Richmond, VA - In case you missed it, the Daily Progress editorialized this weekend about the "dirty tricks" that had come to the Virginia Senate race, specifically mentioning the anonymous, false text message campaign that targeted Tim Kaine.
"And now an outside group has essentially manufactured a lie and disseminated it via text, a relatively new method for spreading propaganda. In this case, an anonymous text accused U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine of calling for a 'radical new tax on all Americans.' Mr. Kaine has done nothing of the kind. The one thing that might have triggered the misinformation was Mr. Kaine’s comment during a debate that he would be “open” to considering a minimum federal tax for all — but that is a far cry from calling for such a tax to be enacted.
The full text of the editorial is below:
Don't Believe Dirty Tricks in Politics
Charlottesville Daily Progress Editorial Board
September 30, 2012
The headline read: “Modern dirty tricks arrive in Va. Senate race” (The Daily Progress, Sept. 27).
We wish — oh, how we wish — we could say that this is an isolated instance of nastiness.
Unfortunately, dirty tricks are nothing new in today’s politics.
Campaigns distort opponents’ records by disseminating partial information, deliberate omissions that cause misunderstandings. Or they place phone calls to conduct “surveys,” when the calls are never intended to collect voter opinion but rather to plant suspicion and disinformation in voters’ minds.
Outside groups such as super PACs use the same tactics, stepping up the game to a higher intensity, often while hiding behind organizational names that allow the backers to avoid responsibility.
And now an outside group has essentially manufactured a lie and disseminated it via text, a relatively new method for spreading propaganda.
Anonymous callers have been a bane of many a campaign already. The callers drop their poison and disappear, seldom to be exposed and called to account.
The use of texting to do the same is a relatively new phenomenon.
In this case, an anonymous text accused U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine of calling for a “radical new tax on all Americans.”
Mr. Kaine has done nothing of the kind. The one thing that might have triggered the misinformation was Mr. Kaine’s comment during a debate that he would be “open” to considering a minimum federal tax for all — but that is a far cry from calling for such a tax to be enacted.
In addition to spreading disinformation, the texts fail a second test for honesty. Not only is the content suspect, but so is the method of delivery: It is illegal to send unsolicited text messages.
As the campaigns heat up and the rhetoric intensifies, remember: You can’t believe everything you hear. Especially when the “information” comes from anonymous or disguised sources.
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