The state attorney general's attempts to stop automated phone calls is getting a lot of coverage, mostly because he's a Republican going after a Republican group and because of who that group is:
Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter filed a lawsuit yesterday against a national political organization, accusing it of making illegal automated phone calls to voters in the 9th Congressional District.
Carter also is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the Economic Freedom Fund, a Sacramento, Calif.-based group with ties to Republicans, from making any more of the calls, which attack Democratic nominee Baron Hill.
That group is apparenly funded by the same Republican behind the Swift Boat ads attacking John Kerry's war record, so the tactics will be decried all over the place as a typical smear campaign, which is fine; it's good, clean political fun.
I'm not sure about the zeal with which automated calls are being attacked, though (businesses using them have already been cracked down on). How far are we going to go to protect people from being annoyed. I've gotten a few such calls, and they rank pretty low on my list of grievances. You know right away it's an automated call, so you hang up and don't get a call back.
On the other hand, I don't know why businesses or politicians would rely much on something most people don't even pay attention to.
