

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)

Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal Headline: “GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values'” (October 29, 2010)

The negative fallout from the House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) attack robocalls continues locally.

The text of the calls:

Female voice: This is an urgent alert for all Christian families. Before you vote you should know that state representative candidate Courtney Cole has taken hundreds in campaign donations from a representative of the hard core pornography industry, including gay pornography. By allowing her Democratic campaign to be funded by those who are involved with and support hard core pornography Courtney Cole clearly does not share our Christian family values. On election day stand up for what’s right and decent by voting no on Courtney Cole. Paid for by House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc.

Courtney Cole (center) and her family.

The Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal ran a front page story, above the fold, on the HRCC robocalls within the 121st Legislative District:

10/29/2010 2:08:00 PM

GOP robocall attacks Cole’s ‘family values’

Warrensburg – Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent….

….Hoskins said in a prepared statement. “I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message….”

….The Star-Journal received phone calls and e-mails, and a visit from former House Rep. Deleta Williams, all denouncing the House Republican Campaign Committee’s robocall content.

“These robocalls that are being made against Courtney Cole and in support of Denny Hoskins, paid for the HRCC, are despicable,” Williams said Thursday. “They cross the line of campaign decency. I believe it’s a threat to our democracy because more and more good, qualified people will become increasingly reluctant to serve in public office when they know that they or their families may be targeted by these types of tactics.”

That distancing thing is really quite interesting.

The Executive Director of Missouri’s HRCC, Robert Knodell and Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises, Dave Hageman walked with Denny Hoskins (r) in the UCM homecoming parade on October 23rd wearing Hoskins’ campaign t-shirts:

Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and

Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)

“…I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message…”

As we previously wrote about those folks walking in the parade:

That makes it difficult for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) to distance himself from the HRCC, don’t you think?

Previously:

HRCC robocall in the 121st Legislative District: desperation and homophobia (October 27, 2010)

The Missouri HRCC steps in it with homophobic robocalls (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: Uh, that didn’t go very well, did it? (October 28, 2010)

Tilley (r) on HRCC robocalls: “But, but, the Democrats are mean to us…” (October 29, 2010)

Tilley (r), the HRCC robocalls, and the media: “…testing, testing, testing, is this thing on?” (October 29, 2010)