Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ukma!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!abvax!iccgcc!herrickd
From: herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Those (henious) Information Brokers; who are they?
Message-ID: <4485.28253d66@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com>
Date: 6 May 91 16:26:30 GMT
References: <8683@crash.cts.com> <1991Apr21.151853.11183@com50.c2s.mn.org> <8741@crash.cts.com> <1991Apr23.170454.19881@athena.mit.edu>
Lines: 43

In article <1991Apr23.170454.19881@athena.mit.edu>, seaotter@athena.mit.edu (Amazing Stace) writes:
> Laird Broadfield:
>> Is anyone keeping a list of these folks?  [...]
> 
> An amusing thought -- no, a necessary one: "watching  the  watch-
> ers."  I  imagine  the US Department of Commerce might be able to
> create such a list with a little effort.
> 
This thread is getting ridiculous.  Think about the business "these
folks" are in.  There is a list in your local yellow pages.  In the
Cleveland Business to Business yellow pages it is filed under 
"Advertising, Direct Mail".
> 
> Craig Wilson:
>> Every person now serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and
>> the  U.S.   Senate,  as  well  as most of their more recent chal-
>> lengers.  The Smithsonian Museums, St. Jude's Children  Hospital,
>> Greenpeace,  Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, People for the Ameri-
>> can Way, The National Rifle Association, EE Times, etc.
> 
> Actually it's kind of interesting to know that to a large  extent
> the  whole  concept  of  direct (and directed) mass mailings ori-
> ginated with the early fundraising efforts of Richard  Viguerie's
> NCPAC  (National  Conservative  Political Action Committee). 

I was getting mail from Publisher's Central Bureau long before
Viguerie got into the act.  Also Publisher's Clearing House.

> Ap-
> parently Viguerie got started by simply going  into  various  of-
> fices  and copying names of registered Republicans from the voter
> rolls.  This contained just the most basic information: name, ad-
> dress,  fact  of  registering  Republican.  Over time, records of
> contributions (frequency and amounts) begin to  play  a  role  in
> management  of  the  fund-raising  campaign.  

Someone who had worked in Viguerie's office told of wanting a mailing
list to fight a gun control initiative in Texas.  The stroke of brilliance
was to buy a list of pick-up truck owners from the DMV.  (Every pick-up
truck in Texas has a gun rack in the rear window.)

dan herrick
herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com