Lobbying firm's memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street
A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”
The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.
CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.
According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”
The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”
Two of the memo’s authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Geduldig joined CLGC before Boehner became speaker; Cranford joined CLGC this year after serving as the speaker’s assistant for policy. A third partner, Steve Clark, is reportedly “tight” with Boehner, according to a story by Roll Call that CLGC features on its website.
Jeff Sigmund, an ABA spokesperson, confirmed that the association got the memo. “Our Government Relations staff did receive the proposal – it was unsolicited and we chose not to act on it in any way,” he said in a statement to "Up."
You can hear the surprise in *MY* voice.... I'm wondering since they're all stinky, ne'er-do-well unemployed hippies, why the Banks and Republicans consider them such a threat that they need to discredit them so badly? Hmmmmmm....
Wait, since when is working to cast a negative light on your opponent considered cheating?
If it is, you cheated by creating your post. You can't even win if you don't cheat, which if I read the dictonary correctly qualifies as a hypocritical action.
You can hear the surprise in *MY* voice
"Whatever you are, be a good one." ~ Abraham Lincoln
This is a plan to get $850,000 for the firm. The dem's have already embraced the movement and the movement has already cast themselves in a negative light.
towermonkey wrote: Meanwhile, police get away with attacks on citizens and are cheered on by the ignorant sycophants.
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HT to AppleAnnie
The officers in question got away with nothing. Your statement is totally inaccurate. The two officers that did the pepper spraying have been but on administrative leave (sop) pending completion of the investigation into thier actions. They got away with nothing. The fact that the students were peacefully protesting may have alot to do with the fact those two officers are being investigated.
Who cares? The OWS people have failed in their main missions, to move the Dems to the Left and inspire voters to support the Dem Party. The Denver March this weekend was sparesly attended and the movement is losing steam.
My favorite irony? The 1% celebrities who visit the slackers and the homeless in designer clothes trying to get some free publicity for themselves. Jay-Z, Mr. Beyonce was even making money selling them t-shirts.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Yeah, when you have nothing left, roll out the ol' Nixon "hippie pounding" strategy... Except that OWS has a huge contingent of veterans, retirees, middle-age people...and they're all p.o.'d because they CAN'T find jobs... (Sorry, but there aren't enough burger-flipping jobs at McDonalds to accommodate them all...)
If the 1%'ers and the bankers weren't so scared of the movement, they wouldn't be putting so much energy into bashing it.
Jus' keep doin' whut'cher doin'...
The Civil Rights movement of the 60's started with a bunch of people locking arms and filling public areas and chanting "What do we want? EQUALITY! When do we want it? NOW!"...and it wasn't until a couple of years later that the leaders like MLK came along, and the political machine kicked in and the rest is history...
Look what OWS has accomplished in TWO MONTHS?!? They've got your right-wing plutocrats & 1%-ers shaking in their boots... It may take a few months for it coelesce... But ignore it at your peril... No, it's not "going away"... It's getting stronger...And the more jack-booted out-of-control officers spray peaceful, non-violent protesters with pepper-spray, the more they create new activists to the cause, and show up the elitists as the shallow, scared twits that they are....
LJ- why are they spending all their time whining about corporations- do they really think they will win over average hard working Americans with that anti-capitalist garbage?
Hating on those who create jobs is not going to get them a job!
If they were focused on the real problem- too much government- maybe I could go along with some of it.
