June 18, 2013

Washington Secrets

Obama-Biden campaign uses telemarketing to win 'fiscal cliff' fight

BY: PAUL BEDARD DECEMBER 10, 2012 | 1:19 PM | MODIFIED: DECEMBER 10, 2012 AT 1:20 PM
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He may have won the election but President Obama hasn't given up the campaign.

Aiming to bring public pressure on Republicans to back higher taxes for the rich in the "fiscal cliff" fight, the Obama-Biden campaign today began urging supporters to join a local, online phone bank to help the president blast the GOP.

In an email, supporters are directed to a "Call Tool" where they are provided with somebody to call. Included is a telemarketing-style script to read.

A successful effort will then be tabulated on a "leaderboard" of callers.

"Today you will be calling fellow supporters with a message about extending middle-class tax cuts. Your job is to lay out the choice Congress is facing on keeping taxes low for the middle class, and encourage supporters to call their representative. You will be able to provide all the information," said the memo emblazoned with the Obama-Biden campaign emblem.

The effort is the latest by the White House to pressure the GOP and members holding out on a deal because they oppose higher taxes on those earning $250,000 or more. It follows another Obama-Biden campaign bid to draw attention to the hit middle class Americans will feel if Congress doesn't act to stop the Bush tax cuts on the non-rich from ending.

Below is the script the campaign provided:

Dial 757-565-7332 and ask for James

Follow the script and record their responses.

Hi, is JAMES available?

Hi, my name is P and I'm calling because President Obama is asking all of us to take a minute and make our voices heard in the "fiscal cliff" debate.

The President is asking Congress to move forward on a plan that would prevent 98 percent of American families from paying higher taxes next year. If Congress fails to act, a typical middle-class family of four would see their taxes go up by more than $2,000.

Working families could face some tough financial decisions simply because Republicans didn't want to ask the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans for pay their fair share. There's a petition in House to force a vote on the bill that passed in the Senate, and your representative needs to hear from you.

We know we can affect change in Washington when we raise our voices together--all you have to do is pick up the phone.

Will you call your representative?

Yes

No

Maybe

[IF YES]: Great. I'll give you the number to call. Ready? This is for the House switchboard operator: 202-224-3121. When you get your representative's office on the phone, just make it clear that you'd like your representative to support a vote on the Senate-passed bill that extends middle-class tax cuts, and that you support this bill.

[IF NO/MAYBE]: It's really important that your representative hears from you. If you decide to contact them later, go to house.gov and find your representative.

Thanks so much for your time. [END CALL.]

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