Bush Admin hiring workers in India to call people in the US to seek Donations and Support for the GOP and Election

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
18,191
3
0



The US Republican Party now has a band of young and enthusiastic fund-raisers in Noida and Gurgaon.

HCL eServe, the business process outsourcing arm of the Shiv Nadar-promoted HCL Technologies, has bagged a project to undertake a fund-raising campaign for the US Republican Party over the telephone.

This is the first time such a project has been handed out to a company outside the US. The market research and public relations companies engaged by the party usually undertake such projects.

HCL eServe has put in place a team of 75 people to work on the project out of its call centres in Noida and Gurgaon. According to industry sources, the number of seats could be ramped up depending on the success of the campaign. These operators are required to call up people in the US seeking their support for President George W Bush and a donation for the Republican cause.

More at link.
http://www.business-standard.com/archives/2003/jan/50310103.016.asp
 

flavio

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,823
1
76
I think his point is that Bush Admin is hiring workers in India to call people in the US to seek Donations and Support for the GOP and Election.
 

UltraQuiet

Banned
Sep 22, 2001
5,755
0
0
This can hardly be laid at the feet of the Bush admin but it certainly can be tied to someone fairly high up at the RNC. In any case, if it's true, it's unconscionable and indefensible.
 

alchemize

Lifer
Mar 24, 2000
11,489
0
0
UQ: Not really indefensible, just a bad political move. They outsourced to the lowest cost vendor. Capitalism at it's finest?
 

UltraQuiet

Banned
Sep 22, 2001
5,755
0
0
Originally posted by: alchemize
UQ: Not really indefensible, just a bad political move. They outsourced to the lowest cost vendor. Capitalism at it's finest?

With the amount of money Bush raises and unemployment at 6.2% it is indefensible. And yes it was a really stupid political move.
 

sMiLeYz

Platinum Member
Feb 3, 2003
2,696
0
76
Originally posted by: dahunan
What is the unemployment rate here in America?

Perfect time for the Bushism of the day.

"Dick Cheney and I do not want this nation to be in a recession. We want anybody who can find work to able to find work."
- 60 minutes II

 

burnedout

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
6,249
2
0
I wrote the RNC about this issue just a little while ago. If a reply is received, then it will certainly be posted.

What an outrage if true.
 

JellyBaby

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2000
9,159
1
81
With the amount of money Bush raises and unemployment at 6.2% it is indefensible.
That begs the question, "would it be defensible if Bush had trouble raising money and unemployment was at an all-time low?"
 

paulpaul

Member
Aug 21, 2002
53
0
0
Man, if this gets out on the nightly news someone's gonna get their a$$ handed to them in a sling.

It's funny, the head honchos and advisors are always talking about how Bush the First lost the election in 1992 by raising taxes, losing the conservative base, etc., but the thing that made all the yokels where I live go over to Clinton was that while the economy was in the tank post-Gulf War, there was Daddy, coming off the golf course saying the economy would turn around soon, he was sure of it. When you do things that show you aren't concerned about (or even aware of) the problems that normal people face, then those normal people lose confidence in you.

 

phillyTIM

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2001
1,942
10
81
I just can't wait until these kinds of things come out in the Presidential debates.

I'm sure this is gonna go over well with the American people; especially those without any income and lost their jobs. Yeah right it will. lol

This usage is abhorrid, especially for a Presidential hopeful, ESPECIALLY in this kind of poor economy. My god, how low can Bush go?
 

etech

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,597
0
0
Originally posted by: Isla
ROTFLMAO!!!

This is like the best laugh I've had all week. Thanks. :D


It is a stupid idea and will probably be corrected now that the news is out. I wonder if the contract has an "out" clause?


Isla, I'm sorry that you had such a bad week. I hope next week is better for you.
 

BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
10,737
0
0
So, what's the deal here? The story itself referrs to the "Republican Party", which many will probably assume means the "Republican National Committee". The RNC, however, denies it. I've found no retraction, however, of the entire story, nor have I found any stories claiming to "debunk" the entire situation. So it appears that someone, representing a group of Republicans - though apparently not the RNC itself - has contracted with an Indian company to do telemarketing.

Why bother posting links if you don't actually read them yourself?
 

athithi

Golden Member
Mar 5, 2002
1,717
0
0
flavio/BaliBabyDoc, search google for HCL eServe republican and every single link refers back only to the business-standard.com article - just that one single article! I just found that a bit surprising. All the sites I visited from the search appear to be not in favour of the current U.S Administration, and their *opinion* does not automatically become fact. I was just trying to point out that the only source for this news is a 6-1/2 month old article and that it might be far less-sensitive an issue than the first few respondents to this thread appeared to fear.

I keep my opinions on American politics to myself. My linking the articles was not an attempt to support or oppose either end of the political spectrum here in the U.S. The only reason I even posted was because this thread had the word 'india' in the title
rolleye.gif
 

Isla

Elite member
Sep 12, 2000
7,749
2
0
Originally posted by: etech
Originally posted by: Isla
ROTFLMAO!!!

This is like the best laugh I've had all week. Thanks. :D


It is a stupid idea and will probably be corrected now that the news is out. I wonder if the contract has an "out" clause?


Isla, I'm sorry that you had such a bad week. I hope next week is better for you.

I know, it's not really funny in a ha ha kind of way. More of that ironic, sick sort of humor that makes you laugh because the only other choice is to cry.

BTW, I do like India and Indian people a great deal. They are not to blame for the current controversies... they need to eat, too.

 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,272
103
106
I'd bet the truth is that some group supporting the rupublican party somewhere, without asking the RNC first went out and hired a complany to do the calling, without stopping to think about who they might contract to do the calling. Baaaad political move indeed.

The RNC of course denies that they hired any such company, but that doesn't in any way indicate the above it not true. The RNC of course can't control what other groups do, so one can hardly blame them for it..... If however, it can be shown that they took the money from the organization knowing how it was collected, THEN they would have to take the blame.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,894
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: athithi
flavio/BaliBabyDoc, search google for HCL eServe republican and every single link refers back only to the business-standard.com article - just that one single article! I just found that a bit surprising. All the sites I visited from the search appear to be not in favour of the current U.S Administration, and their *opinion* does not automatically become fact. I was just trying to point out that the only source for this news is a 6-1/2 month old article and that it might be far less-sensitive an issue than the first few respondents to this thread appeared to fear.

I keep my opinions on American politics to myself. My linking the articles was not an attempt to support or oppose either end of the political spectrum here in the U.S. The only reason I even posted was because this thread had the word 'india' in the title
rolleye.gif

My search shows that Citibank is teamed up over there in this Mumbai, India listed under E-serve. All Collections and Telemarketing calls have been moved there. Does that mean this is a way around the Federal Do Not Call List as well? They built in that Political calls are exempt anyway.




 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,272
103
106
Political calls are exempt, but the potential issue (if it can be shown that the republican party indeed was behind it) becomes a biiig political hot-potato. Like I said, I don't think the RNC directly did anything. Rather, it was some smaller group that probably contracted out the work, not realizing where that work was going to be done. In that case, it's pretty much a non-story, which is why none of the more established news sources have picked it up.