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Is the RNC Committing Fraud with a Fake Census? [UPDATED]
Seems like the Republican National Committee is disguising a fundraising letter as a Census form! I got this email from Congressman Loebsack of Iowa:
I was very disappointed when I heard from concerned citizens in the 2nd District that Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, has sent a fundraising appeal into our district that looks like an official Census document. This fundraising letter even calls itself a 'Census survey' and asks people to pay for the cost of processing the census form.
The Census is vital for our communities because an accurate count helps ensure that Iowans get adequate funding for schools, roads, and hospitals. It is also critical for flood recovery, and helping our disaster stricken neighbors.
Please look for your official Census in the mail over the next few months. It will not ask for party affiliation or for money.
That the RNC would target our district shows just how determined they are to take back the House. Please stay vigilant and please be in contact if you see any further attempts to mislead our community: info_at_loebsackforcongress.org.
I have not seen any such form in my area, so I can't judge the level of duplicity that the RNC has sunk to. However, it seems to me this could be outright fraud. Has anyone out there received such a letter? I would like to get a scan of it. Anyone in NYC get one of these scam letters from the RNC?
I guess the Republicans can't get money any other way, so they have to try and scam people out of their hard earned money. And remember THE REAL CENSUS WILL NOT ASK FOR MONEY. Any so-called Census form that asks for money is a scam...like this Republican scam.
UPDATE: So apparently it is a nationwide scam. I find reports from Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia and Montana (including the Governor of Montana) receiving this Republican scam. Also, NYC Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney has filed a complaint with the postal service, but was told that the scam was legal. Maloney is considering legislation requiring such scams to specify that they are not official government documents.
Re: Is the RNC Committing Fraud with a Fake Census? ...
Yeah, this story broke nationally about two weeks ago. It's probably not illegal, as there is no limitation on the use of the word "census" (the word dates back to ancient Rome).
The fundraising letter quotes RNC Chairman Michael Steele as saying, "Strengthening our Party for the 2010 elections is going to take a massive grass-roots effort all across America. That is why I have authorized a Census to be conducted of every Congressional District in the country," The Associated Press reported on January 25 that:
This is just another example of the depths to which Republicans gleefully sink in their continuing efforts to cloud issues and confuse voters. My bet is that they are targeting areas which, if undercounted in the census, will help swing districts from blue to red in 2012. It's a tricky proposition, though, since populations and issues shift over the course of a decade, and what looks good in 2010 may look bad by 2016.
The probability of ultimate failure is why I'm not too worked up about it. Yes, the Republicans are pulling another crooked stunt, and we should hit them on that. Meanwhile, I'd love to find ways to convince people in red districts that they shouldn't fill out their census forms because it's just another government intrusion into their private lives (not that Republicans believe in a constitutional right to privacy, but since when is logic a Republican virtue?).