"At first glance, the sites appeared to be unconnected and unplanned. But many were suspiciously well designed and strangely on point with their 'nonpartisan' and 'grassroots' statements." -Mark Ames and Yasha Levine
It began in February with CNBC correspondant Rick Santelli's seemingly impromptu call to action for a Chicago Tea Party protest against government assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. So impactful was Santelli's effusion that an entire movement sprung forth whole the very same day. Within minutes and hours of Santelli's speech an inexplicably interlinked network of web sites materialized online. Santelli, whose contract with CNBC was due to expire within months, was conveniently catapulted into the conservative blogosphere limelight as a champion of the people.
Mark Ames and Yasha Levine, two seasoned Russia reporters, sensed something familiar in that the whole thing smelled like one of the Kremlin's propaganda movements designed to garner political control. Skeptical that a grassroots movement could miraculously organize and synchronize its message so quickly and even coordinate a nationwide protest within a week of Santelli's speech, Ames and Levine investigated. They reported, "...as our investigation showed, the key players in the Tea Party Web ring were no amateurs, but rather experienced Republican operatives with deep connections to FreedomWorks and other fake grassroots campaigns pushing pro-big-business interests."
Ames and Levine discovered that Santelli was a front for what they called, "...some of the craziest and sleaziest rightwing oligarch clans this country has ever produced," including the multibillionaire oil and gas moguls, the Koch family. One of whom, the late Fred Koch, cofounded the John Birch Society. "Koch money funds industry-friendly messages that fill our airwaves and editorial pages, and influences outcomes in the halls of Congress and courtrooms across the country," says Media Transparency, an organization that spells out the relationship between the Kochs and FreedomWorks on its web site.
FreedomWorks is skilled at installing shill protesters and creating fake grassroots groups — a practice known as astroturfing. AngryRenter.com, one of FreedomWorks' efforts, was outted by the Wall Street Journal as a creation of the foundation. Steve Forbes is a member of FreedomWorks' board of directors. The ironical WSJ headline read: "Mortgage Bailout Infuriates Tenants (And Steve Forbes)." Ames, Levine, and Alexander Zaitchik, called AngryRenter "... a site designed to imitate an amateur blog with a plutocrat’s agenda: to shoot down a $300 billion bill meant to help distressed American homeowners." The AngryRenter ruse manipulated individual renters to mount protest in the interests of financiers. In another exposure, an "average single mom" flaunted by the Bush administration, in its PR campaign to privatize social security was revealed, by The New York Times, to be one of FreedomWorks' state directors.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dave Nalle
The fundamental flaw in your reasoning and that of your sources is that the involvement of FreedomWorks or other advocacy groups whose role was mostly to provide publicity does not change the spontaneous and authentic nature of these protests.
I know from personal involvement that the main driving forces behind the Tea Parties were the non-partisan Campaign for Liberty and the Republican Liberty Caucus and some other groups on the ground who have access to highly motivated activists, and aren't funded by or directly connected to or funded by FreedomWorks.
As for the Koch family and foundation, for decades they have been among the foremost champions of liberty in the US. They fund the Cato Institute, Americans for Prosperity and at one time funded the Libertarian Party as well. While they may be pro-capitalist, they are pro-freedom first, and they are decidedly NOT pro-Republican. In fact, they will not fund partisan groups at all.
Your other fallacy here is in thinking that the process here was in any way different from the process of any other major protest movement in America or any other country. Leftist protests on the US certainly follow the same pattern, with the genuine grassroots elements backed up by institutional advocacy groups like MoveOn.org and Democracy for America, which have lots of money and actively shill for leftist causes.
And don't think your anarchists are any different. When they get their protests rolling, the IWW and other anarchist groups are there with money and organizational backing as are all sorts of union front groups with big money from regional and national labor unions. It's the same thing.
So the fact that political advocacy groups and partisan groups all want to get involved when they see a movement happening does not, in fact, invalidate or delegitimize that movement or change the fact that the thousands who actually march are genuine and impassioned members of the "grassroots."
In fact, your whole premise here is cynical and rather insulting. You're essentially doing the work of the left-wing propagandists whose misrepresentations you're repeating. It's the fellow travellers like you who have always smoothed the path for those who want to silence dissent.
Having talked to anti-WalMart "protesters" who admitted to being given fake WalMart uniforms and being paid to protest by the United Service Industries Union, I'd say that the Tea Partiers have a long way to go before they're as astroturfed as a lot of the protests on the left.
Dave
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
This is quite amazing. With such back-and-forth discussion on the genuineness of the grass on which these protests are held, I suddenly don't know what the protests were about*. Kudos, everyone, for zeroing in on the real debate!
(* - Kidding. It's a protest regarding American Idol, right?)
3 - Dave Nalle
BTW, if you do a little research on Ames and Levine you discover that they write for organizations which ultimately all trace their funding to the Open Society Institute which is funded by George Soros. And your friends at Media Transparency? Well, they just got taken over by Media Matters, which if you trace its funding is funded by the Democracy Alliance which, what a shocker, is also largely funded by George Soros.
So I guess they aren't so much investigative journalists as they are hatchetmen for the left wing establishment.
Dave
4 - Joanne Huspek
So what if the tea parties were urged on by right-wingers? (Not that I believe it. I'm pretty open to the tea party concept for my own reasons, but no one ever contacted me. Plus I know of plenty of Democrats who participated.) Is it any different than what the Obama machine did on the other side?
5 - Cindy
Joanne,
I hope I didn't give the impression that the problem is about whether right-wingers urged on or even started the movement or whether or not democrats attend. I'm not questioning that there is nonpartisan participation.
The problem is that it appears to be a manufactured movement. And who am I to say people should mind being manipulated and deceived. Apparently plenty of people think that's the American way.
Some people though, may not think being exploited in the ineterests of the huge companies that got bailed out is just something to overlook.
Second, the concern is there may be a hidden agenda. If a person's interests diverge from those of multibillionaires and oil companies, they may wish to look closely at the purpose of anything they are asked to participate in - say, signing a petition, for example.
Is it any different than what the Obama machine did on the other side?
Well yeah, actually it is quite different. This is not about a organization or a campaign, leading a movement.
Did the Obama campaign set up pretend networks of web sites to fool people into believing they were participating in a grassroots effort.
Some people might mind going to a web site thinking it's Mary and Bob running it, when it's a PR shill for elite special interests.
6 - Dave Nalle
Cindy, it only appears to be a manufactured movement to those who are paid shills for those who oppose the values which the movement represents. And some dupes like yourself who repeat their propaganda.
Dave
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
"The problem is that it appears to be a manufactured movement."
Well, jeez, with all the manufacturing jobs lost overseas, what's the fuckin' problem?
8 - Clavos
Cindy,
Do you think that movements of which you approve, such as the Anarchists and the Zapatistas, aren't employing every means at their disposal to sway and manipulate people into supporting them?
Proselytizing, persuasion and manipulation (both overt and covert) are all staples of politics, there has never been a political/social movement that didn't use these tactics to further its cause.
And there never will be.
9 - bliffle
It's surprising that the average American dolt will tolerate getting ripped off for a hundred billion by Big Business and then get upset if his neighbor gets a hundred thousand government benefit on his mortgage.
10 - roger nowosielski
When you're pure at heart, you see no evil - except in all those who do not think like you.
11 - roger nowosielski
Dave,
Didn't you say in one of your articles on "tea parties" that there was rather a lack of co-ordination, that the people weren't exactly "on message," they all had all kinds of opinions as to what it was about. And that's from your personal experience, having attended one of them in Austin. And I believe that Mark (who had also attended one of them) made a comment to a similar effect, namely, a lack of focus.
So it appears there are two completely different versions as to these events.
Roger
12 - Cindy
Clav,
That only tells me that you don't really understand what Anarchism or Zapatismo is about.
And your guess about what they do or would do seems to be based on and misguided by looking at what every other movement does.
The Zapatistas, for example, disappointed the Mexican left by refusing to become an authority for the movement or to take power.
13 - Cindy
Because there is a nonpartisan involvement and there are real people involved who have a variety of agendas, this somehow proves that it wasn't initiated through deception?
???
I'm confused about the logic that says something like that.
14 - roger nowosielski
Bliffle (#9),
I think you put too much credence in the opening sentence of this article, namely,
"It began in February with CNBC correspondant Rick Santelli's seemingly impromptu call to action for a Chicago Tea Party protest against government assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure."
It is really quite an article of faith, to believe than anyone could be moved into action based on this kind of cause.
And I don't care how stupid one may think the Republicans to be - or whoever makes it a point to attend these events - people just aren't THAT STUPID to get up in arms about something like that (unless of course you have a vested interest to believe in such a nonsense). To think that is to have the lowest possible opinion of these people, even if they are Republicans.
PS: I've listened to Glenn Beck's show a number of times, trying to mobilize his growing audience to participate - and his appeal always was in general terms: i.e., about inroads being made against the Constitution, people's voices not being heard, irresponsible fiscal policy, the Stimulus package. I've never heard him express an outrage about the government trying to help out distressed homeowners.
15 - M a rk
(And there never will be.
Clavos, nothing never changes. The task before us is to change our [admittedly pretty vile to this date] 'human nature' -- which, after all is argued, is a matter of individual choice.)
16 - Al Barger
What exactly would the author propose would have to happen for something to be genuinely "grassroots"? It's not legitimate if any kind of people with any history of political involvement jump on the bandwagon?
The author makes the [edited] presumption that the hundreds of thousands of people who showed up for tax day protests are idiots who had no idea what they were really, really there for. See, these people don't understand their own true interest like Tolstoy's Cat does.
If they did, why of course they would support Obama's socialist agenda. They're obviously suffering from false consciousness. They're obviously dupes. Perhaps the author might consider the slight possibility that there are a bunch of folks with different perspectives from her who honestly and with thought and reason come to different conclusions.
The ridiculous conspiratorial business here about Santelli alone discredits the author. So, we're to believe that Santelli was just on the verge of losing his job, but the Koch family or the Bilderbergs or Freemasons or such fed him instructions to do their bidding in order to save his job.
Nevermind that this was maybe a 30 second mini-rant at the end of a routine market report. Obviously, there's no way that an honest business reporter who spends their days covering markets would seriously object to sudden trillions of dollars of new spending and government power grabs. Why, it's hard nearing impossible to believe that such a person would spontaneously pitch a bitch about such things for half a minute.
Clearly, the Big Money Power Players knew that if a reporter on CNBC would invoke the words "tea party" in one routine report, stupid people around the country would rally by the hundreds of thousands to object to policies that are obviously in their own best interest.
Common people are so stupid.
17 - Bryan
There is no logic behind this argument. I worked hard for the past few weeks as one of the key organizers of our local tea party and I can assure you that we were 100% grassroots. We even incurred expenses in putting it together, so don't be so paranoid to assume that this is some ploy of the GOP machine. Several of us spoke to the crowd and demanded that our Republican "representatives" should be held responsible for ignoring the voice of the people... To great applause, might I add.
Here's the deal... Even though it sounds like you're too obstinate to understand it... We're pissed at a government that is using taxpayer money like it's their own private bank account to spend from without any accountability... Republicans AND Democrats.
Stop being so foolishly naive.
18 - roger nowosielski
It's not naive, Bryan, to presume that the GOP is capable of "dirty tricks." Remember Nixon? In fact, it would be more naive to presume the opposite.
The real question concerns these particular events (and no other) Despite some apparent holes and incredulities, she does seem to make a compelling case that some orchestration was at work; which isn't to say a great deal of it wasn't spontaneous.
So you can't just shoot this argument down by arguing from your high ideological and principled position but by dealing with it and dismantling it, if you can. In fact, you must show that her allegations are falsehoods. And so far you haven't done it.
19 - Dan(Miller)
Perversely perhaps, I find the "mainstream" media treatment of the "tea party" protests and the notion that they were a "put up job" encouraging.
Conservatives, for the most part, don't take to the streets in large numbers; personally, it goes very much against the grain and I have never even considered doing something like that. For many others as well, it may have to do with the notion of individuality and not caring to be or to behave as part of a herd. When large numbers of conservatives do unite in protest, even a multifaceted protest, it suggests that they are sufficiently irritated to become an increasingly significant and viable force.
Having one's comparatively rare public protests disparaged unfairly seems more likely to stimulate further such protests than to diminish the ardor of the protesters. I rather doubt that many of the protesters who saw the media coverage of their activities were dissuaded from further participation in such events; quite the contrary. So, have at it.
Here, for what it may be worth, is an article discussing some of these and other points. It may have little attraction for those ideologically inclined to disparage the protesters, but may for the protesters and others of similar persuasion who may join them.
Dan(Miller)
20 - Clavos
Cindy #12:
I understand well enough both the Anarchists as well as the Zapatistas; perhaps I didn't make my point clearly enough and gave you that impression.
You say:
And your guess about what they do or would do seems to be based on and misguided by looking at what every other movement does.
Well, in a sense, yes, of course. Are you saying that Anarchists are not interested in growing their movement; in having the philosophy adopted worldwide, in "improving" (by their lights) the lot of people?
If so, then why do you, on these threads bother to discuss and explain the tenets of anarchy to the rest of us, if not to sway us? Why were you excited when you saw what you interpreted to be a furthering of the Anarchist movement in the demonstrations in Greece and elsewhere a few weeks ago?
A political (or social) philosophy that doesn't proselytize soon dies altogether.
They ALL do it, Cindy, Anarchists and Zapatistas included.
21 - roger nowosielski
#19,
Quite right. Being subjected to ridicule may well be the kind of spark enough to egg them on.
22 - Arch Conservative
Janet Napoloitano needs to be fired.
23 - Clavos
Excellent article, Dan(Miller), thanks for the link.
Unfortunately, the author makes a good point about the lack of cohesiveness on the part of the Right. Paradoxically, it stems, in part (as he points out), from the strong streak of individualism cherished by most Conservatives.
Let's hope that the Tea Parties are the first step towards more and longer lasting unity.
24 - pablo
Roger 14
Glenn Beck is a phony baloney character who gives lip service (similar to Nalle) to liberty, but is an employee of the ruling oligarchy, and even has had Secret Service protection on occasion.
It was only a few months ago when he was calling for Ron Paul supporters to be rounded up and locked up.
People of his ilk, such as Hannity, Limbaugh and others are working desperately for the MSM to attempt to co-opt a movement. This movement started with 9/11 truthers (contrary to what Nalle will tell you)and today encompasses a vast number of Americans that are waking up to the fact that they have been had by Wall Street, the CFR, the Bilderberg Group, the Trilateral Commission, the IMF, the UN, all of whom are working in tandem to bring about a one world feudalistic society run by the same folks that print your fiat currency.
Beck is a phony.
25 - Clavos
Glenn Beck is a phony baloney character who gives lip service (similar to Nalle) to liberty...
Ah, but he does it so entertainingly.