Anti-Palin Ads Spawned From Obama-Supporting Firm

How to extricate from an attempted viral video smear claim?  The kind that is launched while most people are still in bed, so that they will awaken and find the internet saturated in the morning?  Get rid of the evidence.  Remove all the ads from You Tube.

Image courtesy of http://designcorner.blinkr.net/History_of_the_Button/2007/07/02/Keyboard_keys_jump_the_shark.

That is exactly what happened.  

Ace of Spades HQ header summarized well.

Anti-Palin Astroturfing Traced Directly to Obama-Connected PR Firm
UPDATE: LIKE CLOCKWORK, VIDEOS TAKEN DOWN!!!
Update: Rusty Uploading His Copy Now

Obama Connected PR Firm Uploads, Publicizes Lying Anti-Palin Ad on YouTube, Then Pushes it Virally as “Grassroots” Effort; PR Exec Sockpuppets Praise Video for “Getting the Truth Out;” Company Employee Uploads it to Democratic Underground; DKos Diariast Urges Readers to Send it Out to Ten People Each

Fast forward just a bit,

Anyway, they’re down now. Gee, that was fast.

Trouble is, boys, we got copies. Of everyf-ckingthing.  [Screencaps here]

The Jawa Report set the blogs ablaze and helped blow open this attempt to discredit Sarah Palin by falsely portraying her as a member of an Anti-American separatist group called the Alaskan Independence Party.  This was debunked by Fact Check previously.  She has been a registered Republican since May 1982.

Ultimately, the culprit was identified as a Ethan Winner, family employee of the Winner and Associates public relations firm of Los Angeles.  Known supporters of Barack Obama, the DNC, and David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama.   Their work focus:  “Strategic Communications and Issue and Image Management.”  His You Tube acccount was closed.  He confessed.

Image courtesy of http://www.thorswarriors.com/09chapter.htm.

Riehl World offered this caution.

Politics aside, if this was the professional manipulation that it appears to be, it is not good for blogs, Left or Right. It undermines their credibility and makes them no better than a propaganda tool become smear merchant for whatever candidate they happen to support.

Image courtesy of http://surfnsharewacky.blogspot.com/2008_06_04_archive.html.

Eastan McNeal at No Quarter demonstrated no election campaign laws were violated.

Chicago Politics – - or – - Posting on YouTube is Not Advertising – - or – - How I spent my summer vacation.

See:

• http /ace.mu.nu/archives/273935.php
• http /michellemalkin.com/2008/09/22/bloggers-sniff-out-anti-palin-astroturf-campaign-and-the-cover-up-begins/
• http /mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php
• http /www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
• http /www.winnerandassociates.com/homepage.htm
• http /ace.mu.nu/archives/273939.php
• http /www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2008/09/did-obama-fund.html
• http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/22/call-the-shit-in/