shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
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 Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 11:24 pm Post subject: ABC7 Looks At The Financing Of 'Camp Casey' |
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Well, its a small thing but KGO-TV in San Francisco is exposing the high-priced PR professionals who are running the show.
BTW, it's time to boycott Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, which I did a long time ago. Not surprising they are sponsors of this Hate America Fest!!
They are commie pinko America Haters!!
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=3382521
| Quote: | PR Machine Behind Cindy Sheehan?
ABC7 Looks At The Financing Of 'Camp Casey'
By Mark Matthews
Aug. 25 - 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 Cindy Sheehan's 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: "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 a house trailer. Their meetings 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 for by True Majority, a non-profit set up by Ben Cohen -- of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream fame.
Ben Cohen, True Majority: "People are willing to listen to her and we want to do as much as we can to make her voice heard."
Cohen's group has teamed up with Berkeley based MoveOn.org, an anti-Bush group co-founded by Joan Blades.
Earlier this month, MoveOn 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.
ABC7's Mark Matthews: "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 who's paying, and the P.R. machine that's promoting Cindy Sheehan, but not everyone here is completely comfortable with it.
Gold Star mother Karen Meredith came here from Mountain View. Her son Ken Ballard died last year.
Karen Meredith, Gold Star mother: "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 Matthews: "You feel you're part of a marketing business?"
Karen Meredith: "Possibly. Yeah I think so."
On the other side, pro-Bush supporters are getting on the ground to help reiterate their message.
Grassfire.org and IM4W.com came back to the same Iowa-based conservative public policy organization, an organization with ties to the Republican National Committee.
There is also the "Cindy you don't speak for me tour," a caravan of military wives and mothers led by Deborah Johns of Roseville. Her son William is a marine who has served two tours of duty in Iraq.
Johns and her supporters are traveling to Crawford to confront Cindy Sheehan.
Deborah Johns, caravan leader: "It means everything for me to be here, to see the support. We're so proud of him."
The caravan is getting a lot of help from MoveAmericaForward.org. It's a non-profit organization co-chaired by former state assemblyman Howard Koologian. Koologian is a Republican who takes credit for launching the recall against Governor Gray Davis. His co-chair is KSFO Radio talk show host Melanie Morgan. The group's PR firm is led by a veteran California political strategist and the firm claims clients running from a county supervisor to President of the United States.
KSFO Radio is owned by Disney which also owns ABC7.
The "You don't speak for me" group is expected to be in Crawford on Saturday. Sheehan said today she'll welcome to meet with her without reporters present. |
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“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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