New Video Footage of Bait-and-Switch Illustrates Latest Deceit by Pension and Government Contractor Campaigns
By San Diego Labor Council / San Diego Politico / July 6, 2011
The “Just Say No, San Diego” Public Education Campaign released video today of Republican-controlled ballot measure campaigns using a phony petition to supposedly “lower gas prices” as a bait-and-switch in order to have voters sign ballot measures that eliminate a retirement safety net for city employees, abolish collective bargaining for construction workers and silence the voices of workers in politics.
A paid operative of the Republican ballot measure campaigns are seen luring voters to a booth with colorful posters stating “Lower Gas Prices” while representing that the ballot measure they are signing will put a question on the ballot that forces Congress to “drill here, drill now.” In fact, there is no such ballot measure registered for circulation at the Secretary of State’s office and no actual federal initiative-by-petition process.
After talking up the phony gas prices initiative, the signature gatherer asks the voter to sign the petition in order to put it on the ballot.
But, in fact, the paid signature gatherer flips the top page about gas prices over to have the voter sign a petition for one of the Republican ballot measures being circulated by government contractors, developers, corporate lobbyists and other far-right special interests.
“This is a very deceitful tactic, even by the low standards of the underground industry of paid signature gathering,” said Kyle Haverback, spokesman for the “Just Say No, San Diego” Public Education Campaign. “In the video, you can clearly see that the paid signature gatherer is preying on people’s desire to lower gasoline prices. It’s very cynical of these campaigns to employ a bait-and-switch where you tell the public they’re signing one thing when it’s really another.”
Watch the Video here!
Only when the paid signature gatherer is prompted in the video does she then describe that she is collecting signatures for other petitions besides the phony “gas prices” campaign. When describing those ballot measures, the paid signature gatherer makes several misleading and inaccurate statements about what the measures do.
The paid signature gatherer claims the pension ballot measure “better defines what they’re giving the employees” when the measure actually creates more uncertainty about the benefits city employees receive. When describing the government contracting ballot measure to stop collective bargaining agreements on public projects, the paid signature gatherer said the measure allows non-union firms the right to bid on city contracts, when in fact non-union firms already have the right, regardless of whether there’s a project labor agreement or not.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Just wondering – what’s the penalty for signing a petition with a bogus name, or signing it legitimately if you’re not qualified (i.e. not registered to vote or don’t reside in the area the petition affects)? I’m wondering about the cost/benefit of providing an extra signature that probably won’t be checked, versus forcing the petition backers to pay the guy who turned in the signature while potentially causing peril if the name is one of the ones sampled and it’s not legit.
Not that I’m saying it would ever be a proper course of action to pursue this, but I’m also not saying Rush Limbaugh urged Republicans to falsely register as Democrats and vote for Hillary Clinton in primaries so they’d be facing a candidate seen by most as unelectable in a general election…
another perfect example of crooked politics.gop and the dems both liers,crooks ,brain dead knotheads who want to take care of you with your tax money!give me back my tax money and i’ll take care of myself.
Public employee benefits & retirement packages are beyond outrageous.
Selfish greed has a funny way of destroying the whole system.
So, where do we sign?
obama, pelosi, reid, dodd, frank, mccain, napolitano, issa.com has your pettition tj.
oh i forgot tj…………… free medical is on it’s way……. yeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaa.
tj – really hope you’re joking, cuz if you ain’t you are outrageous – if you really believe that claptrap. the well-earned benefits and pensions of teachers, firefighters, cops and other public employees are not what caused the 2008 economic recession nor are they want is the problem now.
bodysurferbob,just about the time i feel like every one has gone into a deep sleep i am refreshed to read from some one WHO GETS IT…….every one want to blame the public employees of which i am one,i don’t control the check book ,i’m not the one who can give myself a pay raise,i’m not the one who can give myself an increase in-car allowance,better medical,death beneies that are off the scale,increased retirement bennies,along with all the backdoor perks……..BUT the county board of stupidvisors has done that for all top management.then they ask no demand that county employees take a 7-12% pay cut becuse there broke and only have a paltry1.2 billion in the bank.the blame needs to go too the politicians if people are pissed about pay increases and perks.