13rin
Member
+977|6765
Put on the tin foil hats cause it conspiracy time!  No?  Well, I'll wear one -it's warm and insulates my bald head...

Meet Ellie Light.

Apparently this 'person' has been getting identical letters to the editor published across the nation basically blowing the Prez.  Not one or two papers, but 42.  'She' has listed several different hometowns with respect to the print locations.  From San Fran to Philadelphia her letter has been published.   

So is she just an overzealous Obamite with nothing better to do?  Or is there perhaps a bit more politics at work?

One Theory is that this is a pr firm pumping health care.  If so, I wonder who they were hired by?  Hmmmm. 

Could it be possible that the news agencies were in conspiracy?  Nah...  Too many low paid ed's with a lot to gain for keeping journalistic integrity alive.  But if subscriptions are tanking - I've heard newspaper bailouts talked about before.  Can't very well write for a paper that is no longer in circulation.  Play ball just like the banks were forced into?

I think this is a Rhambo/Gibbs orchestration..  Guy mailed a dead fish to a political opponent.  Having his minions send out a letter is a cake walk compared to that.  Knowing how much the big O wants "free" health care for all, and watching how poll numbers are in a DNR state, why not take a shot at it?  It isn't like this administration has been caught lying to the public before, actually it's quite the norm.  So if this is linked be the WH... What then?  The admin just tried to dupe America.  Again.  A new low for the administration.  Honestly, this type of propaganda reminds me of Cuba or the USSR.

"Ellie" did share correspondence via e-mails denying any political backgrounds (linked above).  Below is the original propaganda. 

Ellie Light wrote:

A year ago, if we had read in the paper that employers were hiring again, health care legislation was proceeding without a bump, and Afghanistan was a nice place to take your kids, we would have known we were being lied to. We recognized that the problems Barack Obama inherited wouldn’t go away overnight.

During his campaign, Obama clearly said that an economy that took eight years to break couldn’t be fixed in a year, that Afghanistan was a graveyard of empires, and would not be an easy venture for us.

He didn’t feed us happy-talk. He never said America could solve our health care, economic and security problems without raising the deficit. He talked of hard choices, of government taking painful and contentious first steps toward fixing problems that can’t be left for another day.

After Obama’s election, we seemed to grasp this. We understood that companies would be happy to squeeze more work out of frightened employees, and would be slow to hire; that the banks that had extorted us out of billions of dollars, were lying when they said they would share their recovery; and that a national consensus on health care would not come easily. Candidate Obama never claimed that his proposed solutions would work flawlessly right out of the box, and we respected him for that.

Today the president is being attacked as if he were a salesman who promised us that our problems would wash off in the morning. He never made such a promise. Governing is hard work, and a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything.
And I'd like to address this piece of..  Opening, I'm telling the truth cause it didn't go my way and in my perfect world we'd have all those things (obama's ideology).  Inherited Overnight?  Well I guess he was a senator for a day or two but hell who's keeping track.  But Bush did it.

Actually the big O's campaign was to be out of Iraq and Afghanistan with gitmo closed.  He had the change we needed and was full of happy talk -transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility....All lies.  And the same public that ate it up was spoon fed 'ellie light'.  And more blaming Bush.

Demonizing corporations (whilst they are powerless to fight back) and arm twisting the banks into submission -typical ob maneuvers.  Capitalism is evil.  But remember the 'polls'?  Every one wanted health care?  No, everyone was fear mongered like the stimulus bill.  "Quick before they figure out what you're up to" -right?  Or what was it Rham said?  Never let a crisis go to waste?  Obama had plans?  No he didn't.  I didn't see the first one.  We respected him for jamming legislation through with out even a chance to review it?  Being attacked for not being able to fix it overnight?  He's the one who said "we're back from the edge."  He's the one who said "unemployment won't go over 8%."  He is being attacked because he's a fucking snake oil salesman.  His shit doesn't work and people are starting to realize it.

What did Pelosi call the 'tea party march' -astroturfers?   Please Nan, this is just sad.  Did Boxer help you with this letter?  Conflicting botox appointments prevented it?  2010 baby.  2010.

Welp, done with dinner and I need the foil for the leftovers.
I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something.  - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.
eleven bravo
Member
+1,399|5545|foggy bottom
I love you but I hate you
Tu Stultus Es
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6697|'Murka

If I were a conspiracy nut, I would point out that Axelrod pretty much perfected the "astroturf" movement.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6576|Éire
How's this for a conspiracy theory... a chain email is sent around, which is modified slightly, and sent to the local newspaper of each person who receives it as a letter to the Editor. Hey presto, generic letters pushing the same agenda appear in newspapers up and down the country. Out of curiosity, did these letters appear in traditionally Republican newspapers as well as Democrat papers?

If I hired a PR firm to push my political agenda and this was the best they could come up with I'd fire their asses and refuse to pay them a dime.
13rin
Member
+977|6765
Well Braddock, apparently smaller papers were targeted.  I'd love to see the demographics on this one thought.  The ED's dropped the ball.  Some only required a phone number or e-mail address for verification.
I think it's crafty.  "Hey! I'm one of you guys.  Let's cut him some slack,  after all we all know he's trying and we really want healthcare.". I'm sorry but the letter hammers typical OB talking points.  Whenever things don't go his way, he goes back to that well.  Sorry, but that well has dried.
I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something.  - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.
LividBovine
The Year of the Cow!
+175|6666|MN
My wife did a couple hours trying to identify the person behind the writing of these.  She believes the GUY is based out of the UK.  I can't remember his name, but I will post more details when wakes up.

Last edited by LividBovine (2010-01-26 06:00:40)

"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation" - Barack Obama (a freshman senator from Illinios)
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6576|Éire

DBBrinson1 wrote:

Well Braddock, apparently smaller papers were targeted.  I'd love to see the demographics on this one thought.  The ED's dropped the ball.  Some only required a phone number or e-mail address for verification.
I think it's crafty.  "Hey! I'm one of you guys.  Let's cut him some slack,  after all we all know he's trying and we really want healthcare.". I'm sorry but the letter hammers typical OB talking points.  Whenever things don't go his way, he goes back to that well.  Sorry, but that well has dried.
Newspapers (and TV News networks for that matter) have been getting increasingly shit at journalism over the last decade. Ever since I started hearing "sources say..." in news reports and in articles I knew the the days of objectivity and integrity in journalism were numbered. The media now is just a collection of people with agendas trying to make money while forcing these agendas. The selection of readers letters/viewers comments is one of the most subjective ways of forcing an agenda in this regard, and it's quite insidious because it attempts to convey the notion of the average view of the common everyman. Fuck the news.

Out of curiosity, would you have questioned the veracity of these letters if they were all attacking Obama along similar lines?

Last edited by Braddock (2010-01-26 16:18:50)

13rin
Member
+977|6765

Braddock wrote:

Newspapers (and TV News networks for that matter) have been getting increasingly shit at journalism over the last decade. Ever since I started hearing "sources say..." in news reports and in articles I knew the the days of objectivity and integrity in journalism were numbered. The media now is just a collection of people with agendas trying to make money while forcing these agendas. The selection of readers letters/viewers comments is one of the most subjective ways of forcing an agenda in this regard, and it's quite insidious because it attempts to convey the notion of the average view of the common everyman. Fuck the news.

Out of curiosity, would you have questioned the veracity of these letters if they were all attacking Obama along similar lines?
Yea, "source say" is really "I think" from a reporter.  News that doesn't sell fails.  That's why there isn't many happy go feely news agencies out there.  That's been deemed boring.  Again we've discussed this before, and I've mentioned that I don't go off of one source alone.  Honestly any ED op peices I don't read.  Fuck em.  It is the news and I want the facts not an angle.  But this does reek of astro-turfing.  Too much effort went into this.  Ob represents lazy people (socialist).   I guarentee monetary compensation was involved.

I'd like to think myself objective and critical of the sitution you described, but really criticisims of this guy are well founded.  I honestly doubt a letter critical of him would have been printed as widely as this was.
I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something.  - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6576|Éire

DBBrinson1 wrote:

Braddock wrote:

Newspapers (and TV News networks for that matter) have been getting increasingly shit at journalism over the last decade. Ever since I started hearing "sources say..." in news reports and in articles I knew the the days of objectivity and integrity in journalism were numbered. The media now is just a collection of people with agendas trying to make money while forcing these agendas. The selection of readers letters/viewers comments is one of the most subjective ways of forcing an agenda in this regard, and it's quite insidious because it attempts to convey the notion of the average view of the common everyman. Fuck the news.

Out of curiosity, would you have questioned the veracity of these letters if they were all attacking Obama along similar lines?
Yea, "source say" is really "I think" from a reporter.  News that doesn't sell fails.  That's why there isn't many happy go feely news agencies out there.  That's been deemed boring.  Again we've discussed this before, and I've mentioned that I don't go off of one source alone.  Honestly any ED op peices I don't read.  Fuck em.  It is the news and I want the facts not an angle.  But this does reek of astro-turfing.  Too much effort went into this.  Ob represents lazy people (socialist).   I guarentee monetary compensation was involved.

I'd like to think myself objective and critical of the sitution you described, but really criticisims of this guy are well founded.  I honestly doubt a letter critical of him would have been printed as widely as this was.
Asides from the mildly insulting comment about Socialists being lazy (please specify American Socialists!) I agree with your observations on the media. However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of one nerdy Obama fan engineering this. How do you mean monetary compensation was involved? Someone paying the newspapers to run the pieces? Isn't that legal now as a result of recent legislation?
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6691|North Carolina
Hey, the "liberal" media is reporting on this....

Oh, and conservatives never do this sort of thing either...
13rin
Member
+977|6765

Turquoise wrote:

Hey, the "liberal" media is reporting on this....

Oh, and conservatives never do this sort of thing either...
They probably ran the letter too.  They got burned.
I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something.  - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.
LividBovine
The Year of the Cow!
+175|6666|MN
Dang wrong guy!

My wife was wrong perhaps.  Nevermind.
"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation" - Barack Obama (a freshman senator from Illinios)

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