One thing is nearly certain no matter where future issues are coming from and that is that there will be a groundswell of grassroots opposition bubbling up on the right. You see, if you are a politico who is suddenly in the minority party and your lobby dollars have dried up because there isn’t a lot you can promise the usual donors, what do you do? Well, one thing you can do is the good old-fashioned reassess and rebuild the party platform to align better with the lessons learned in your defeat. That approach takes soul-searching, coalition building, repositioning and outreach – and it’s just so 20th century.
This is the 21st century and empire builders have new tools to play with that cost less in time, money and re-branding. Social media has become The Force and those who would like to rebuild the GOP without changing a thing have locked on to a new secret weapon: GOP now stands for – Go Populist. Now this strategy is tricky – it involves less of winning hearts and minds to the GOP agenda and more of confusing ordinary voters, of all stripes, into championing esoteric political positions designed to annhilate the opposition. Sound familiar?
No one in this camp much cares whether you become a Republican for life or what your long term political views and aspirations are because they have discovered that the opposition’s platform can be quietly dismantled one board at a time until there is little left to stand on. Then, in retrospect, the minority party can make the case that the opposition hasn’t managed to address the needs and desires of its electorate thus becoming the logical choice for frustrated voters.
The mechanism for achieving this is the Astroturf Industry. Calling this an industry is not in any way hyperbole because there are huge amounts of money involved. The Republican Party has long been associated with big money interests, cast as the Free Market players that make America great. It’s not always easy to make such positions palatable to ordinary American voters so a lot of time must be spent persuading those voters to care, personally, about the welfare of fat cats. Enter the Internets, the perfect vehicle for the voice of special interests.
lefteyeonthemedia.files.wordpress.com
Over the summer we have had the public expression of Astroturf in our faces almost continuously. The media, for the most part, have been grateful for the non-stop supply of footage. We have citizens behaving badly in Town Halls throughout the land to be caught on tape. The mainstream media was happy for the spectacle, not so much for getting to the bottom of why it was happening. As a matter of fact, until overwhelming evidence that these events were orchestrated and scripted was proven by Alternative Media sources, the media pretty much took it on faith that a lot of ordinary people were driven to making fools of themselves publicly because of their deep-seated hatred for a) healthcare reform b) President Obama c) Communism d) Nazism or some weird stew of all of them.
So it is that last week, when Rachel Maddow revealed the connection between the FACES of Coal (The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security ) website and the Washington, DC PR machine Adfero, I actually executed the first cartwheel and backflip I’ve done in forty years. Here’s the clip:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Brief History of Astroturf
Now, as one might imagine, when a political party that has been in power for a while has their “clock cleaned,” there is a seismic event that takes place in the capital. This spring there were legions of GOP operatives looking for jobs and ways to keep themselves connected until such time as the Party would Rise Again. I’m sure that process used to be a lot more “dog eat dog” with a lot of people vying for a small number of connections. But this is, after all, the 21st century, and if you are a smart young thing and new media savvy, you can probably land on your feet by inventing a job.
In her spot, Rachel Maddow pointed out that the “faces” of “Faces of Coal” were purchased from iStockphoto.com. That means that if I, or anyone, wanted to set up a website called, for example, Faces of White Slavers or Faces of Porn Stars, I could license those same photos to prove on my site how “folksy” White Slavers and Porn Stars are when they’re at home.
When you look at the FACES website it is just the sunniest, most cheerful, down-home place on the web. It seems so unlikely that these nice, clean, All-American folks would steer you wrong. They are so welcoming, they know that you are just like them and that you care about things – important things – like energy. All they ask is that you sign up so that they can keep you well-informed on energy issues. So you do . . . Congratulations! You’ve just become a cyber-activist.
And when Congress tries to pass legislation that might put the pinch on the coal industry, your name will be right there on the list that says “Keep Your Government Hands Off My Beloved Coal Industry.” Mountaintops don’t need to be pointy, do they? People go out West just to see mesas. We want mesas for the East Coast, too! Think that sounds stupid? It is, but thousands of unsuspecting Americans are being reeled in by just that kind of confusing message. Not to mention the fact that if you sign up for one of these outfits you’ve probably signed up to several “affiliates” as described in some easily overlooked murky corner of the website.
Try as they might to conceal their involvement, Adfero had their cover blown by Appalachian Voices a real grassroots group that is advocating for preserving what is left of the Appalachians from the ravages of “long-wall” coal mining.
Adfero certainly does everything in their power to keep a low profile. If you check out any of their advocacy sites you’ll find that the exposition of the issue at hand is either confusingly vague or deceptively “feel good” and there is generally no real contact or organizational info to be found on their sites. It appears that the best way to find out more or clarify issues is to give them your email address. Which is just what they want. Remember when we worried about being “nothing but a number?” Well, to Astroturf machines you’re nothing but an email address.
On August 25, 2009 DeSmogBlog ran an article on the astroturf industry and Adfero’s FACES story in particular. Here’s a salient snip from that article:
The FACES website, which includes no contact information, is registered to Adfero.
[Update: since we posted this article, the website registration for facesofcoal.com has been updated overnight and Adfero's name has been wiped, however - thanks to research by one of our most loyal readers, Frank Bi, a cross-reference with Adfero's IP address still shows facesofcoal.com running on their server.]
FACES describes itself as “an alliance of people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining.” But Adfero’s client list includes Koch Industries and the US Chamber of Commerce, two leaders in the fight to confuse, distort and deny the science of climate change – and especially to block government action that might affect their bottom line.
So, you can begin to see that a major “walk of life” that Adfero is tapping is the Conservative, big-business self-interest walk. Don’t take my word for it, though; here’s Adfero’s version of what they are all about:
“At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. From policymakers to homemakers, people respond best when the message is delivered by someone they know and trust.
“That’s where traditional grassroots outreach comes in.
Adfero is able to tap an impressive network of national, state and local contacts to deliver your custom-tailored message. We’ll identify and recruit local constituents, opinion leaders, community activists or political operatives to engage in activities designed to get attention and results. We have access to key contacts on the ground who can conduct intercepts with elected officials at speeches, rallies, local town hall meetings and other events.”
I guess you could say that they’re in the manufactured trust business. And what is “grassroots outreach” exactly? I always thought that grassroots activism was something that happened unassisted by big bucks and “outreach” programs.
Jim Hoggan, of DeSmogBlog wound up his article with this prescription which I heartily endorse:
Certainly Adfero hasn’t responded to our numerous inquiries with an alternative explanation. (regarding who FACES really is)
Yet someone is paying for Adfero’s “grassroots” services in the creation of the pro-coal FACES group. Is it Koch Industries? The US Chamber of Commerce? Or is it someone not included in their list of clients?
Once again, it’s time Washington created a legal requirement for these groups to come clean on their funding. The American people deserve to know who’s really behind this campaign.
Brief History of Adfero
Now, Adfero appears to be a relatively new (instantly successful) outfit in the grassroots production biz. But Adfero didn’t spring forth fully formed. Adfero is actually a name change that was applied to RightClick Strategies in 2007 (just in time for the 2008 Election grassroots push).
It’s possible that the name RightClick Strategies might ring a bell, for some. Certainly it would for Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Bob Menendez, John Boozman and Pete Sessions. Back in 2005, RightClick was cited in a Roll Call article for having a record of questionable sales strategies. Those practices eventually led to the General Counsel’s Office issuing a cease and desist order, to RightClick and its subsidiary ADC, on February 23, 2005. The C&D specifically cited “distributing any advertising that uses the names or images of Representatives Pelosi or Kucinich.”
Evidently RightClick Account Execs had been fanning out through Congress selling their website services and using pictures and screenshots of websites that they had allegedly created for Pelosi and Kucinich.
Turns out none of it was true, nevertheless Founder and CEO of RightClick Strategies, Larry Purpuro made a statement that, basically said, our people are too busy to keep track of little details like that:
“our guys are up there … they visit five to 15 offices a week. We have done hundreds of designs, designs for Members that did not engage us but that were conceptual designs.”
Purpuro, who just happened to be a former deputy chief of staff for the Republican National Committee, added that:
“it’s difficult for me to respond to accusations based on hearsay and I’m somewhat suspicious of their origin given my visibility as a Republican and the large amount of work we have done for GOP Members.”
Persecuted much?
Earlier that year, the offices of Pelosi and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) objected to the use of images of the two Members being used in an advertising campaign by American Digital Campaigns, a subsidiary of Rightclick Strategies. For a while statements were flying back and forth between RightClick and several congressional offices. Pupuro would allege that all of the false statements had been expunged only to have them resurface somewhere else. Finally, Pelosi and Kucinich’s offices asked the Office of the General Counsel to investigate the matter and, ultimately, the Cease and Desist Order was issued.
The summer before that, RightClick also popped up in a bit of a dust-up over websites that they had created for Rep. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) and Texas Rep. Pete Sessions (R). Evidently both representatives were attributed with making the exact same endorsement statement:
“. . . sportsmen, hunters, gun enthusiasts and citizens concerned for their personal safety have a right to own guns for these legitimate purposes, and I am committed to fighting for these rights for the constituents of the 3rd District of Arkansas.”
I think I’d change my company name, too. For whatever sound business reason, RightClick Strategies became Adfero, retaining some of the old RightClick gang. For example, Jeff Mascott who is Adfero’s current Managing Director, was with RightClick during the events described above and is touted as:
“. . . at the forefront of interactive public relations in the government sector for more than a decade. At a time when most representatives were just beginning to host individual web sites, Jeff created some of the earliest applications of grassroots lobbying using online communications. Jeff also designed the original GOP.gov web site that allowed representatives to quickly and directly connect with constituents through the Internet.”
If you meander through the Team Member Descriptions on the Adfero Group website, you’ll find that everyone there has some sort of Republican Party pedigree. Not a bad thing in and of itself but Adfero has a habit of setting up public advocacy sites that proudly proclaim their non-partisanship while, all the while, the people paying for the website and the people of Adfero who create the message to drum up grassroots support are as partisan as it gets.
A good way to familiarize yourself with what Astroturf looks like is to troll around a few of Adfero’s clients’ websites and before long, you’ll see a trend – a look and layout that supports the goal of telling you a minimal amount about an issue but promising more if you become part of the “big happy family of concerned citizens” by handing over your email address.
Here’s a short list that you can go to easily and I promise that more will be popping up as we move along in the legislative cycle.
Consumers Rights League – sounds like they couldn’t possibly have another purpose besides protecting you, the consumer – right? Consumer Rights League is actually designed to convince ordinary people that protecting predatory lending is in their best interest. They appear to mainly be advocating for “payday lenders” to be permitted to live long and prosper.
Faces of Coal – sounds like a whole lot of people who depend on coal and think it’s the best way for America to claim energy-independence – right? Think again. Oh, and if you go, FACES has a new look – I guess they traded the old stock photos for new ones.
US Chamber of Commerce - sounds like the same organization that you have in your hometown – right? Actually, this Chamber of Commerce is all about protecting business from taxes, regulation and any other type of oversight.
Terra Rossa – (from Adfero’s website) Terra Rossa is a blog Adfero set up for the Environmental Defense Fund. Sounds pretty noble – right? Here’s the description from Adfero’s website:
The blog, christened Terra Rossa (“Red Earth”), is becoming the go-to place for conservatives to talk about environmental issues relevant to their politics – dependence on foreign oil, staying competitive in a challenging global economy, proper stewardship of creation, kick-starting America’s rural/farm economy – and propose solutions that appeal to policymakers and voters outside of the traditional environmental movement.
Now what do you suppose “proper stewardship of creation” means? And who are the “traditional environmental movement”? People who actually want to PROTECT the environment? Do you think . . . ?
The Health Institute of New Jersey – from their website we get this”progressive” view of who they are:
New Jersey is home to more pharmaceutical companies than any other state in the country, or any other country in the world. The pharmaceutical and medical technology industry is a major factor in creating a thriving economy in our state, as well as making New Jersey a leader in research and development.
The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey strives to raise awareness, understanding and public support for the research-based pharmaceutical and medical technology industry among New Jersey’s elected and appointed officials, media, citizens, and opinion-leaders.
And from Adfero’s website, here’s what Adfero did for them:
The launch campaign created a buzz in New Jersey, increasing general awareness and successfully recruiting a number of new grassroots participants. Through the web site, activists were provided with the necessary tools to positively impact state and federal legislators on health industry issues, enabling HINJ to translate its recruiting success into concrete political action.
Now on the HINJ website you will find that the President of the Health Institute of New Jersey is Bob Franks, that is the Former Republican U.S. Representative from New Jersey, Bob Franks. Steve Issenman, Vice President is a professional lobbyist and the List of the Trustees of HINJ is like a Who’s Who in American Pharmaceuticals. Ditto the Steering Committee . . .
Now, if none of the above “special causes” tug at your grassroots instinct, just stay-tuned. I’m sure that Adfero will be there to make any near-term legislative obstruction look enticing.
Technorati Tags: GOP, Republican Party, conservative, Astroturf, grassroots, public advocacy, PR, Adfero, RightClick Strategies, Larry Purpuro, FACES of Coal, Health Institute of New Jersy, Terra Rossa, Environmental Defense Fund
