False Advertising

I received these two voter guides in the mail, which purport to be from the Democratic Party. They recommend against voting for Proposition 87 in the relatively small print, alongside a list of official-sounding and otherwise plausible endorsements. Of course, the California Democratic Party has encouraged a "yes" vote on Proposition 87, the alternative energy research initiative to be funded by a tax on oil, not the "no" these mailers advise.

The mailers are very vague about their sponsors; they were mailed by "Democratic Voters Choice" in Burbank and "Voter Information Guide" in Sherman Oaks. However, it is being widely reported in the blogosphere that they could only be the handiwork of the oil interests in the state.

As a rhetorician, it is interesting to see all the appeals to patriotism, pride in history, and human identification with the smiling faces of familiar state and local candidates. Had it not been for a MoveOn.org e-mail this morning, I would have assumed that they were legitimate.