Patterico's Pontifications

4/10/2009

Rahmbo’s Echo Chamber

Filed under: General — Karl @ 6:36 am



[Posted by Karl]

While we were having a good laugh over the Lefty bloggers whining for their share of interest group boodle, another tasty tidbit from Ben Smith was getting largely overlooked:

The latest in a series of new, low-profile efforts to coordinate the unusually focused progressive coalition backing the White House’s goals is a quiet weekly meeting run by a new group called the Common Purpose Project.

The Common Purpose meeting every Tuesday afternoon at the Capitol Hilton brings together the top officials from a range of left-leaning organizations, from labor groups like Change to Win to activists like MoveOn.org, all in support of the White House’s agenda. The group has an overlapping membership with a daily 8:45 a.m. call run by the Center for American Progress’ and Media Matters’ political arms; with the new field-oriented coalition Unity ’09; and with the groups that allied to back the budget as the Campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now.

Unlike those other groups, however, the Common Purpose meeting has involved a White House official, communications director Ellen Moran, two sources familiar with the meeting said. It’s aimed, said one, at “providing a way for the White House to manage its relationships with some of these independent groups.”

The group’s founder, political consultant and former Gephardt aide Erik Smith, described it in general terms after others had confirmed its existence. (Emphasis added.)

However, Jane Hamsher let slip who is really behind Common Purpose, calling it “one of the many groups Rahm Emanuel has set up to coordinate messaging among liberal interest groups”:

There are a variety of vehicles through which this is done — the 8:45 am call, Unity 09, Campaign to Rebuild and Renew America — and they’ve been extremely successful. When the banks told the White House they wouldn’t cooperate with the PPIP plan unless they got their bonuses, and the administration made the decision to “ratchet down their rhetoric,” the call went out to the liberal interest groups to stay silent too…and silent they remain.

***

There’s a big problem right now with the traditional liberal interest groups sitting on the sidelines around major issues because they don’t want to buck the White House for fear of getting cut out of the dialogue, or having their funding slashed.  Someone picks up a phone, calls a big donor, and the next thing you know…the money is gone.  It’s already happened.  Because that’s the way Rahm plays.

To sum up: Lefty bloggers beg for (and receive) funding from the Lefty interest groups to carry their message.  The Sorosphere organizes the echo chamber meetings for the interest groups.  The interest groups fear that going off-message will bring reprisals — financial or otherwise — directed from the White House.  “Because that’s the way Rahm plays.”

That’s the Chicago way.

–Karl

41 Responses to “Rahmbo’s Echo Chamber”

  1. The Culture of Corruption has a new handler.

    tyree (85acc9)

  2. I’m starting to think Rahm Emanuel actually does embody all the evil things liberals accused Karl Rove of.

    Steverino (69d941)

  3. Wasn’t Grover Norquist accused of doing the same sort of “coordination?” Wonder where that got him?

    Brad S (9f6740)

  4. Hmmm…at what point does the term “Brownshirts” become appropriate? Do they have to become violent first? Or is it enough that they do the same work, enforcing mindless conformity to the dictats of the glorious leader, even though they have found generally nonviolent ways of doing it?

    tim maguire (4a98f0)

  5. This is shaping up to be one of the most massive circle – jerks in the history of politics in this country; Daley would be so proud.

    Dmac (49b16c)

  6. I’m starting to think Rahm Emanuel actually does embody all the evil things liberals accused Karl Rove of.

    Usually, people accuse others of what they themselves do, regardless of evidence otherwise.

    Vivian Louise (eeeb3a)

  7. Well, now we know where all the projection about “wingnut echo chambers” comes from. As usual, they just assume that everyone operates the same way they do…

    PCachu (e072b7)

  8. Wasn’t Grover Norquist accused of doing the same sort of “coordination?” Wonder where that got him?

    Comment by Brad S — 4/10/2009 @ 7:13 am

    He may have been, but as far as I know, wasn’t on the WH staff, let alone COS. He has weekly meetings centered around policy. Not sure but doubt they delve into message coordination. Besides, Rep’s couldn’t coordinate a message if their lives depended on it.

    Chris (ca6340)

  9. The Chicago Machine has ruined the reputation of more than one operative who’s stepped out of line.

    Thugs, all of them.

    Dan F (87ef1e)

  10. I could be mistaken, but I believe this is a genuine photograph depicting a stealth echo chamber meeting of (left to right) Markos Moulitsas, George Soros, and David Brock.

    Official Internet Data Office (7d4e4c)

  11. I am 100% sure this project will fall apart at the seems.

    All these “Matrix” type attempts fail, no matter how good Rahm is.

    But man, this is pretty Gestapo from Rahm.

    Jimminy'cricket (637168)

  12. So which bloggers are getting paid by the White House, and which bloggers got cut off? Enquiring Minds want to know, Jane. (This is bound to fall apart BTW and some dropped blogger will sound off.)

    I also want to know if the Bush White House did this messaging and if they paid for it.

    Patricia (2183bb)

  13. Comment by Patricia — 4/10/2009 @ 9:41 am

    Two Words:
    Armstrong Williams!

    And, that was by the evil BushHitlerRovianHalliburtonCheney-Nazi’s.

    This is by the cherubs bringing us unicorns and puppies.

    AD - RtR/OS (f5b734)

  14. “Not sure but doubt they delve into message coordination. Besides, Rep’s couldn’t coordinate a message if their lives depended on it.”

    Just out of curiosity, how do the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages promoted by conservatives still have resonance EVEN TODAY if the Right couldn’t work together to save their skins? You lose credibility when you poor-mouth your capabilities in this way.

    Brad S (9f6740)

  15. Brad S: Do you know the difference between shared beliefs and coordinated messaging?

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  16. “Someone picks up a phone, calls a big donor, and the next thing you know…the money is gone. It’s already happened.”

    Jane Hamsher should contact Bruce Bartlett for further information on what happens when the phone is picked up. Then, Jane Hamsher should recognize her place in the pecking order accordingly.

    Brad S (9f6740)

  17. John Hitchcock,

    So “shared beliefs,” in and of themselves, got the 2003 tax cuts passed, eh? Or did passing those cuts take some promotion, which usually involves, you know, coordination?

    Brad S (9f6740)

  18. how do the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages promoted by conservatives still have resonance EVEN TODAY if the Right couldn’t work together to save their skins?

    Maybe because they are right ? Maybe they work ? Unlike Obama’s neosocialism.

    MIke K (90939b)

  19. And how did we know the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages would work? These policies are NOT self-evident, you know; they took some convincing to the public by the promoters of said messages.

    What message does the Right send when they say their own people can’t communicate to save their butts?

    Brad S (9f6740)

  20. Brad S: Nobody said anything about this “inability to communicate.” Go back to your dictionary and thesaurus. Find out whether either correlates “communicate” and “coordinate.”

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  21. So it’s bad if the left wing does it, but OK if the right wing does it? (or does the right wing not have any similar system in place to get its messages out?)

    Eric H. (62863d)

  22. Eric H: You’re a bit slow on the up-take.

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  23. What message does the Right send when they say their own people can’t communicate to save their butts?

    That’s just the point. There doesn’t need to be message coordination among conservatives. It’s not a scam.

    Brad, what you’re missing here is that the ‘message’ coordinated to the left support groups is one in which they stay silent on things that they ostensibly believe in and know aren’t being implemented. Things may not be changing how they’d like, but if they don’t keep their mouths shut, the money stops.

    The analogy for the right would be the raising of taxes sky high and having NRO pen endless articles about how it was ‘necessary’, or simply not mention it at all.

    Apogee (f4320c)

  24. Eric H,

    The Right is just as capable of message coordination as the Left is. Maybe MORE, if Moody’s concerns about the ability to raise taxes is any indication:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/economy/08muni.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

    BTW, how does it feel to be “used” by the Dems, Eric H?

    Brad S (9f6740)

  25. Nothing to see here move along. Having the White House personally put out messages on far left wing blogs and coordinate attacks is nothing at all that is newsworthy. Seriously nothing at all newsworthy about that one. Especially since one of those websites took out a front page ad against the General in charge of Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan calling him a traitor. I mean who would care about that?

    Mr. Pink (eae12c)

  26. Sure, Armstrong Williams is one. But something like this identical headline coincidence? A coordinated message disguised as news in many different newspapers?

    Patricia (2183bb)

  27. Patricia – Check this out.

    Seems as though the papers are upset about advertising being disguised as news. But isn’t that what they were doing anyway?

    Apogee (f4320c)

  28. Placing a fake news article on A-1 makes a mockery of our integrity and our journalistic standards.

    That made me laugh.

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  29. Eric H: You’re a bit slow on the up-take.

    Understatement of the week.

    Dmac (49b16c)

  30. “…how do the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages promoted by conservatives still have resonance EVEN TODAY…”

    Because they can be shown throughout history to be effective policies that the American People support, even when they are advocated by Democrats bucking their own party’s dogma.

    AD - RtR/OS (f5b734)

  31. And how did we know the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages would work? These policies are NOT self-evident, you know

    Well, I could provide you a reading list. Are you old enough to remember 1979 ? Tell me what happened over the next 10 years.

    MIke K (90939b)

  32. Organizing is not just the “Chicago Way.” It’s the smart way. The GOP was a lot stronger when it organized weekly meetings under Grover Norquist.

    You’re trying (and failing) to make something sinister out of commonplace organizing. By contrast, the GOP has basically stopped functioning at the national level. And polls show Americans are aware.

    Myron (63d912)

  33. Organizing is not just the “Chicago Way.” It’s the smart way.

    Yes, I’m certainly glad those trains run on time.

    Tell me Myron, do you profit from this ‘organizing’?

    What’s sinister is the use of financial coercion to silence not only dissent, but open discussion. If you can’t see the problem in that practice, you’re either unintelligent or on the take.

    Apogee (f4320c)

  34. Let it be noted, that I can’t be bought – a long-term lease at favorable rates is possible, though.

    AD - RtR/OS (f5b734)

  35. to make something sinister out of commonplace organizing.

    Yes, we all realize that massive co – ordination of one unified message between allegedly “objective” media outlets on multiple platforms is completely normal, along with the threat of denial of financial assistance if they don’t tow exactly what the party line is of the moment.

    Are you a parody of something?

    Dmac (49b16c)

  36. This is okay because the are advancing Teh Narrative. They have pure intentions.

    JD (410197)

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  38. And how did we know the “low tax” and “strong defense” messages would work?

    Comment by Brad S — 4/10/2009 @ 10:48 am

    Because people have experienced it. You really haven’t heard of Ronald Reagan?

    By the way, I’m getting a kick out of Jane Hamsher, Natural Born FAILer.

    Jim Treacher (796deb)

  39. YOU PEOPLE ARE DELUSIONAL!

    PLEASE GET BACK ON YOUR MEDS!

    THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS DEAD1

    Natasha Williams (50b5d1)

  40. […] signs we typically see at a leftist gathering. It seems the left is accusing the right of what they themselves are guilty of […]

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