The story that the NYT and WaPost both missed on robocalls

The Times story, and the Posts’s reporting, are both good as far as they go in exposing McCain’s below the belt swings.

BUT…

They miss one big point.

These robocalls work. Or at least, they work more than they backfire.

McCain wouldn’t use them if they didn’t.

Per the WaPost story:

John G. Geer, a political scientist at Vanderbilt University who specializes in studying negative advertising, said such calls “may stimulate turnout, but they would have to be targeted to the right people. It could backfire, and if the attacks get in the mainstream media, the push back, too, could be substantial.'”

No duh. And that’s easy to do today.

Things like Bradley effects aside, voters will still listen to negative ads.

It’s just like in the past, when some TV stations have gone to “all good news” to start their local newscasts. People say they want that, but the ratings say otherwise.