Posted on 01/27/2005 8:08:32 PM PST by Stoat
THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS
By Michelle Malkin · January 27, 2005 10:03 PM
Salon, not exactly my favorite publication, is now reporting that there's a third conservative columnist who took money from the Bush administration without disclosing it. From Eric Boehlert:
And three makes a trend.
Triple-crikey. I wonder if McManus will say he "forgot" about the $10,000 payment, too. That line seems to be working pretty well now among some of my fellow conservatives. I'll have more to say about all this in the morning, but for now, let me just say that if I accepted $10,000 or $20,000 or $40,000 in taxpayer funds for my writing, I wouldn't forget it in one year or 5 years or 10 years. And I'd make damn sure I disclosed it in relevant columns, books, or media appearances, even if it invited condescension from the "don't be such a holier-than-thou-goody-two-shoes-must-you-disclose-everything?" crowd. |
Sorry, just reread you make a great point. It is an even smaller molehill than I thought.
Guess they won't be consulting MM for her expertise on immigration. She'd turn it down anyway right?
Makes little difference whether government funds PR or private funds are used for PR was the point.
Conservative Political initiative needs good PR to counter the free negative PR the journalist left provides through a variety of mediums.
I couldn't care less if Republicans hired some PR people. What are Lobbyiests? They are not only paid by private interests, but many times hired by public governmental agencys to promote an agenda. Public money is spent all the time for agenda oriented PR.
LOL
makes me wonder who's outing these folks and why.
Oh how terrible. Maggie Gallagher writing brochures and essays for HHS.
Was she paid to write stuff in her column? I doubt it. Armstrong wasn't paid to talk about the education thing on his program. Yet he was portrayed by the MSM and even Michelle Malkin that he was.
That in my book is propaganda.
Armstrong was paid to do commercials and nothing more.
"Squaks", indeed.
All true of course. I would only suggest that:
!. Hiring anybody to promote the marriage initiatives was unnecessary because the plan is great on it's own and doesn't need help, especially via tax money.
2. If they're going to insist on hiring someone to promote the program in any way, hiring somebody who isn't already a columnist would have been a better choice, as they should have known that this would be picked up by the Left/MSM/Dems and twisted into being far worse than it is. There are all sorts of PR firms out there who would have loved to do the work and this 'appearance of impropriety' wouldn't have existed. Not a 'major scandal' in my book, just shortsighted and perhaps someone didn't consider the voracious nature of the media attack machine.
I know they do, I'm asking if you think it's proper.
If they are giving us truthful and proper information I am all in favor of it. Now if it is less than truthful, or misleading, or malicious that is something I would not support.
The left is famous for brandishing misleading information and counter measures must be taken seriously. If it means buying ad space or air time to present information in a non threatening environment I have no problems. WE have to be able to compare policy and the agenda.
The left has multiple mediums to present their lies and mistatment of the facts. There has to be at least one outlet that will not be edited by soundbites with additional commentary that may distort the context of an event. A news conference by the President does not necessarly mean a reporter will present the full context.
A one page ad by the President in a newspaper is putting the issues front and center. Hiring publicists to create content is professional and necessary.
LOL, Good luck. When it comes to government, the "truth" is what they want it to be. You won't be appointed to be the arbiter.
You have basically said that Hillary and Bill should be taking my tax money and using it to spread the "truth" when they are in power. Himmler was in charge of that in the 30s and 40s in Germany.
It's preposterous.
Or how the best and brightest minds were hired to create literature and art as part of the alphabet agencies.
Talk about your double standards.
FDR needed to rally the troops and the citizens behind a bloody war effort that would make modern day liberals crap their pants. Teddy Kennedys quagmire and failed war in Iraq rant would have been considered treason in 1944. Times were really serious and good PR was necessary to uplift the publics confidence despite the huge casulties.
Utilizing favorite charactors was and still is a good way of holding peoples attention. The cartoon snippet you show was a dance to patriotic music. A rally cry. People wanted to be comforted that we were on the attack and not retreating.
Gasoline was rationed and tires were almost nonexistant to purchase. The all out war effort of WW2 caused ALL Americans to make sacrifices of every day items we take for granted. Times were hard. FDR had the right idea that kept everyone on the home front focused on positive impressions rather than broadcast naysayers.
Not to diminish the sacrifices ,the bloodshed of American troops in Iraq is miniscule compared to the bloodshed of Americans in Okinawa, or the Phillipines or Iwo Jima, OR D Day. Modern day liberals are all over the spectrum criticizing our President when ONE soldier dies. They are all over the spectrum when the President wants to fix social security. They are all over the spectrum when we talk about Supreme Court appointments blah blah blah.
I don't see any double standards here or back in the days of FDR. When the going gets tough the tough get going.
Whatever it takes. Git R Done. I don't care how the messinger comes, just so the messinger arrives with facts and on time.
The double standard appears when you compare today with the Days of FDR and how the executive branch paid hundreds if not thousands of people to do what so far only three have done for Bush and his executive branch.
I won't even go into how certain members of congress(D) payroll talking heads of their own with gifts and stuff.
You're right of course, and I don't consider this a huge deal as you'll notice from my other posts.
You know what this is going to be right? This will turn into the "major second term scandal" that everyone keeps talking about.
Or else the opening for them to try to marginalize them. Armstrong Williams as much as told them to go out and file 1000's of FOIAs to see who was getting what for what. But it does seem fishy to me also.
When you want something done do you pay some "hack" to do or do you do it yourself? Do you grow and process your own food or do you pay some "hack"? Did you make all the parts and assemble the car you drive or pay some "hack"? Did you build your house, cut the timbers make the concrete, make the nails ..ect or did some "hack"?... Paying someone to build something whether a house or an idea is not wrong its how things get done.
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