So it seems I’m not the only one in whose craw the robocalls stuck. TPMmuckraker’s Paul Kiel is connecting the dots too (hat tip to jillles):

Did Nasty NRCC Robo Calls Win Elections?
By Paul Kiel - November 10, 2006, 4:39 PM

As we did our best to document, the National Republican Congressional Committee was responsible for repetitive, often harrassing robo calls in more than two dozen districts across the country in the runup to the election.

In at least seven of those districts, the Democrat failed to unseat the incumbent by only a couple thousand votes. The NRCC’s calls may have been the difference in those races.

Rottenchester, rocking out once again as he does an excellent recap of Massa’s campaign, disagrees:

Since this race was so close, it’s tempting to blame other factors, such as robo-calls, nasty mailers and the Dickert matter, for Massa’s loss. Lacking any real polling data, I don’t want to speculate about those factors.Â

It’s true, there were many factors that affected this race, and screw-ups on all sides. But though they were regrettable, they weren’t illegal. We can do something about the robocalls. Not just because they’re illegal, but their very purpose is to stop people from voting, and any suppression of democracy is, well, anti-American.

Paul Kiel’s article goes on to describe the effects of the RNC’s robocalling in Florida’s 13th district:

Voters there report being inundated with calls — so much so that some decided not to vote for Jennings. From The Herald Tribune:

“We’re just glad it’s all over,” said Betty Beatty…”They bugged us with their phone calls something terrible,” said Betty, who voted for Buchanan because “with all her calls, Jennings, Jennings, Jennings, I wouldn’t have voted for that woman if she were the only one running.”

The article does say that action is being taken:

Democrats have asked the FEC, FCC and Justice Department to probe the calls. DCCC spokesman Bill Burton told me that the Dems are still “committed to pursuing the issue of these calls” and are “discussing the next steps…. We are absolutely not letting this drop.”

I want to find out what else we can do to help move this along. Asking agencies still under Bush’s control to help doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy.Â