Obama and His Astroturfing Smears
By Matthew Weaver on September 26, 2008 at 12:01 AM in Barack Obama, Current Affairs, David Axelrod, Democratic Party, Sarah Palin
Obama’s campaign is drowning in the filth of its own making: lies, smears, and calls for supporters to take the gloves off in their political activity. The result is vile, hate-filled hysteria that discredits not only Barack Obama, but also the Democratic Party, or what is left of it.
In the past few days reports have surfaced directly linking Barack Obama and his campaign to the smears against Governor Palin.
The JAWA Report (a must read), offered up on Monday a damning trail of smears leading back to Barack Obama, David Axelrod, and Barack’s campaign. Since then, Publicus Groupe’s Winner & Associates, who are known associates of David Axelrod, admit they were, as accused, the source of at least one of the original video smears: “Sarah Palin: A Heartbeat Away.”
“This one ranks as one of the most outlandish conspiracy theories in a campaign that has had its share of them. Neither our campaign nor any of our consultants had any involvement with this YouTube video, and the McCain campaign should provide a shred of believable evidence before advancing false allegations and misleading voters yet another time.”—Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor as quoted by Marc Ambinder in The Atlantic.
Marc Ambinder, who shared Obama’s campaign statement, offers an interesting analysis prefaced with his admission that he was not interested in whether the accusation was true or not. Marc then goes on to offer why he would suspect it is not: basically that he thinks the campaign was smarter than the evidence would otherwise suggest.
Dr. Shackleford and his colleagues at The Jawa Report in a new article, now offer frustration at the apparent disinterest in tracking down the source of the smears. Senator McCain’s campaign won’t help or comment, nor the mainstream media. The recurring theme seems to be disbelief that anyone, especially the Obama campaign, could be so stupid. As Shackleford writes:
Sure, the VP of a PR firm could have produced the video on his own, personally paid for the voice talent, got the agency to bill him, asked his multimillionaire President of a well known Democratically connected PR firm of a father to legitimize its false attacks, created multiple sock puppet accounts, and asked his buddies at the PR firm which specializes in “grassroots organization” to spread it around the internet claiming it was from “A Group of Concerned Citizens” — on company time. It’s possible.
He goes on to say, “It’s also possible that we have a case of astroturfing, plain and simple. Which, by definition, is a paid political campaign run by parties unknown, who wish to remain unknown, and who wish the whole thing to appear as if it’s bottom up and grassroots.”
Media Matters yawns and says “Even if the Obama team was involved, so what?” Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, on the other hand, offers a noteworthy assessment:
If all of this is true and the Obama campaign can be connected to it, it would represent a massive set of FEC violations, as well as the ultimate repudiation of “hope and change” and “New Politics”. In fact, it would be a massive demonstration of Chicago Politics on a national scale.
As Less pointed out at NoQuarterUSA Tuesday, this isn’t the first time Obama has been accused of astroturfing. Last year, Neural Gourmet reported they were tied to an anti-Clinton viral ad “1984″ through their Web creator:
Andrea Mitchell and Alex Johnson at MSNBC reveal though that the creator of the “1984″ parody ad is none other than Philip de Vellis of marketing firm Blue State Digital which specializes in advising Democratic candidates and liberal groups. Blue State Digital was also responsible for the design and implementation of Barack Obama’s official campagin website whose URL appears at the end of the Clinton smear ad and one of the founding members of the company, Joe Rospars, is employed as the Obama campaign’s Director of New Media.
Athy and Chris also offer additional links that further substantiate Obama’s ties to smear campaigns through David Axelrod, his two companies, and advertisers and campaigns he’s worked on.
David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s chief strategist, is a master of astroturf campaigns. It should come as no surprise then that Axelrod and the Obama campaign appear to be behind anonymous attacks against Sarah Palin surfacing on the internet.”—Erik Erickson at Human Events (See also Who is David Axelrod)
Business Week discussed Axelrod’s astroturfing and his second company ASK Public Strategies in their March 2008 article by Howard Wolinksy, The Secret Side of David Axelrod, The master of “Astroturfing” has a second firm that shapes public opinion for corporations.
Yes, as Ray Robinson, concludes:
The connection between Winner and Axelrod calls into question the matter of the Obama campaign’s culpability in the smear video tactic.
Again, if you have not already read The JAWA Report, please do. As well, see my original post on the topic: Obama, Axelrod, and Smears.
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I don’t think this is going to get the press it deserves because it would hurt The One…Just like Biden gaffs …he is famous for them but now I think he is lying and getting away with it because they just say oh another gaff from Biden..
http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/09/24/biden-fact-check-no-us-diplomats-in-tehran/
My point is these people don’t check facts so Biden and Obama can lie all they want because the MSM won’t call them on it…and people go home believing Bush followed Obama’s lead…it didn’t happen.
Can anyone tell me why McCain is pussing out of the debate tomorrow?
Is he unable to multi-task?
Did he not get the necessary photo-ops on Capitol Hill today?
Does he not trust Palin to run anything on a national level in his absence?
Do you understand what it’s meant to put your country first?
He is putting his country first.
Deluded.
By “pussing out” do you mean stepping in and slowing down the gravy bailout train that would give ACORN $100 million dollars in funding?
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/25/kill-the-bailout-more-acorn-funding/#comments
Good. I want that gravy train derailed in a hurry.
They want to give ACORN 100 million? Someone better step up and say I DON’T THINK SO! What kind of drugs are these people using?
Baracrack. Acorn is the Dems community army & do their bidding like obedient little trolls. The Republicans better put a stop to this, for their own interests, if not for the countries.
I think you really mean, why has OBAMA “pussed out” every time McCain has asked him to debate in a town hall forum. Yes, didn’t OBAMA say he would debate McCain anytime and anywhere? Why yes he did! The only person who can’t do more than two things at a time is OBAMA. Fuck, the guy has been sequestered away for the past three days cramming like a school boy for his big TEST. Now he has to figure out how he can sneak his teleprompter in for the “TEST.”
OBAMA is a 0
I think Jill is really a Jack…
Jill is an Ahmad
McCain put the country’s problem first. Obama had to be INVITED by Bush to come back to Washington.
it’s clear that McCain is willing to lose an election instead of the economy, while Obama would rather win the election while the economy goes down the drain.
For Obama the economy going down the drain now just means one less thing he will have to ruin if he gets in office.
We are trying to figure out why Obama refused to have frequent townhall debates with McCain then prefers to hide in a debate when a real crisis comes. What can we expect from Obama if we have another terrorist attack? We won’t find him since he will prefer to multi-task by playing basketball then taking a drag on a cigarette.
Because we’re losing banks and other financial institutions at the rate of one a day right now, and the difference between passing the right plan and the wrong one is hundreds of billions of dollars.
That’s right, Jill. The Senator who’s been in office since the year 1 and who has asked for 40 debates so far is afraid to take on the guy who’s not even been in the Senate one term.
You mean McCain, the war hero who survived 5 years of torture is AFRAID OF OBAMA?! LOL! You bots are unbelievably deluded.
Remind me again: WHO was the candidate who refused the invitation to do Town Halls all over the country because he can’t function without a script and a teleprompter?
You embarrass yourself.
Let me get this straight … For the past four months Barack Obama has been ducking John McCain after promising to debate him “any time, anywhere”.
So, now it’s McCain that’s all of a sudden afraid to debate Obama?
Nice try, sugar, but no dice. McCain is simply discharging his respoisibilities as an elected Senator and putting his duties as the leader of one of the nation’s two major political parties ahead of his own personal interests.
Simply put, it’s called “character.” If you had any of your own, you’d understand that.
I told you guys, the conservatives greatest fears about McCain would be that he won’t be aggressive enough against the Marxists and possibly not even realize the extent of the unscrupulousness of Omarxa.
I told you guys a while ago, the conservatives greatest fears about McCain would be that he won’t be aggressive enough against the Marxists and possibly not even realize the extent of the unscrupulousness of Omarxa.
I betcha Bill and Hill have clued him in a bit – especially Bill…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0TS2yUjGUQ
Yeah, John has too much integrity…
Karl Rove had Obama’s number a long time ago. He’s a punk. They’re toying with him.
Yawn. More “investigative reports” that will lead to nothing. Still no call to action for your supposedly large readership to go out and actually do something to make sure Obama is not elected – you know, canvass for McCain, make calls, heck even just visibility on a street corner.
Disappointing.
What is your point?
Yawn. More deluded bot talk.
If it’s such a yawn, why are you here?
Why do you assume no one is out working for McCain?
Your assumptions are assinine.
This is a blog. People do whatever they want, and many have donated time and money to McCain’s campaign. Others have not. Do you yawn, because there’s no oxygen going to your shriveled brain.
Forgot the “?”
A/C 360:
Comment like that is the reason why democrats will lose big time.
Clearly this will hurt the Democrats, because anyone can see that Bush is a low functioning moron.
excellent analysis, matthew weaver. obama has disgraced the democratic party. once obama loses, I am confident that the democratic party will rise again. obamacrats will become old news.
Obama (and Obamacrats) has disgraced the Human race for reasons having nothing whatever to do with skin colour.
I just received a couple of nasty emails because I was complaining, on my blog,about how vile we (Democrats) have become. A commenter posted that we had to fight fire with fire and I responded that the citizens of Los Alamos might see that differently as would any people like me who live deep in the forest. If you fight fire with fire, you run the risk of burning everything down. I want my party back near the high road at least. We have lost elections not because we weren’t dirty enough but because we picked positions that the majority of the people don’t support. You can get people to support you even if they don’t agree with you if you demonstrate you have PRINCIPLES. (Puma anyone?)
The Democratic Party’s principles now seem to be just like the neocons. We will say or do anything if we think it will get us elected.
And that is a losing position.
Dear Senator Obama,
I understand you’re concerned about the possibility of postponing one debate. Okay, Senator Obama, to make up for missing this one debate because the financial stability of our country is in peril, how about YOU AGREE RIGHT NOW to 10 Town Hall Debates, taking questions from real American voters?
You pick the times and places for each of the ten.
I’m waiting for your answer.
Sincerely,
John McCain
44th President of the United States
It’s McCain that’s ducking a debate, not Obama. It’ll be interesting to see if Palin dodges hers.
McCain needs a multi-hundred point drop on the stock market tomorrow. It would help focus fear on a single big issue, so he could sell himself as the solution. Bush had 9/11 and the trumped up fear of imminent acts of domestic terrorism.
Maybe McCain needs a color-coded economic threat-alert chart that could be bumped from yellow to orange to red as he slides in the polls.
cynic
why do you think Gov Palin does not want to debate?
Learn about the real Gov Palin & what she has accomplished in Alaska
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt6VzuseI30
Now,
Learn about the real Sen Obama and what he has accomplished in Chicago
Watch this chilling video.
Dear Mr. Obama: Who Are You?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16aBNduAyQ4
This video is based 100 % on easily verifiable facts.
http://vodpod.com/watch/857180-why-chicagoans-are-against-obama
Nearly 125 Shot Dead In Chicago Over Summer (2008)
http://cbs4denver.com/national/chicago.summer.shootings.2.810882.html
Sen Obama’s ACTUAL Legislative Accomplishments:
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/The_Obama_Craze_Count_Me_Out_5413.html
For those who are interested, here is the video of a recent McCain/Palin rally (9.19.08) in Blaine, MN:
Palin Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjZxP2OySk
Palin Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jEowjcqLX4
McCain Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtMtY4ZQQOY
McCain Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq8m1WopnpM
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h9QcAwtQU_RJO9vrZGQr7XQF0hrQD93DKI600
MODERATOR! Please give the vile troll on this (and the last) thread his walking papers. Thanks!
Annie,
The First Amendment is something we try to support here so unless the troll is over the top, we do not repress speech.
That’s for the other side to do. We win every argument with the truth and the asshats who troll here only act like ants at a picnic at our permission.
Just insult ‘em, argue with them or ignore them. They sell our position better with every whining complaint.
regards
Zeke, his stuff was taken off. Did you see it? He was disgusting. And I did not engage him by the way. I’ve been posting here for months now & I enjoy the free speech and the salty diatribe.
Good article Matthew. The astroturfing is digusting and slimy. I saw the McCain cancer smear earlier and that’s just sick and vile. It also has Oscumbags fingerprints on it. Oh for the days when the MSM actually reported the sources of ads like that and/or refused to run the ad in the first place.
These trolls are really fantastic representatives for their messiah, aren’t they? Everytime they open their stupid mouths, more Dems & Indies defect to McCain. Is Sluggy Bob one of those “more educated” Barky supporters that the media keeps talking about? Enjoy your ban troll.
bob’ll have more time freed up for sledding
Maybe karma will get him & he’ll sled into a tree. Karma will get him one way or another.
the BOBOweenie’s are especially frantic tonight. They could use some refreshing sledding to clear there po widdle heads.
Well, the pollster John Zogby came out today & said that if Barky can’t do something to get voters to connect with him, he thinks McCain might win in a landslide. It was worded strangely (typical for pollsters, no?)
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20080925/NEWS01/80925009/1002/NEWS
One year ago I couldn’t see how the democrats could lose. But now the answer is plain as day: Barack Obama. And if it was anybody but John McCain running against him, that possibility might actually bother me. But it doesn’t. Even in the primaries BOBO lost the voters who decided in the last days of the election. Correct me if I’m wrong but the undecideds still number in the double digit percentiles….and time is running out.
Despite the books Obama has written, Americans are still asking, “Who are you, where are you from?,” Zogby said.
Could that be because the books are FICTION??
here’s an email I just got from a conservative friend of mine — quotes from Obama’s books:
From Dreams of My Father:
‘I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.’
From Dreams of My Father :
‘I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s race.’
From Dreams of My Father:
‘There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.’
From Dreams of My Father:
‘It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.’
From Dreams of My Father:
‘I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa , that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself , the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.’
And FINALLY the Most Damning one of ALL of them!!!
From Audacity of Hope:
‘I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.’
The reality is that Obama’s father was a drunken, spouse abusing bum. The reality is that Obama is a racist.
Interesting that he should believe that he can “segregate” himself. The reality of his existence is that he is half black and half white. And no amount of scrubbing will remove either.
Seems to me the words of someone with a great deal of inner turmoil, who’s never resolved those personal issues.
Yeah, and Obama can resolve those issues somewhere far from the presidency. America doesn’t need a someone in the midst of an identity crisis.
I swear, the conservatives sending out that email haven’t even read the book. Because had they read the book, they’d know that there are much better, juicy anti-white and anti-American quotes in there.
Like how his namesake (Hussein Obama, grandpa in Africa) disapproved of Barack Sr. and Stanley Ann’s marriage because he “didn’t want a white woman sullying Obama blood”. Obama didn’t bat an eye after his mother told him that, yet Obama goes on for three pages about black self esteem after telling the story of a woman “friend” of his who dared wear blue eye contacts (she was black). It was his friggin’ blue eyed devils moment, people.
Not to mention the part of the book where he writes down part of Jeremiah Wright’s “Audacity of Hope” sermon where Wright SAYS that black people are suffering in a world of “white folk’s greed”. Which would put a complete cap on any of Obama’s stupid “I didn’t know he was racist! I didn’t hear him say anything against white people!” bullllshit.
Deadhead Bob gets paid with Obama crack.
sledgeman slob sez…
who needs coke when you got baking soda?
I’m surprised people are not turned off by Obama yet, his campaign is the absolute worst campaign of all time bar none. McCain should be 30 points ahead of this moron. We are experiencing racism at its worst.
And biased polling at its worst, too.
I thought it was hysterical that Obama addressed the press today and criticized the horrible bankruptcy bill that hurts the little guy who owns only one home.
Hysterical because his running mate Joe Biden voted FOR that bill against his own party.
Why?
Because Joe is beholden the the Delaware credit card companies who essentially wrote that horrible bill.
Yet no one in the press said — “Excuse me Senator Obama, you critcize the bankruptcy bill yet your running mate was its biggest cheerleader.”
Not one beltway reporter pointed this out to Obama.
Someone should make an ad out of that one.
“Obama’s running mate voted for the bankruptcy bill that enables credit card companies to take homes away from hard-working Americans who have fallen on hard times.”
Susan:
“Obama’s running mate voted for the bankruptcy bill that enables credit card companies to take homes away from hard-working Americans who have fallen on hard times.”
ROTFLMFAO!!!
The polls are way scewed for one simple reason. The amount of cell phones vs land based phones is like 10 times.
Young people own more phones and are more likely to answer a call they don’t know.
Don’t believe me, watch come election day. I bet Obama loses by at least 10%.
Forgive me for dreaming, but I’d love it to be, oh, 100%?
McCain/Palin ‘08
That’s about where it would go if one accepts Bill Clinton’s estimate of the percentage of sway voters.
Since we no longer have a free press that reports the news and have instead media propaganda does that mean that the MSM will no longer be protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution?
http://www.againstobama.com/2008/09/will-hillary-clinton-replace-joe-biden-on-obama-ticket/
Check this out. Some body let the dnc know that they only way i will vote for this ticket is if hillary is at the top. Otherwise, no deal. This country needs an effective leader, not a large behind ego running it.
Hillary will never be at the top of that ticket. The party left her. Unfortunately.
They have a very cool humor section there!
Matthew-
Excellent article.
I am cross-posting this.
Thanks!
Excellent article! Very impressive! It is this type of mature serious investigative journalism that contributes to the image of NQ. Bravo!
ACORN – this is just the beginning of Obama’s dirty tactics.
Somewhat OT but please look at this. It’s the Amazon page for a very good book on what’s happening in America.
Amazon: The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality
Now I don’t ask you to agree with the author (or me). And I don’t ask you to disagree either. But what I do ask you to do is check the responses. After a glowing (or at least positive) review by Amazon we drop down to the mosh pit. 458 people have rated the book 5 stars; 669 have rated it the lowest possible, 1 star. Almost no one rates the book in between, 2-4 stars. Talk about polarized – and it’s highly suspect. To me that’s a lot of interest in a book I suspect most of them haven’t read.
Now let’s look at the tag words these people have associated with the book.
Astroturfing, anyone?
http://www.kmov.com/video/index.html?nvid=285793&shu=1
In Missouri, the Obama campaign have enlisted state officials and law enforcement to “target” people who air false and misleading ads.
I don’t see how he can make such a request, and I don’t see why they would be willing to comply.
Are they also planning to “target” the false and misleading ads that are ran against McCain/Palin?
This is just so much more BS.
Anyone seen the latest PAC smear of McCain? The one that shows McCain’s face after melanoma surgery with snips of doctors implying that McCain is dying of cancer. Guess who is credited with the ad? Robert Greenwald and JAMES DEAN, THE BROTHER OF HOWARD DEAN. Tell me that is not a coincidence.
Besides the astroturfing of the Palin smear and the prior “1984″ one, the viral story about “the war room” edited falsely to include slurs against Indiana during that primary was a nasty tactic.
The original film had nothing of the sort and the story spread all over by that time. The correction came from the original director, but the type of damage done by those smears is certain.
We saw the networks astroturfing the “Hillary already dropped out” story ALL DAY LONG on more than one primary day. Her office issued statements to say she did not drop out and will not but they were still reporting it with scrolling headlines on all the news channels. Voter suppression by the MSM was one of the many things that infuriated me this year.
I wrote and called the networks airing the lies on those days and told them they were hideous and that we would not forget they tampered with an election.
They were given astroturf by the ob campaign and they shockingly aided and abetted the thugs.
Never forget, hold them responsible.