Posted on 08/06/2009 7:37:41 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Socialist translation: Lies
Idiots. What they need to practice is an answer to the question “will congressmen, senators and their families also be enrolled in this health care system?”
If it isn't good enough for them then I don't want any part of it and will FIGHT to keep it from happening.
David Axelrod has long been known for his political magic. Through his AKP&D Message & Media consultancy, the campaign veteran has advised a succession of Democratic candidates since 1985, and he’s now chief strategist for Senator Barack Obama’s bid for President. But on the down low, Axelrod moonlights in the private sector.
From the same address in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Axelrod operates a second business, ASK Public Strategies, that discreetly plots strategy and advertising campaigns for corporate clients to tilt public opinion their way. He and his partners consider virtually everything about ASK to be top secret, from its client roster and revenue to even the number of its employees. But customers and public records confirm that it has quarterbacked campaigns for the Chicago Children’s Museum, ComEd, Cablevision, and AT&T.
ASK’s predilection for operating in the shadows shows up in its work. On behalf of ComEd and Comcast, the firm helped set up front organizations that were listed as sponsors of public-issue ads. Industry insiders call such practices “Astroturfing,” a reference to manufacturing grassroots support. Alderman Brendan Reilly of the 42nd Ward, who has been battling the Children’s Museum’s relocation plans, describes ASK as “the gold standard in Astroturf organizing. This is an emerging industry, and ASK has made a name for itself in shaping public opinion and manufacturing public support.”
Lowest of Low Profiles
Eric Sedler, 39, a former public relations director at AT&T and corporate-reputation specialist at PR giant Edelman, is the “S” in ASK and the company’s managing partner. The “K” is John Kupper, 51, a former congressional press secretary and ad-industry consultant, while the “A,” of course, is Axelrod, a onetime Chicago Tribune reporter who got his start in politics when he managed Illinois Democrat Paul Simon’s first election to the U.S. Senate. Sedler says opponents mischaracterize what ASK does. “I reject the notion that a company can’t advocate a public policy,” he says. “These issues are complicated, and people have different points of view.” Axelrod, 53, did not respond to phone messages and e-mails.
Though the consultancies share management—Kupper, like Axelrod, is also a partner at AKP&D—and loft space, the two firms come across as polar opposites. On its Web site, AKP&D lists dozens of candidates and referendums it has worked on. Sample ads are available for downloading. Employees are named. ASK’s site is minimalist, revealing little more than that its three partners do all their work themselves. Sedler says, in fact, that in his six years at ASK, he had never done an interview with the media before. “We’re not in a business that warrants a huge public profile,” he explains.
Axelrod’s political connections can cross over into his corporate business. Mayor Richard M. Daley, one of Axelrod’s friends and earliest clients, is pushing construction of a new Children’s Museum in Grant Park to replace a facility on Navy Pier that the museum says it has outgrown. So far, though, “open-space” foes such as Reilly have stymied the move. The museum retained ASK early in 2007. Sedler says Axelrod’s ties with Daley had nothing to do with the contract.
ASK is counseling the museum, which reports annual revenue of more than $11 million, including government grants, on its message strategy. It is also writing ads, including a 60-second radio spot that stresses how the new quarters would blend into Grant Park and be more accessible. Sedler won’t say how much ASK is receiving, joking that it’s “about 30¢ per hour.” Consultants at other PR firms say corporate clients pay monthly retainers of up to $25,000, though nonprofit groups usually pay less. In addition, firms typically get 15% of whatever clients spend on advertising.
ASK’s relationship with ComEd goes back much further: The Chicago-based utility says ASK has been an adviser since at least 2002. ASK’s workload picked up in 2005, as the Exelon subsidiary was nearing the end of a 10-year rate freeze and preparing to ask state regulators for higher electricity prices. Based on ASK’s advice, ComEd formed Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity (CORE) to win support.
"We, the People" are the keepers of the Constitution, according to the Founders, and Jefferson said it was the people's tool "to bind them (government officials) down"--not the other way around.
What America needs right now are citizens, millions of them, who will peacefully remind their Congressmen and Senators that the Constitution makes them the servants of the people--not their masters.
Someone on this site referred to the proposed new legislation as "Plantation Health Care." The more the Administration and Congress follow the Axelrod playbook, the more they make it look like just that
Remember Spike Jones' "Never hit your Grandma with a shovel It makes a bad impression on her mind"?
I think I'm beginning to understand "shovel ready."
I dont think this plan will work. People are so angry..they aren’t listening to the talking points..they want their questions answered.
You can’t even really hear that woman in Tampa at the meeting tonight.
The list, ping
What happened to the Tampa Health Care thread? Anyone?
It got pulled. (Gannett) Someone should just post the YouTube link.
The mods should let the replies stand - there were some great ones in there...
Got it! Too bad a picture can’t be a tag - that’s a great one.
Thanks again...
I sometimes wonder about that. Can’t they just edit the initial post and have a link only or something?
I wish someone would ask for some specifics such as:
What will the monthly premium range be for a single guy age 45?
What will the monthly premium range be for a couple, man age 70, wife age 65?
How will be premiums be collected?
There was so much good stuff on that thread I was going to bookmark it. Someone will appeal to the mods...
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