Many of us at JJP are all-too-familiar with deceptive political mailers and signage often targeting our community in an effort to suppress the vote, so my radar went off when I saw this via TPM, which isn’t  about voter suppression but is about tricking people into opening RNC fundraising propaganda:

The Republican National Committee is continuing to send out a misleading fundraising mailer labeled “Census Document,” just weeks after Congress passed a law aimed at banning such mailers.

In response, the Democratic member of Congress behind the new law slammed the RNC for “trying to make a buck on the Census.” But Michael Steele and co. are claiming the law doesn’t cover their mailer.

Here is the mailer in full.

Dear RNC, what a part of the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act (which passed 416-0 in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate) do you not understand??

ProPublica has been following the story, and in an effort to see if this triflinity was uniquely Republican, ran this followup story with the following comment from public opinion research expert Peter Miller:

Miller added that the RNC’s “Census” was one of the most egregious examples of this problem he’s seen during his 30-year career. “It is such a blatant miscommunication, or misrepresentation,” he said. “The fact that it attaches itself to the Census, it’s really more pernicious than other efforts that I’ve seen.” Late last month, Miller sent a letter to Michael Steele, the RNC chairman, asking him to end the mailers. He hasn’t heard back.

Apparently Steele & Co. have responded by doing whatever they want. When you are desperate and out of ideas, lies are all you have left.


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