January 23, 2012

By JEREMY W.PETERS and SERGE F.KOVALESKI
Published:January 20, 2012

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Darlene Kleckley was at homerecovering from knee surgery one recent afternoon when she heard the phonering. It does that a lot these days.
Given its challenges, perhaps the Palmetto State is bestserved by a Democratic president.
When her answering machine clicked on, she heard Mitt Romney’svoice greeting her husband.
“He said: ‘Hi, William. This is Mitt,’ ” recalledMs. Kleckley, 65, a retired university administrator.
This struck her as odd for two reasons. First, herhusband died in September. “And besides,” she added, “no one called him William.Everybody called him Bill.”
In South Carolina, not even the dead can find sanctuaryfrom the bombardment of political messages that has hit the state with a fury.
And phone calls are not even the half of it. Beyond thetraditional methods used to reach voters — television and radio ads, directmail and automated phone-dialing, known as robo-calling — candidates competingfor the Republican primary on Saturday have put their messages into e-mails,text messages, Web sites and Twitter feeds.
Click onto Dictionary.com or a local news site like TheState.com,and colorful ads from Mitt Romney and Ron Paulflash on your screen. Check your e-mail, and there could be a message from RickSantorum or something much worse. Some Republicans received a fakepress release purporting to contain an admission from Newt Gingrich that hepressured his former wife into having an abortion.
Even the morning commute isn’t safe. For a brief time onThursday, commuters on I-85 were caught in a four-mile traffic jam whiledrivers gawked at a hot-air balloon draped in Ron Paul banners.
Every four years, this small, bustling city nestled inthe state’s hilly northwest corner is a focus of Republican presidentialcandidates drawn by its large religious conservative population and itspopulous media market, the state’s largest. But many residents said they couldnot ever recall being this overwhelmed.
“Oh, it’s awful,” sighed Tina Hampton, 59, an officeadministrator. Her mailbox is filled with glossy brochures from candidates andthe “super PACs” that support them. Her television blares with snipingpoliticians in commercial breaks of her favorite shows. Her respite at work, aniPodTouch that plays soothing music through Pandora radio, was overtaken by Rick Perryads. “It’s a scourge,” she said.
“Last night, I was trying to watch ‘AmericanIdol.’ I was like, I just want to watch Steven Tyler,” Ms. Hamptonsaid. “I don’t care that Newt has lied and that Santorum has lied and thatRomney has lied, and that everybody is just a bunch of big, fat liars.”
She added: “I’d really just like to see a coffeecommercial. Seriously.”
Ms. Hampton sifted through her mail Thursday, having leftit unchecked for two days this week. Upon retrieval, 12 pieces of politicalliterature were waiting for her: four from Ron Paul, four from Mitt Romney,three from the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, and one from a groupcalled Strong America Now, which is supporting Mr. Gingrich. “I have no ideawhat’s in these things because they just go in the garbage,” she said, pausingto glance at one of the Paul letters, which was written on letterhead that said“From the Desk of Jedd Coburn.”
“Who is Jedd Coburn?” Ms. Hampton groaned.  (Heworked for the National Right to Work Committee, an antiunion group.)
When Cory Ezzell arrived at his downtown law office onTuesday, after a long holiday weekend, his voice mailbox was so full he thoughthe was facing a crisis.
But there was no emergency. Just eight separate pleasfrom politicians and their surrogates, most supporting Mr. Romney. One was fromSenator John McCain of Arizona lauding “my good friend Mitt Romney.” Anotherwas Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, saying that Mr. Romney “will worktirelessly to stop labor crews from coming in and controlling your economy.”
One invited Mr. Ezzell to an event featuring Mr. Romneywith the Nascar legend David Pearson. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum had leftmessages, too.
“Getting these calls makes my blood pressure shoot up,”Mr. Ezzell, 31, said, adding that he plans to vote for Mr. Gingrich. “They area tremendous waste of my time.” He said he still got three to four a day.
Though many voters question the wisdom of inundating themwith phone calls, those who run campaigns believe such calls are effective.Contractors can dial thousands of lines at once for pennies a call. With theright demographic research, which is expensive, campaigns can zero in oncertain areas where, for example, more socially conservative voters are likelyto live.
Ben Leinster, 34, a lawyer in Greenville, said that heand his family had been receiving 10 to 15 automated calls at home, generallyconcentrated between 5 and 7 p.m. He said that he had erased about six dozen ofthem from his voice mail, and had probably listened to only one of every 10.But he acknowledged they were leaving an impression. “At the end of the day, Ithink robo-calls are like negative ads in that everybody hates them, but theydo work,” he said. “They do plant a seed in your head. They helped solidify my supportfor Mitt Romney.”
South Carolina is not alone in this surge. A 2010 surveyby the Pew Research Center found that 60 percent of voters reported getting arecorded political call, up from 39 percent in 2008. Among Republicans, therate was higher in 2010: 70 percent compared with 56 percent of Democrats.
Like other states, South Carolina restricts how automatedcalls can be made. The state attorney general’s office has determined that suchpolitical calls are allowed as long as the recorded message is “delivered to ananswering machine and not to a live person.” If someone answers, the robo-callshould automatically disconnect. The calls are prohibited between 7 p.m. and 8a.m.
Cellphones, which used to be a safe harbor fromunsolicited calls, are becoming targets, too — not just with calls but alsowith text messages. One Romney supporter said he received an anonymous textlast week with a number to dial. He did, and heard what was apparently arecording of Mr. Romney speaking at a 1994 debate. “I believe that abortionshould be safe and legal in this country,” the recording said — not a messagethat the Romney campaign wants voters to hear.
There is one way to at least reduce the deluge. MatJordan, 40, a pharmacy technician from Roebuck, and his wife were so tired ofcalls from politicians as well as telemarketers after 2008 that they now haveonly cellphones. “This time of year,” Mr. Jordan said, “We are not missing nothaving a land line at all.”


My comments:
I believe that tele marketing is very important. I thinkit's a great way to reach people without spending a lot of money. I alsounderstand though, sometimes the “coldness” that goes into it. I work at theSaint Joseph’s “telefund” which is an organization that calls alumni andparents of current students and asks for a donation to the university. When I tellpeople I work there I get many mixed messages some people say “they paidtuition they shouldn’t have to also donate” and I understand compeltely. Yet, Iam on a scholarship to be at this school and I can’t wait to receive that phonecall and be able to donate to another deserving student as my way to give backto the university. I think this is very similar to the political campaignadvertising that is going on in South Carolina. Yes, it is very bothersome tobe simply watching tv and to be bombarded but on the other hand, it’s an easyway to reach the general American public that honestly may not know otherwisewho was even in the running for office.