PR Machine Behind Cindy Sheehan

With the President back at his Crawford ranch, the anti-war protest right outside his ranch is getting a lot more media attention. ABC7 looks at who is financing the operation and who's providing on-the-ground support.

The camp at Crawford is full of Cindy Sheehan supporters, people from all walks of life. But off to the side are a small group of professionals, skilled in politics and public relations who are marketing her message.

Cindy Sheehan kneels before a cross with her son's name on it, touches his picture, wipes her tears. It's an outpouring of emotion that is part of a scheduled news event organized daily for the television radio and print reporters who crowd in to capture a mother's grief.

Cindy Sheehan: "And I'm never going to see him again, I'm never going to hold him again, I'm never going to hear his voice again."

Sheehan's message hasn't changed since she got here but the support staff interested in getting that message out to the world has grown considerably.

Organizers are set up in this house trailer. Their meetings are closed to reporters.

Leading the group is Fenton Communications employee Michele Mulkey, based in San Francisco. Fenton specializes in public relations for liberal non profits.

Their bills are being paid by True Majority, a non-profit set up by Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerry's ice cream fame.

Ben Cohen: "People are willing to listen to her and we want to do as much as we can to make her voice heard."

Cohen's liberal group has teamed up with Berkeley-based moveon.org, an anti-Bush group co-founded by Joan Blades.

Earlier this month, MoveOn.org helped organize anti-war vigils in support of Cindy Sheehan. Current Democratic National Party chair Howard Dean's organization, Democracy for America, is also involved. As is the more radical anti-war group Code Pink, organized by San Francisco's Medea Benjamin.

Money donated through these groups and others is helping to pay for Gold Star families whose children have been killed in Iraq to attend anti-Bush protests.

This week, Simi Valley, California Gold Star wife Melanie House flew to Idaho for a protest and then flew to Crawford.

Reporter: "Can you tell us if you're getting help in airfare to come down here?"

Melanie House: "What difference does that make?"

There is real reluctance to talk about whose paying. And the PR machine that's promoting Cindy Sheehan. But not everyone here is completely comfortable with it.

Gold Star mother Karen Meredith went to Crawford from Mt. View. Her son Ken Ballard died last year.

Karen Meredith: "Sometimes things don't feel quite right to me. They don't feel wrong but maybe that's how they do it in the marketing business."

ABC7's Mark Matthew: "You feel you're part of a marketing business?"

Karen Meredith: "Possibly. Yeah I think so."

My letter to the Dallas paper...they did a nice article about Mrs. Johns and the Caravan but right next to it was the Web site for Cindy's Gold Star group. I was so mad!

Why did you list Cindy Sheehan's Web site next to this story about Mrs. Johns?

Cindy and her pals have been bragging that this Web site is earning them $1,000 a day in donations to continue their anti-American protests.

Did you know Cindy is associated with Code Pink? Code Pink's Media Benjamin is proud to have served the Castro regime. Did you know Code Pink pickets the Walter Reed Army hospital and makes statements about the wounded being brought into the hospital? The wounded warriors in the hospital hate her and Code Pink.

Why would you help these Communists raise money for their anti-American charade? Or have you bought into the Fenton Communications ad about her being the spokeswoman for all Gold Star moms?

Only 6 Gold Star moms support her. The rest are against her. You should put the real site of the Gold Star moms up -- not Sheehan's site.

FYI,

"Cindy Sheehan made the comment that our military men and women that carry a gun are nothing more than terrorists, and that the true freedom fighters are the ones that are fighting against our men and women over there in Iraq," Johns said. "That's a pretty twisted statement to make."

Also read this:
http://www.cnsnews.com/specialreports.asp

and this:
http://www.cnsnews.com/SpecialReports/archive/200501/SPE20050119a.html

This reporter has done some investigating for you.

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