Our old friends from 2004, the Swift Boaters, may have struck a reef in the midwest according to a story posted this afternoon at the Indystar online news site.
Attorney General Steve Carter said today that a California-based group has agreed to stop making automated phone calls attacking Democratic congressional candidate Baron Hill.
However, Carter said the state is still seeking a preliminary injunction against the group, the Economic Freedom Fund, and pursuing a lawsuit in Brown County Circuit Court. A hearing on the injunction has been scheduled for Sept. 27 in Nashville.
Apparently several people filed formal complaints with the Indiana Attorney General after receiving automated “push poll” calls against Hill.
Carter had warned the political parties against such calls in August and is investigating a complaint against another campaign which he has not identified. After holding a news conference announcing that investigation, his office received 12 complaints about the Economic Freedom Fund calls. In those calls, a person purports to be taking an automated poll, which then slams Hill’s record. Hill, a former Democratic congressman, is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel trying to regain the southeastern Indiana seat he lost to Sodrel in 2004.
For the newly active political reader, some background on Mister Perry and his motley crew.
The Associated Press reported that the Economic Freedom Fund is financed through a $5 million donation from Bob J. Perry, a Texas homebuilder with close ties to White House adviser Karl Rove. Perry also bankrolled the Swift Boat attack ads against the war record of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry in 2004.
What should we do with this scurvy dog?
