Video: Michelle on astroturfing and the alleged Obama sockpuppet ad
posted at 11:42 am on September 24, 2008 by Allahpundit
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There’s only one news network that’s going to touch this story, so here’s the first (and probably last) touch. We neglected to link Ethan Winner’s statement the other day admitting responsibility for the video and denying any connection to the Obama campaign, so scroll down to the end of Rusty’s post and read it there now. The boss is right about Axelrod having done business with the Winner firm in the past — the distant past, as in 12 years ago. Would he really call on them again now? He might if he knew what big fans they are of Barack Obama.
I have two mutually contradictory questions: (1) If it’s all part of a furtive faux-grassroots astroturf campaign designed to scrub Winner’s (and, by extension, Axelrod’s) fingerprints from the ad, what was this moron doing uploading it to a YouTube account named “eswinner”? And (2) If it’s not all part of a furtive faux-grassroots astroturf campaign, why wouldn’t Winner avail himself of the professional PR apparatus at his fingerprints to circulate the spot? He’s obviously untroubled by the fact that the clip smears Palin or else he wouldn’t be standing by it now. Why the whispers-and-sockpuppets approach when he could have blasted out press releases and e-mailed the clip to people like Marc Ambinder, Jake Tapper, and Politico to inject it into the media’s bloodstream?
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Not the last. O’Rielly’s preview for tonight included a blip about this, so he’s going to be talking about it. Prolly will have Michelle on, I’d assume.
Enoxo on September 24, 2008 at 11:47 AM
She touches nothing that she does not adorn.
ManlyRash on September 24, 2008 at 11:47 AM
There are many many videos that get posted every day. The idea that someone would spend the time to research and call him out about posting it probably never even really crossed his mind.
Just because you use technology, it does not mean that you understand the ramifications of that technology, especially about the amount of information that can be found today by a single “bloodhound” who is on your trail.
Romeo13 on September 24, 2008 at 11:48 AM
The first quote answers the second.
Jim Treacher on September 24, 2008 at 11:48 AM
I always thought “astroturfing” is what one does in the back of an El Camino.
GT on September 24, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Isn’t the whole point of an astroturfing campaign to make it look like it came from non-partisan people? If he used his firm to inject it into the news stream it wouldn’t have that effect. It would just look like another 527ish ad. Posting it on YouTube and using dkos to make it go viral accopmlishes everything they want it to while making it look like average Americans are turned off by Palin, no?
The only thing that doesn’t add up is, why use your last name in the YouTube account.
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Here.
Jim Treacher on September 24, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Your site’s a daily read. You need to post more, not pimp for traffic in the comments section.
;)
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Hmm, that first wink looks like the guy’s head just got hit with a hammer.
Let’s try this. ; )
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 11:54 AM
But I LIKE Pimping out Jim! :P
upinak on September 24, 2008 at 11:54 AM
I was going to say something to that effect..
beat me to it..
DaveC on September 24, 2008 at 11:54 AM
#1 Eswinner, like everyone else is a creature of habit, add a dash of Democratic “I’m smarter than you”.
#2 You answered your own question.
Why wouldn’t Axelrod go to an old DEMOCRATIC friend. If it blows up, hey, there’s 12 YEARS of distance between them.
GarandFan on September 24, 2008 at 11:58 AM
No, that “asstroturfing”.
srhoades on September 24, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Because he’s a liberal dipstick?
AubieJon on September 24, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I’m just talking about stuff that interests me. ;)
Jim Treacher on September 24, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Oh, and all requests for more posts that are not accompanied by cash donations will be ignored.
Jim Treacher on September 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM
you also need to tease that this video as Megyn in it too.
jstueve on September 24, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Oh, and all requests for more posts that are not accompanied by cash donations will be ignored.
Jim Treacher on September 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM
You know what happens when you ASS|U|ME.
I don’t think Michelle will be back on BoR until he admits Geraldo’s an @$$#0!3.
The Monster on September 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM
This reeks to high heaven,talk about paid
political mercenaries,or using a ghost group
which doesn’t exist to smear,lie and outright
mislead!!
This is dirty,dirty,filthy politics!
How low will the Liberals go!!
canopfor on September 24, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Then why pull it when it’s getting traffic?
andycanuck on September 24, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Michelle you rock.
My mom is a big fan of yours
Keep up the good work.
We need to push Ayers, Columbia transcripts and who may have paid for Obamas Harvard Tuition
Robyn S on September 24, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Ethan Winner and his father Charles both left sock puppet messages at YouTube, as did Jared Liu Klein (aka stckyfngz) at DU. Liu Klein represented our old friend Valerie Plame for Winner & Associates.
Maybe stupidity is hereditary and contagious. But it’s no cover for the launch of a deliberately deceptive political ad days after its premise had been proven false, followed by coordinated actions by Winner & Associates to make it go viral.
Terrie on September 24, 2008 at 12:15 PM
This photo of Mr. Winner says it all – he looks cocky. Also, these Obamanauts are proud to be associated with a smear on the McCain/Palin team which actually makes national tv. Good job Rusty, Ace and Michelle (and everyone else who was involved). Also someone should note that ESWinner’s You Tube account was closed within 15 minutes of the posting of the Jawa Report – hardly time to get a bunch of hate mail. Further, I was monitoring this and by the time the video was yanked, there weren’t even that many comments on You Tube.
HawaiiLwyr on September 24, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Agreed. No other network will touch the astroturfing story. Jawa did great work here. Alternative media is alternative for a reason. Win or lose, the mainstream media is a loser here because they are losing credibility. What is an underreported story is how far the alternative media has risen to meet the market for news consumers. Specifically, if Larry King and Jon Liebowitz of the Daily Show get 5 million viewers each day and Drudge now gets about 27 million unique visitors each day, which one is to be considered alternative?
Angry Dumbo on September 24, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Make sure you keep the end of that clip where he says biden dropping out on Octiber 5th is bunk. I’ll wager he has to admit he got that one wrong.
peacenprosperity on September 24, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Can you imagine if this was done by some Republican consultant who had worked on some campaign with Karl Rove 12 years ago? Nonstop coverage and insinuations.
BuzzCrutcher on September 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM
mmmmm…..hanging effigies of Barry, racist graffiti, anyone else wondering if this is some sort of effort by Obama supporters to play the racist card?
moxie_neanderthal on September 24, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Since congress has castrated the FEC they can pretty much do as they please. And there will just be an escalation of such behavior as the Obamas, Axelrods and Winners of the world realize no one is minding the store.
snaggletoothie on September 24, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Wonder if this Winner group is funded by Soros.. Follow the $$$…
reshas1 on September 24, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Not bloodly likely.
fourstringfuror on September 24, 2008 at 12:41 PM
“why was she addressing the group?”
“uhh she did a lot of things as a public official”.
crr6 on September 24, 2008 at 12:43 PM
Her loss.
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 1:13 PM
“Why did Obama attend the racist church and conveniently not hear any anti-American, ‘black liberation theology’ rants from his bigoted pastor.”
“uhh he never bought the dvd that was sold in the lobby on the way out”
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 1:15 PM
One remarkable fact to consider:
Anyone remember the fabulously popular “1984/Apple” grassroots video that painted Hillary! as the Big Brother totalitarian?
The MSM discovered that video was produced by a PR firm with ties to Obama.
When it was brought to light the individual responsible claimed that he did it all on his own, Obama had nothing to do with it…
The exact same thing has happened twice with the same campaign, from start to finish the scenario is exactly the same.
Just a weird coincidence, I’m sure.
Dorvillian on September 24, 2008 at 1:16 PM
“…inject it into the media’s bloodstream…”
Nice metaphor.
Answers one & two: It doesn’t matter ’cause they just don’t care. Oh, there’s a little conscience & credibility left on the Left (precious little), so there might be some tap dancing, but the general public just doesn’t care.
Hence, “There’s only one news network that’s going to touch this story…”
Perception is most people’s reality, and sound bites are most people’s perception.
locomotivebreath1901 on September 24, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Malkin jumped the shark a long time ago. One trick pony, and an irrelevant dogmatic ideologue with nothing original or interesting to say.
dakine on September 24, 2008 at 3:23 PM
That’s a little harsh, dakine. Of course some people believe in a few issues more strongly than others. Especially when they spent the time researching certain subjects, and see daily examples of what they believe to be affecting us.
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 4:48 PM
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