North Dakota Astroturfing Story Makes The New York Times
A few days ago I posted about ads being run in North Dakota by the Environmental Defense Fund looking pay “activists” to go around with cell phones and convince people to call their congressman in support of cap and trade. That post attracted some mainstream media attention, and today there’s an article about it in the New York Times (complete with quotes from yours truly).
The entire article is worth reading. For my part though, I think it’s interesting that the EDF denies that they’re hiring activists….when their ad specifically used the word “activists.”
Also, a point I stressed to the reporter didn’t exactly come through in the article. That point is that I don’t really have a problem with the EDF hiring activists. A lot of political groups do that, and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with it. It’s just that, given the current political context with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the liberals screaming “astroturfing” and “extremists” every time a few tea party protesters get together, the EDF and other liberal groups actually astroturfing (by the liberal left’s definition) is noteworthy.
Of course, nobody is paying the tea party/town hall protesters to do what they’re doing. They’re motivated by a deep mistrust with those running our government right now. But even if they were being paid, and again they’re not, the liberals have no room to talk about paying activists.
