Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bogus Letter-Writer 'Ellie Light', Barack Obama's "Astroturf Czar"
The Lid/Business Week/Cleveland Plain Dealer ^ | 1/23/10 | The Lid

Posted on 01/23/2010 8:59:11 PM PST by Shellybenoit

Ever since the grass roots tea parties began, the progressives have tried to minimize them. They continue to call them, Tea Baggers, Nazis, Right Wing fringe, and of course Astroturf. The Astroturf charge is the most ironic as David Axelrod the President's Political adviser was once labeled by Business Week as The master of "Astroturfing", which is what PR industry insiders call the practice of "manufacturing grassroots support."According to Business Week, one of Axelrod's Astroturfing campaigns stealthily spent $15 million convincing Illinois taxpayers that their power would be shut off if they didn't approve an increase in their electric bills. It wasn't until a complaint was filed with the state's regulators that it was revealed that Axelrod's "grassroots" campaign was fully funded by ComEd -- the power company which would benefit from the rate hike.

It looks as if Axelrod's strategy is being put to work at the White House. Either that or President Obama has an friend named Ellie Light or maybe dozens of friends named Ellie Light.

(Excerpt) Read more at yidwithlid.blogspot.com ...


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Politics
KEYWORDS: astroturfing; davidaxelrod; elite; ellielight; obama

1 posted on 01/23/2010 8:59:12 PM PST by Shellybenoit
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

Is this the one who was forced out of the campaign after calling Hillary a monster?


2 posted on 01/23/2010 9:08:38 PM PST by freespirited (Congratulations Senator Brown. One down, 59 to go.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit
one of Axelrod's Astroturfing campaigns stealthily spent $15 million convincing Illinois taxpayers that their power would be shut off if they didn't approve an increase in their electric bills.

That's nothing. Axelrod is now telling us that if we don't approve a $2 trillion increase in our taxes, that our health care will be turned off.
3 posted on 01/23/2010 9:21:27 PM PST by Question Liberal Authority (Why buy health insurance at all if you can't be turned down for any pre-existing conditions?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Question Liberal Authority
Axelrod is now telling us that if we don't approve a $2 trillion increase in our taxes, that our health care will be turned off.

Isn't O telling us, if we don't approve health care/health insurance/banking reform, cap & trade, the whole country will go broke, the social security, medicare and medicaid will fail, their won't be any jobs, the earth will heat up and we will all die?

4 posted on 01/23/2010 9:32:00 PM PST by DrDavid (George Orwell was an optimist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

Anyone who has ever written a letter to the editor knows how difficult it is to get your letter chosen for publishing, no matter how perfect the grammar nor how reasonable the logic.

I may be a conspiracy loon, but I don’t believe for one second that these letters were all so wonderful that the editors published them without knowing that they were part of the the OBama Astroturf effort.


5 posted on 01/23/2010 10:06:24 PM PST by wildbill (You're just jealous because the Voices talk only to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit
The Secret Side of David Axelrod
6 posted on 01/23/2010 10:19:05 PM PST by smokingfrog (You can't ignore your boss and expect to keep your job... www.filipthishouse2010.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wildbill
BINGO!!!

The probability of this occurring - without direct, behind the scenes (wink - wink) media cooperation - is so improbable, that even a guy like chrissy matthews would not dare to defend it

7 posted on 01/23/2010 10:45:44 PM PST by VRWCTexan (Obama-scare is the "real" Cash for Clunker Program!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

Another account of this incident puts the number of papers running these letter at 47 and counting, including a paper in Thailand. What is far more interesting to me is how did the people working at these papers decide that the Ellie Light letters were worthy of putting in their papers without even verifying if there really was a person named Ellie Light living in their circulation area? It can’t be just a coincidence.


8 posted on 01/24/2010 12:36:26 AM PST by euram
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

Or is she LaToya Foster the host of the political affairs show “In The Know” in Washington, DC. She is also the host of “The Washington Insider,” radio show, which airs every Sunday at 12 noon EST on 1450am WOL and online at www.woldcnews.com. Learn more about LaToya at www.latoyafostertalks.com. She can be reached at latoya@latoyafostertalks.com. Miss Foster uses the “magic wand” phrase here: http://www.examiner.com/x-27029-DC-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m1d24-If-it-doesnt-make-dollars-it-doesnt-make-sense


9 posted on 01/24/2010 2:07:05 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2 million for Sarah Palin: What will you do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

She’s been ID’ed...http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=261752540668&ref=search&sid=1683844564.2268490710..1


10 posted on 01/24/2010 3:29:06 AM PST by gr8eman (Everybody is a rocket scientist...until launch day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit
Late last September, I posted a personal thread called Project Infinite Freep: Restore our national dialog! then posted a link to the facebook White House fan page to it. It called for submitting comments to media articles in a charitable fashion.

I'm beginning to think Elle is my evil twin sister...

11 posted on 01/24/2010 3:46:22 AM PST by DaveMSmith (Pray not for tasks equal to your powers but pray for powers equal to your tasks.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

http://patterico.com/2010/01/23/ellie-light-obama-ast...


12 posted on 01/24/2010 5:07:00 AM PST by Born In America ("O.B.A.M.A.: One Big A** Mistake, America....")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit
I think the astroturfing goes beyond coordinated letter writing campaigns.

I frequent several unrelated “hobby-interest” forums. I find it curious that almost everywhere I go each of the various forums have at least one person who contributes almost nothing to the threads about the hobby but is all over every whiff of a political discussion like flies on a hot steaming cow pie.

These folks aren't hard to find once you know what to look for. I haven't a clue if they’re paid hacks or just volunteers.

13 posted on 01/24/2010 5:12:30 AM PST by 5by5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

If someone could get a copy of the sent email: “The series of “Received” headers are the trail that tells us from where the message was sent, and along what path or series of servers it traveled across the internet. And this is why we started at the bottom, as each mail server adds a received header to the top.” The email might not answer All the questions, but it would be a good start: http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_trace_where_email_came_from.html


14 posted on 01/24/2010 5:20:39 AM PST by radioone (Alinskys rules for radicals: Ridicule is a better tactic than argument.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

El-lie....”The Lie”.


15 posted on 01/24/2010 6:06:49 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shellybenoit

Whenever I write a letter to my local rag sheet, I have to provide an address and phone number and they always call to verify who I am. Obviously these papers either don’t check on letter writers or have no problem with the writer having a local address, but a White House phone number.


16 posted on 01/24/2010 8:16:54 AM PST by The Great RJ ("The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." M. Thatcher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wildbill

I agree completely. I regularly write letters to the editor of our local newspaper. They are all well written, proofread and topical. I am lucky to have one a year published. To get the same letter published in newspapers across the country smells of collusion.


17 posted on 01/24/2010 10:34:55 AM PST by redangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson