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San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Dennis Rockstroh Column: Action Line: Voters Vent on Election: Skip Fliers, Phone Calls

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Dennis Rockstroh, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Jun. 28--When I asked readers how they felt about another reader's complaint of the flood of campaign mailers and political telephone calls urging them to vote a certain way (Action Line, June 18), I expected a mixed response.

I was wrong.

The score was 31 against, one in favor. Here are parts of some of the responses:

Q All political mailings are nothing more than slick pieces of propaganda and anyone who reads them -- and believes any part of them -- probably shouldn't have the privilege of voting! (OK, so that's a little strong.)

Will Brecheen San Jose

A A little strong, yes, but your point is clear, Will.

Q If I get an unsolicited telephone call urging me to vote for a particular candidate, I feel so strongly against these types of invasion of my privacy that I specifically do not vote for the candidate who is the subject of the phone call.

Steve Bridges San Jose

A Judging by my mail, a whole lot of people agree with you, Steve.

Q Frankly, if the money that businesses and unions spent on mailers, commercials and phone solicitations promoting one candidate or another were actually invested in the things about which they claim to be concerned, they'd probably get a better return on their investment.

Dennis R. Cohen Sunnyvale

A Most responding readers said that these mailings go right into the recycling basket.

Q Regarding the random campaign calls and relentless flow of campaign literature, I find the whole process extremely irritating.

Neither method carries any weight with me.

Most of the fliers are total propaganda, using bad photos of opponents and overly stating accomplishments on candidate fliers.

Louise Garcia San Jose

A Got it, Louise. Other readers reported that phone calls from John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jerry Brown, Steve Westly, Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton did little or nothing to sway their votes.

But who was the lone reader who felt that the campaign mailers are important parts of the campaign?

Read on.

Q A reduction in canned phone calls would be welcome, but to promote the discard of all mailed campaign materials without reading them at all is profoundly undemocratic because it leaves monopoly newspapers with the power to dominate the print part of the campaign.

I can understand how the Mercury News would like a sole proprietorship over all writings sent to homes, but such a giant enterprise may not want for the community what our neighborhoods need.

Dale Warner San Jose

A But . . .

Here is how to reach Action Line:

-- Mail: San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190

-- E-mail: actionline@mercurynews.com (most efficient).

-- www.mercurynews.com. Click Columnists, then Action Line.

-- Phone recording: (888) 688-6400.

-- Fax: (408) 288-8060.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

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