According to the Washington Post on Monday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) used an imitation census form that looks a lot like an official U.S. Census form to mislead the public for their own benefit. Here is an image of the letter included with the mimicking survey.
Residents in four counties in Montana are being warned for the second time this year that recent surveys from the RNC are phony and they are only sent out for the purpose of soliciting money for Trump’s reelection.
The mailers are labeled “2019 Congressional District Census” and inform recipients that they’ve been “selected to represent voters” in Bozeman, Mont. The accompanying literature makes repeated requests for donations, urging recipients to send at least $15 to “help pay for the costs of processing [the] Census Document” should they be unable to afford an amount in the requested range of $25 to $1,000.
Thing is—according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the official U.S. Census Bureau never asks for donations or money.
WaPo reports that the misleading surveys are being sent out at a time when one the “most challenging federal counts in decades” is taking place. The official U.S. Census Bureau is contemplating a “switch to digital,” which, of course, has its own set of problems.
Emilie Ritter Saunders, a spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Commerce, said the forms first popped up this spring, prompting her office’s first response of the year. Some residents reached out to ensure that the department was aware of the impostor surveys, while others were confused as to what they were receiving.
The mimic surveys include a letter signed by the RNC Chair, Ronna McDaniel. The letter says that Trump needs folks to complete the survey and donate quickly—before October 15, 2019. It also says that if Democrats win “the battle,” it will prove disastrous for the nation’s future. Well, that’s no surprise, but some of these questions/statements below are. They’re so slanted it’s almost humorous—if wasn't enraging—especially the statements about climate change.
The survey itself includes questions such as “How confident are you that America’s economy will continue to improve in the next 12 months?”“Do you support President Trump in his determination to appoint judges who will adhere to strict constitutional principles and not use the court to advance their personal ideologies?” and “The Democrats’ fixation on ‘climate change’ has led to costly regulations that are negatively affecting our nation’s economy across-the-board. Do you think climate change is a major threat to our nation?”
A census expert, Terri Ann Lowenthal, served as staff director of the House Census Oversight Committee in the 1980s. She says:
“No organization, whether it’s political or a private business, should be using the word ‘census’ in any of its mailings from now until the 2020 census is complete,” Lowenthal told The Washington Post. “They are trying to attract attention and are doing so at the expense of public confidence in a constitutionally required civic activity.”
Is it any surprise that Trump and his GOP minions at the RNC are trying to lie, cheat and scam the public for their own benefit? No surprise to most of us. We’ve watched them do it since the day Trump announced his presidential run. ‘Twas a dark day. But a new bright day and big changes are coming—and coming fast.