War dialing is surely nothing new. Random autodialing telemarketing is insanely simple.

As the 2008 elections get close, consider the election calls you’ll get.

If I were pushing for say, the DNC, I’d set up a cheap linux box at serverbeach running asterisk. Then, I’d sign up as many home users as were willing — anywhere in the country — and send them a little IAXY device. Each device would cost about $75 — much less I assume if bought in bulk.

Each user willing to plug this device into his or her cable modem and phone line for a few hours a day — perhaps while they were at work — would give me the ability to auto-dial from their phone number to any local numbers all day long at virtually no further cost.

Talk about grass roots! figure about $100 worth of server for each 200 or so outbound concurrent calls, plus about $75 for the devices each. In terms of cost, this would be almost as low as spam rates when you figure how many thousands of calls per day could be autodialed with these little devices. The recording can easily be tailored to the area being called, no telemarketing people need be paid, and the devices are a tax deduction.

Oh, and the devices are reusable for campaign after campaign, year after year. Once owned, the only costs are shipping them to volunteers and the cost of the server. I’m willing to bet I’m low on the number of concurrent calls per server as well.

Hell, I could set the thing up in a matter of a day or two.