Republican Strategist Is Taking Heat for Taking Mexico as Client

The NYT ^ | December 28, 2005 | SIMON ROMERO

[summer]

Rob Allyn

...A longtime Republican strategist, Mr. Allyn has found himself in the cross hairs of conservative critics in the last week after signing a contract with Mexico's foreign ministry to lead a campaign to strengthen the country's image in the United States.

A CNN anchor asked Mr. Allyn whether Mexico was "dabbling in U.S. policy" by hiring him as a marketer. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, describing Mexico as a "corrupt, chaotic country" with 40 percent unemployment (it is closer to 4 percent) told him in another interview that he had his work cut out for him...

Mr. Allyn's contract, worth about $720,000 over the next year, calls for him to represent Mexico in the United States in meetings with nongovernmental organizations; through polling and organizing tours of Mexican officials; and potentially with a small amount of advertising.

Paramount among the Mexican government's concerns these days is fighting anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. More than 10 million undocumented immigrants live in this country, according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center. Nearly 500,000 undocumented immigrants, most of them from Mexico, have moved to the United States each year since 2000, the Pew study said.

The latest contract has a much higher profile than Mr. Allyn's last big foray into Mexican politics, in 2000, when he quietly helped orchestrate the campaign of President Vicente Fox.

Attuned to sensitivities in Mexico over the involvement of foreigners in the country's elections, Mr. Allyn traveled to Mexico under pseudonyms like José de Murga and Alberto Aguirre to advise Mr. Fox on polling, wardrobe and speeches....

[summer]

Mr. Allyn traveled to Mexico under pseudonyms like José de Murga and Alberto Aguirre

Huh? I did not know people could travel to foreign countries using "pseudonyms" instead of their real names!!

[summer]

Mr. Allyn said he was steeling himself for more criticism. "All I can say is that I'm working on my Spanish as hard as I can," he said.

LOL...I am surprised he doesn't already speak Spanish.

This whole article reminded me of the post-Vietnam era, when someone had the bright idea of trying to "recast" Vietnam's war-torn image into a tourism mecca. It didn't quite work back then.

[SC33]

He should be taking heat. He is actively working to sell-out this nation and defy the will of the vast majority.

[TXBSAFH]

He is another free traitor who is selling out the US

[TCats]

"Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, describing Mexico as a "corrupt, chaotic country" with 40 percent unemployment (it is closer to 4 percent)"

You mean Mexico's unemployment rate is LOWER than the US? Doubt it seriously but, if it is, it's because all of their unemployed are here, raising our unemployment rates.

[summer]

All I know is I am no fan of the "borderless" Presidente Fox, who seems to operate under the mistaken belief the US and Mexico are one big country.

[guschat]

Rob Allyn is a scumbag. He also whored out to the personal injury trial bar in 2003 -- they hired Allyn to defeat Texas' tort reforms and Prop 12. To call him a republican is an insult to true Republicans.

[SC33]

"with 40 percent unemployment (it is closer to 4 percent)"

Am I missing something?

[KC_Conspirator]

...(it is closer to 4 percent)

Stop with the lies. If the economy was that good, no one would be eager to leave.

This guy can do whatever he pleases as far as who he works for, however anything he says with relations with Mexico has to be viewed with suspicion.

[joesnuffy]

He's not a traitor just a greedy entrepreneur

Whose self interest is uber alles..

Perfect fit for Washington DC and all other saprophytic organisms (aka politicians,lawyers,lobbyists,PR people,and bureaucrats) existing there...

imo

[ZULU]

Absolutely.

We expect more of Republicans than for them to act like Democrats at their worst.

If he wants to improve Mexico's image here, he would do better to convince Senior Fox to have his military stop actively assisting people who are invading our country and violating our laws and borders.

[SuzyQue]

I think if you count people who are working in the US, it comes down to something less than 40%. If they did not cross illegally and illegally work here it might be 40%.

[hoosierboy]

The guy is a capitalist for taking the money. Since when is being a capitalists not a republican issue? I admit its not money well spent, but you have to give him credit for fighting an unwinable war, and at least getting back some money from the mexican government.

[summer]

you have to give him credit

No thanks; I am not giving him any credit for his current project.

Here is a better project for him to work on: Be a PR guy for new, start-up Mexican firms -- and attract Mexican workers to work for Mexican firms. THAT would be a big help to Mexico's economy and our own national security, for which I would give him credit.

But what he is doing now is just smoke and mirrors. He's saying: Hey everyone; there's really no problems with this border stuff! And, of course, the Mexican government will pay him six figures or more to say that as loudly and often as possible.

So, no credit for him. Anyone can lie.

[summer]

re your post #15 - They [Mexicans] need another revolution

I agree. I just worry their next revolution will happen in the US instead of Mexico, once they all move here. 10 million undocumented Mexicans here already is larger than the population of some countries!

[musicman]

"This whole article reminded me of the post-Vietnam era, when someone had the bright idea of trying to "recast" Vietnam's war-torn image into a tourism mecca. It didn't quite work back then."

Well mclame and j F'n k, are STILL making money in Vietnam, after working 24/7 for years to "remake" them.


The post below is from an FR thread from 02-10-2000.

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38a2e3760740.htm

This is post #11 from that thread.It is a little long but IMHO, worth the read. The very LAST part is about Kerry and his CURRENT monetary ties to Viet Nam.

Maybe Kerry's "cousin" made sure ABC got in to "visit" VN for their "report".....Here is post #11:



In October 1990 John McCain said on the floor of the Senate: "Mr. President, I am anxious to construct a new relationship with our old adversary (Vietnam)". He, who was in a Vietnamese prison camps for five and a half years, was pushing hard for normalized relations with Hanoi long before anyone else was.

Aw, heck, that position is easy to explain:

Amazingly, between the time that President Clinton made his pledge that he would not normalize relations with Vietnam until there was a full accounting and the time he lifted the Trade Embargo only two Americans had been accounted for in Vietnam.

Lifting the embargo opened the door for the multi-billion dollar corporation, Lippo Group with American business partners, such as Stephens Investment of Little Rock, AR to conduct business in Vietnam. Mr A. Vernon Weaver, at that time the Vice-President for Operations in the Pacific Rim of Stephens Investment and a member of the Board of Visitors at the U.S. Naval Academy was instrumental in arranging an upgrade of the position of Commandant of the U.S. Naval Academy from two stars to four stars.

Former U.S. Navy officers, Senators John Kerry and John McCain supported this reorganization.

U.S. Veteran Dispatch

An indication of just how deep and subtle Red Chinese roots run in U.S. business and government affairs deals with Sen. John Sidney McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. John Forbes Kerry (D-MA). Both McCain and Kerry fought long and hard to provide the political cover Clinton needed when he made the controversial decision to normalize trade and diplomatic relations with Vietnam. McCain's wife, Cindy, is the daughter of James Hensley, who is the second largest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the United States. Sen. McCain is an officer in Hensley & Co. and Cindy is a vice president. The McCain family owns several million dollars in Anheuser-Busch stock. As a part of an aggressive campaign to enhance its international standing in the beer market, Anheuser-Busch has been signing contracts and investing hundreds of millions building brewery operations in China and Vietnam. It remains unclear whether any of those contracts involve Lippo. Documents retrieved from the Internet reveal that Riady's Lippo is the holder of a license for Sea World in Indonesia and that Anheuser-Busch owns all the Sea World themeparks in the United States as well as some overseas. Again, this begs the question, is there a connection between Anheuser-Busch and Lippo?

U.S. Veteran Dispatch

SeaWorld/Lippo Connection:

Lippo Website

Click on "Lines of Business"…then "Strategic Invesments and Services"…scroll down and you will see the proof that Lippo holds the license on Sea World in Indonesia.

"Today I am lifting the trade embargo against Vietnam because I am absolutely convinced it offers us the best way to resolve the fate of those who remain missing and about whom we are not sure." Two things happened between November 1992 and February 1994 which bear on this issue. One was that Senators John Kerry and John McCain lobbied the president to drop the embargo. The second thing was that in September 1993 the head of the Lippo Group, Mochtar Riady, led a trade mission of Asian bankers on a trip to Vietnam to (in his words) "size up business opportunities there." Lippo helps, among other things, to finance trade deals. It therefore stood to benefit enormously from expanded trade between Vietnam and the United States;

Source

You know, just about every time I see McCain's name in reference to legislation, Kerry's name pops up as well. It is like they are two peas in a pod. So I checked out Kerry to see what his connections were:

KGB-ASSOCIATED SPY PAID DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Military secrets on infrared detectors, drawings of rotors for Sikorsky attack helicopters and documents on stealth technology. Subrahmanyam M. Kota was a spy that delivered to the KGB. He sold U.S. military secrets to the former Soviet Union. Yet he paid some of the proceeds, $5250, to the Democratic Party and to Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. When he was finally brought to justice in Massachusetts, he was allowed to plea bargain his charges down to mere tax evasion on his espionage windfall.

Source

Frances Zwenig, John Kerry's (D-MA) chief of Staff for the now defunct Senate Select Committee on POW/MIAs, was given a position at Commerce in the Vietnam Interests Section until some genius decided it may be a conflict of interest. Ms. Zwenig coached the Vietnamese on how to testify before the SSC in order to show that Hanoi was cooperating; an obstacle in the way of lifting the embargo or normalizing. . .until now. Zwenig currently heads a US based organization that lobbies American business to invest on Vietnam.

In order to properly follow the money trail, you would have to involve yourself in the various business and non-profit play pens of Senators:

John Forbes Kerry (D-MA)
John Sydney McCain III (R-AZ)
Jesse Helms (R-NC)
Frank Murkowski (R-AK)

You would have to view from where all their political contributions came from and then you would have to see the relationships connected to the companies that made the contributions. You would also have to look at the non-profits that these guys are into. And then you would have to see if any of them are linked in any way to Riady/Lippo. Not an easy feat.

Source

A member of Sen. Kerry's family, specifically his cousin, C. Stewart Forbes, is Chief Executive Officer of the Boston, Massachusetts-based Colliers International, one of the largest real estate federations in the world.

In Dec. 1992, Vietnam granted Colliers a contract designating Colliers the "exclusive real estate agent representing Vietnam." Colliers has since written contracts in Vietnam worth billions, upgrading Vietnam's ports, railroads, highways and government buildings.

Colliers is involved with Lippo in multimillion contracts in Indonesia. Kerry, who has a blind trust run by members of his family, claims he knows nothing about his cousin's business deals or affiliations.

Source

Coincidence? I think not.

11 Posted on 02/10/2000 10:40:33 PST by ravingnutter
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[kenth]

It's the NY Times. The only thing missing is the truth.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Republican Strategist Is Taking Heat for Taking Mexico as Client

Good, they deserve it.