You don’t say: Chief Obama advisor Axelrod known as the “master of Astroturfing”
posted at 8:09 pm on September 8, 2008 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Courtesy of Jim Treacher, your fun fact of the day. Consider it a gloss on The One’s befuddlement as to why McCain would think to hold him and his campaign responsible for the more obnoxious anti-Palin excrescences of the left. I was going to bring up the Townhouse thing but Ace already beat me to that, so by way of value added I’ll simply remind you that the nutroots have always had a cozier relationship with their party leadership than the righty blogosphere has, right down to tools like Harry Reid and Dick Durbin pandering at the same site chiefly responsible for spreading the “Bristol is Trig’s real mom” smear.
The chief argument against Jim’s insinuation? There’s simply too much crap about Palin of too many stripes floating around to suggest a guiding hand. See, e.g., FactCheck.org’s new post debunking seriatim some of the choicer smears, with a promise of more to come once they rest and regroup. Such is the volume of dirt that they can’t scrub it all at one sitting. Exit question: Why would Axelrod need to stir the pot? Does anyone doubt that the forces of Progress are ready, willing, and able to do this all on their own?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »
A week ago I didn’t know what Astroturfing was… It sounded vaguely ghey-perverted so I didn’t try too hard to learn the definition. Then Treach called out Kos on it, so I had to look it up.
Turns out I was right.
innominatus on September 8, 2008 at 8:15 PM
I’m more interested in how generally stupid and incompetent Axelrod is as a strategist.
rockmom on September 8, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Axelrod…the “man behind the curtain”…..
Ozprey on September 8, 2008 at 8:18 PM
I just can’t give Obama’s campaign enough credit to orchestrate such a devious smear plan. It’s just random lefty wacko vitriol.
m064404 on September 8, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Turns out I was right.
innominatus on September 8, 2008 at 8:15 PM
OK, I guess I don’t get it, so please enlighten me/us.
Bambi on September 8, 2008 at 8:19 PM
Ha. Great line by Treacher.
Spirit of 1776 on September 8, 2008 at 8:20 PM
Hey Ax…..you’re made.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 8:21 PM
For some reason, i wouldn’t be surprised to find that Ron Paul used Axelrod’s group for astrturfing either.
lorien1973 on September 8, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Please, someone link to Ace, so I know what you’re talking about.
Bambi on September 8, 2008 at 8:21 PM
No, he’s the puppeteer whose hand is up the a$$.
NeighborhoodCatLady on September 8, 2008 at 8:22 PM
Obama can’t stay on message and his campaign has to take some responsibility for that. The more Palin gets trashed by the Left, the more it hurts Obama. Obama and his key people are smart enough to realize it.
The problem is that they have no control over the Left. This is one major reason why they will manage to lose an election that they had in the bag. The media, the low Bush numbers, and Obama’s personality.
grdred944 on September 8, 2008 at 8:23 PM
Axelrod, he’s just like Rove without the brains or the good looks.
Maxx on September 8, 2008 at 8:23 PM
David Axelrod wants to be the Chicago Democratic Political Machine’s answer to Karl Rove.
The problem is that in the course of his pursuit to becoming a Kingmaker, he has had a couple major snafus.
Example: Our current bozobucket assclown Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. This guy has managed to bring the state to the brink of financial meltdown, plus has more connections to convicted political financier Tony Rezko than B.O. He is also under investigation by the Feds for various naughty things and the odds are he will most likely be eventually winding up going where a lot of Illinois politicians seem to wind up these daysl namely prison.
Blagojevich got into office primarily through the skills of David Axelrod.
Now David wants to go one better, by giving the Nation four straight years of B.O.
Yes, it does stink, doesn’t it?
pilamaye on September 8, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Ace = Ace of Spades blog
William Amos on September 8, 2008 at 8:26 PM
Off subject, I am steaming Hugh Hewitt, who is playing clips of Olberman and Sen. Obama. THE MAN CAN NOT TALK!!! It is so annoying. Crybaby.
Cindy Munford on September 8, 2008 at 8:27 PM
Has anybody heard anything further about Rupert Murdoch making a run on the NYT? Personally, I can see the reasons why…its shares might very well have hit an all time low.
alwyr on September 8, 2008 at 8:28 PM
This is the new attack angle of the democrats
It Obama talking to a crowd in Michigan. Biden was in Wisconsin echoing the same theme that “McCain thinks that 3 Million dollars = Middle Class
William Amos on September 8, 2008 at 8:29 PM
test
carbon_footprint on September 8, 2008 at 8:34 PM
If you lean the history of the October Revolution, you’ll find out that Socialist Bolshevism basically equals to Astroturfing.
Power hungry sociopaths taking the mantle of “The People”. Sounds familiar?
Aristotle on September 8, 2008 at 8:36 PM
Insinuation? What insinuation? Just asking questions…
Jim Treacher on September 8, 2008 at 8:36 PM
I like Ace’s take on the Rasmussen poll numbers.
thekingtut on September 8, 2008 at 8:36 PM
maybe because Obama’s campaign now finds itself on the defensive? The rhetoric since the convention sure appears defensive to me. Leaves them less time to promote their own “platform”.
Ozprey on September 8, 2008 at 8:38 PM
That’s where my internal search engine went after reading AP’s headline. Axelrod’s version is decidedly different, but either way somebody’s getting screwed.
Terrie on September 8, 2008 at 8:40 PM
I’m hoping you dropped an R. Otherwise…. EWWWW.
highhopes on September 8, 2008 at 8:44 PM
Has anybody else heard about all of Axlerod’s frequent trips to Thailand, with huge amounts of cash? I’m just sayin’….
Star20 on September 8, 2008 at 8:45 PM
I thought Astroturfing is what you did in the back of your El Camino with your girlfriend.
.
GT on September 8, 2008 at 8:45 PM
Manufacturing grass roots support. Hmmmm. Looks like that worked just long enough to get Obama over the hump against Hillary, then the real story came out.
And if the KOS rumours were an attempt to stir up grassroots it backfired big time.
petunia on September 8, 2008 at 8:46 PM
Lord. i am loving this. Streisand will sing for an Obama fund raiser. Just like she did for Al Gore and John Kerry.
Obama is doomed!
Kat_Mo on September 8, 2008 at 8:46 PM
CNN’s new scandal.
Palin goes to church. Prayed for a pipeline.
CanadianGuy on September 8, 2008 at 8:47 PM
He could move that astroturf off his lip onto his bald head for starters.
Tony Soprano on September 8, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Yeah in essence Ed, Allah Astroturfing would be if Jim Treacher and I had created you guys, the website, Ace’s, blackfive, and PJM to generate buzz on counternarrative.
Say Drywall was running for office against Ralphie who hires me. In order to have the media report on auras to my liking I have these sock puppets yelling from the rafters…all fake but a small staff to blitz talk radio and web board about how genius Ralph’s outhouse surveillance initiative is compared to Drywall’s Canadian Cod manufacturing. At some poiny the newsies bite and report on the fake noise, a particularly well run operation eventually generates real noise to go along with the sock puppets.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 8:50 PM
CNN is reporting that old non-news as a new scandal? Maybe they were assigned by the Obama campaign to pick up the slack for MSNBC.
econavenger on September 8, 2008 at 8:50 PM
The Clintons were brazen, but even they weren’t as brazen as these clowns. Everything about Obambi is a carefully crafted charade. We cannot allow Axelrod’s puppet to become POTUS or we may never see another reasonably honest election campaign. Astroturfing is unethical in the private sector; it’s dangerous in the public sector.
flyfisher on September 8, 2008 at 8:50 PM
Rush Limbaugh said last week:
Thug politics = Axelrod
He has that warm, fuzzy thug look going on, too. IMO.
tru2tx on September 8, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Please, for the sake of the dyslexic here, never put the words
Obama, hump and Hillary in the same sentence
Thanks,
Us
Tony Soprano on September 8, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Me thinks,that the Liberal defintion
of ‘Astro Turfing”,kinda sounds a bit
romantic,like Code Pinko pillow fight
that gets out of hand so to speak,and
spills over into Nancy’s chamber and
morph’s into a pinning the tail on the
Palomino Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liberal Democratic Debauchery gone
stupid wild!!!
And during a Presidential election,too!!
canopfor on September 8, 2008 at 8:56 PM
Who’s not to say that Axelrod isn’t ArcXIX?
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on September 8, 2008 at 8:57 PM
I just caught that too. Notice that they mention that she went to a non-denominational church and a Pentecostal Church. Then process to ignore the non-denominational church and do everything possible to suggest she speaks in tongues and believes in faith healing. Of course, she left that church in 2002, but why deal with that when you can promote internet smears.
CNN- All Palin smears, all the time
Is there anyone in Atlanta that can just burn the place down?
Damiano on September 8, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Tony Soprano on September 8, 2008 at 8:53 PM
LOL
tru2tx on September 8, 2008 at 9:05 PM
Astroturfing? So, that is the term used to define what I described on another post citing the Kerry/Edwards’ rally in this town in ‘04.
Now it makes sense. Makes sense of the painfully choreographed nature of the most recent Obama campaign stops, as well.
Damn, I learned me something at Hot Air… :-)
[Ok, I've learned a hell of a lot here at Hot Air, and over at CQ back in the day. Still have a lot to learn. Old dog. New tricks.]
coldwarrior on September 8, 2008 at 9:05 PM
He looks and acts weird and dubious, as if he’s perpetually hiding something, and deserves to lose for that alone.
Entelechy on September 8, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Is there anyone in Atlanta that can just burn the place down?
Damiano on September 8, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Any Sherman relatives still around?
coldwarrior on September 8, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Thanks Amos. OK Terrie – got it!
How have these 2 people ridden so high in this election? Is it the corrupt chicago politics? Listening and watching both of them I can’t understand it.
Bambi on September 8, 2008 at 9:08 PM
This has gone too far now. Screw em. Steve Schmidt needs to lock and load for the next 60 days.
Don’t just question Obama’s patriotism. Question his manhood. Question why he seems to be a puppet of his wife. Question his Saudi-funded mystery college days. Question his ties to terrorist friends. Question his fake Christianity. Question why he enjoys disrespecting prominent white women in our society while constantly crying about not getting respect as a minority. Yeah, go there. It’s a BIG problem with him.
econavenger on September 8, 2008 at 9:10 PM
Axelrod has probably spent the last few days asking, “What is this Schmidt?”
coldwarrior on September 8, 2008 at 9:11 PM
yes I believe it is a coordinated effort in some fashion from obama’s campaign.
theguardianii on September 8, 2008 at 9:12 PM
Yes I think in some fashion Obama’s Campaign has its tentacles involved in the smearing of Palin
theguardianii on September 8, 2008 at 9:14 PM
test
theguardianii on September 8, 2008 at 9:14 PM
I’m still searching for the Newt clip.He says the
MSM are going to launch an all out war against Sarah
Palin.
Heres a testy exchange with a reporter over Palin!
Newt Gingrich Slams Media on Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nBdH7emDjO
canopfor on September 8, 2008 at 9:17 PM
canopfor, the vid is not available…this from the convention or more recent?
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Ugh,video snafu.
canopfor on September 8, 2008 at 9:18 PM
I do not believe anyone who has said that Axlerod was arrested for soliciting in a Denver airport restroom. We HAVE to stop these rumors!
Star20 on September 8, 2008 at 9:20 PM
Is Charley James part of this Axelrod network?
Haunchie on September 8, 2008 at 9:22 PM
No, what axelrod did was solicit a whore and then get blackmailed seems the moll was not satidified with 300 an hour and wanted 50g quick.
<a href=”risque pics of Tiffany…
Maybe he is a friend of Spitzer?
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Not as big a problem as not being taken seriously.
Jim Treacher on September 8, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Fixed it for ‘ya Auric, if you’re reading HA……….
Seven Percent Solution on September 8, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Flashback, to an earlier story about Axelrod’s astroturfing from Captain Ed himself, only it wasn’t called astroturfing, it was called “lobbying”.
Buy Danish on September 8, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Heh…true. Mocking his outrageous and unwise “messiah gambit” is still working for now.
I’d like to see him get crushed though so the GOP can ride Palin’s coattails. If only we could avoid our own blowback.
econavenger on September 8, 2008 at 9:31 PM
This explains why the Obama campaign needed a web site to “fight the smears.”
eigafan on September 8, 2008 at 9:32 PM
sven,
Well, at least he didn’t do anything REALLY sick, like have children, join the PTA and straighten out city and state government!
Besides the rumor CAN’T be true. It is obvious that Axlerod
wouldn’t have to PAY a woman to be with him!is simply a fun loving red blooded Democrat!Star20 on September 8, 2008 at 9:32 PM
win or lose the GOP needs to invest in some plumbers.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:32 PM
Don’t just question Obama’s patriotism. Question his manhood. Question why he seems to be a puppet of his wife.
Americans, Republicans, and some liberals are better than that. Defeat Obama means instead of the slander, smear, and innuendo route of liberals and Democrats. GWB lost votes in the weekend before the 2000 election because liberals sent out just enough about an inconsequential DUI incident from decades before to sway voters. I like to think conservatives and Republicans are better than that kind of dirty politics.
McCain also tried this tactic in 2000 against GWB and it bit him in the butt- a grudge against the party he still holds today when it comes to evangelicals and social conservatives. I would think the seven decades of experience has taught cranky old bastard that voters don’t like scorched earth campaigns. I would also hope that McCain has tempered his loathing of real Republicans after all this time but that is far much to ask from somebody like McCain. He doesn’t take well to people challenging his statements. He much prefers sheeple.
highhopes on September 8, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Hey I’m just glad he told the cop he booked her for a few hours….either I miss my guess or he was reading her poetry for an hour and 3/4s…..
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:33 PM
canopfor video…
sven10077 on Sept 8,2008 at 9:18PM.
sven10077: Sven,I believe it was either at the convention,
or shortly thereafter,that Newt was talking to
the media!
And in light of the threat that Palin means to
the left,I remember Newt saying that the Left
will go to war on Palin!
And those were the words I remember,’go to war
on Palin’,because at that time I ‘rolled my eyes’
thinking oh ya,won’t go to war in Iraq,but de
clare war on Palin!:):)
canopfor on September 8, 2008 at 9:34 PM
I can see their method of attack coming. They have started whining about her not having anything to do with the stopping of the bridge to nowhere.
Then these dirty lying tricksters are trying to soil Palin’s record by having their cronies in change the records in the state of her doing just that. Their current avenue of attack : She is a lair
Alaska Democratic Party Deletes Pahttp://littlegreenfootballs.com/article
titus_pullo on September 8, 2008 at 9:38 PM
I think that Smoking Gun is about Bob Beckel. Couldn’t find Axelrod anywhere in it.
Tony Soprano on September 8, 2008 at 9:39 PM
OMG! NO! Not the final, final, finale, good-by, final, toodleooo, see ya, last time, final, never again tour?
91Veteran on September 8, 2008 at 9:40 PM
I hope the RNC or the McCain campaign is already wise to this. They and their friends are going to use this crap over the next few days
titus_pullo on September 8, 2008 at 9:40 PM
canopfor on September 8, 2008 at 9:34 PM –
War?
70 million Democrats against one mom from Alaska?
I’d suspect Governor Palin likes those odds.
coldwarrior on September 8, 2008 at 9:42 PM
He looks like Rezko’s brother. As for Axlerod, I thought he also worked for Cankles when she and Bubba were defiling the White House….maybe I’m thinking of someone else, there were so many.
91Veteran on September 8, 2008 at 9:44 PM
According to Drudge:
Terrie on September 8, 2008 at 9:46 PM
is it….yeah it is my mistake…..man even creepier then….wait one
grabbed the wrong link and meme….
Ax is talking to Billy…
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:49 PM
I know he worked for Spitzer…
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 9:49 PM
For what it’s worth ..
I live in the district of the alderman quoted .. brendan reilly .. and have met him.
Straight shooter and honest in a field which tends to run the other way.
If that’s his take on ASK and their practices, you can probably take it to the bank.
Wonder if this will get any real play …
cgoode777 on September 8, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Saw this creep on Fox News Sunday show.
First impression – didn’t I see him play one of the lead characters in “The Producers”, you know, the character who played that certain German leader in the play within the play?
Short haircut, peculiar little mustache, dreams of world domination, hint, hint, nudge, nudge.
fred5678 on September 8, 2008 at 9:51 PM
Here’s the big mystery. In order to start smearing her with all barrels blazing as fast as they did you would have to be very plugged in and super sure that the Obama campaign wanted it done. The campaign may have otherwise thought she was their dream wallflower opponent. Someone saw her as a huge threat though it looks like. Who is so key a player that they could know such a thing that quickly?
Was Palin intentionally left off the Obama website potential GOP VP list because she was the one they feared the most and wanted to influence the McCain people into thinking she was a ludicrous non-starter choice?
Also, women were already pissed about Obama’s disrespect of Hillary, but they aren’t stupid and they aren’t going to vote for just any woman just as VP. So why would allies bother smearing an unknown with the most bizarre stuff unless that was their job on orders from the top? They should think of her as a joke choice that sealed the win for Obama, right? Why push her out for Romney??
It only makes sense that Axelrod or (Michelle?) Obama determined this “nobody” was actually a mortal threat to Barack, and gave the green light to have her reputation destroyed.
econavenger on September 8, 2008 at 9:54 PM
The cadence and tone of this post is straight out of Kos. Moby?
obladioblada on September 8, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Now THATS an interesting link. I wonder when AP/Ed/MM are going to link to it?
91Veteran on September 8, 2008 at 10:11 PM
dunno I am tired and scrwed up conflating Ax and the guy who called Sarah “pig”…
I think they are trying to coach Billy for when Annenburg drops. They have to do something about Annenburg, it cannot be that the potnetially elected donk will enter under a cloud like this again I’d hope. Time’ll tell…it always does.
It seems to me that Barry is using Ax to contain fires…..if Ax is engaged in fire prevention something tells me there is movement soon to come on the Annenburg front.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Oh and this is why we need the RNC to employ plumbers. The donks have dirty tricks gurus and hatchet teams. Time to break out “the arsenal of democracy” on our end instead of just being a bit crafty.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 10:17 PM
The reason I say “need plumbers” is I don’t trust Larry Johnson if we had our own teams of people trailing DNC operatives we’d know more and not have to rely on the guy who runs false flag ops for HILLARY!
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Then he’d be a rug rat.
platypus on September 8, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Astroturfing = Community Organizing.
Connie on September 8, 2008 at 10:24 PM
I have to agree. A couple of things from the article you linked:
NOBODY does work like this, and let’s some nobody take over to run it. It’s like having your own baby, and letting the local crackhead babysit.
This was Ayers baby, and I suspect Obama was his hand-picked babysitter.
All of this is interesting as well. It didn’t really hit me until I read it.
Why DOESN’T Oblahblah tout his experience on this board?
91Veteran on September 8, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Astroturfing = using devious methods to manipulate public opinion to your client’s advantage, and charging big bucks to do it.
AZCoyote on September 8, 2008 at 10:29 PM
Axelrod looks like an butthole. He needs to realize America is not Chicago. When one lives in a bubble, one forgets that.
SouthernGent on September 8, 2008 at 10:30 PM
I’m remembering a slight problem with ACLU advertising on the Dkos site – and the fact that John Kerry’s Dkos UID is #52.
Connie on September 8, 2008 at 10:30 PM
I think I smell Fenton Communications in all of this:
The above from here from back on April 3, 2008.
crosspatch on September 8, 2008 at 10:36 PM
It would expose Obama’s lies about Ayers being “just a guy who lives in my neighborhood,” and it would expose Obama as an incompetent, race-obsessed Liberal who squandered $160 Million paying for useless crap like Juneteenth celebrations instead of necessary and desperately-needed improvements to Chicago’s public school system.
AZCoyote on September 8, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Via Treacher via Tim Blair:
Site uncovers identity of punk who started Palin smears:
http://kerfuffle.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/we-found-arcxix/
obladioblada on September 8, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Axelrod just oozes corruption. Just a matter of time until he gets caught.
carbon_footprint on September 8, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Obama’s just trying to scare people into sending him money, he’s a pathetic fool, why didn’t he just keep his word and take public financing?
If he’s such a good and gifted politician with such a wide appeal why does he need such a huge money advantage? AND the favorable media coverage? Sheesh, Obama such a weak sister on every level.
Chakra Hammer on September 8, 2008 at 11:05 PM
McCain is going into this contest with the press against him, with less money and he’s ahead in the polls.. What does that say?
Chakra Hammer on September 8, 2008 at 11:06 PM
crosspatch: Do you know how many of those organizations used to flood my mailbox at work and at home when I was teaching? I would bet that my address was sold to them via the NEA simply on the basis of how my name appeared on the solicitation envelopes.
onlineanalyst on September 8, 2008 at 11:17 PM
Is it me or does Axelrod looks like ‘Higgens’ from Magnum, PI..
DaveC on September 8, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Is it just me or does Axelrod resemble Hitler?
CCRWM on September 8, 2008 at 11:35 PM
onlineanalyst: And it is kind of insidious, though legal how they do it. They steer people to make donations to the Tides Foundation. With Tides, you can “earmark” your contribution to go to the other organizations they donate to, sort of like a Liberal version of the United Way. And then they pool everyone’s donations and make lump sum donations to the various groups. So if you look at any of those groups’ books, Tides shows up as the major donor but nobody can trace what organizations you earmarked your donations for or how much they were. It is basically “donation laundering” to prevent people from finding out who is supporting what.
So I could make a 100K donation to Tides earmarked for Code Pink and at the end of the quarter or whatever, they take all the Code Pink donations and cut one check. So one would see that Code Pink got, say $300,000 and Tides shows I donated $100,000 but you can’t find out WHO donated to Code Pink and how much because it is laundered through Tides.
crosspatch on September 9, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »