Who Is Ellie Light?
Obama czar Cass Sunstein recently wrote a paper suggesting that:
…the Government make secret payments to so-called “independent” credible voices to bolster the Government’s messaging (on the ground that those who don’t believe government sources will be more inclined to listen to those who appear independent while secretly acting on behalf of the Government).
Now comes news that one “Ellie Light” has published a pro-Obama letter in 47 newspapers in 23 different states. The Cleveland Plain Dealer caught on to the apparent astroturfing, but Patterico has done a good deal more legwork in showing just how far this astroturfing has gone.
Editors all over the country found Light’s message strangely compelling. It was reprinted at The Politico; the Philadelphia Daily News; the San Francisco Examiner; the Washington Times; and a USA Today blog. In addition, the letter has appeared at literally dozens of small-town papers across the country, with names like the Los Banos Enterprise, the North Adams Transcript, and the Danbury News-Times.
Ms. Light always claims to be a local in these letters. Her real estate holdings are apparently prodigious, as she has claimed residences in Philadelphia, PA; Daly City, California; Mansfield, Ohio; Waynesboro, Virginia; Algoma, Wisconsin; Bangor, Maine; and dozens of other places. Who said Obama supporters were all downtrodden?
It certainly seems as though the public is owed an explanation as to who this “Ellie Light” is. A hardworking, independent citizen activist who has been extremely successful in getting her words printed around the nation? Or a government operative of the sort Sunstein suggested should exist to promote the government’s agenda at the expense of the taxpayers?
Tags: Asshats, Domestic Issues, Politics
