Yesterday, Chris broke a story exposing a memo by a lobbying firm with ties to House Speaker John Boehner: an $850,000 proposal to target Occupy Wall Street. The memo, written by K Street firm Clark, Lytle, Geduldig, Cranford, is a quintessential example of Wall Street interests seeking to use their money and their access to influence the outcome of elections and legislation.
The story got a lot of attention. And as things snowballed yesterday, we kept coming back to one question: what else is out there? Did CLGC pitch this same plan to other clients? Are there more plans like this circulating in Washington?
Here's where you come in: if you have access to evidence of organized political or corporate pushback to Occupy Wall Street, please share it with us. We're pretty sure that the memo Chris exposed is not the only such document out there. If there are more, we'd all like to know.
To get hold of me, send me a direct message @kenolshansky. Thank you for your help.
Ken Olshansky is a producer for Up w/ Chris Hayes.
Leave a Comment:
If there are politicians involved, wouldn't the Freedom of Information Act help a skilled journalist expose the corruption?
Rachel Maddow gave us a heads up on Friday night that Chris would have something important to tell us on MSNBC--and I can't find it! She said 8 or 7 am would be the time. Did I get that wrong?
go to the top of this page and choose the clip: "Story of the Week (exclusive): Lobbyists Target Occupy Wall Street"
That's the story Rachel was talking about.
Have fun.
You might want to follow up on a CNBC story
Oil Executive: Military-Style 'Psy Ops' Experience Applied
Published: Tuesday, 8 Nov 2011 | 1:35 PM ET
Text Size
By: Eamon Javers
CNBC Washington, DC Correspondent
Rachel Maddow did give us a heads up
Love her show and really enjoy Chris Hayes...
Thank YOU Rachel and Chris for bringing this forward!
I rcommend Chris's show and blog to all my Maddowblog homies and homegirls!
The memo, written by K Street firm Clark, Lytle, Geduldig, Cranford,
is a particularly interesting development. This type of revelation
creates perturbations in the system that can not be dampened. This is
a target rich environment for Anonymous. This coming election cycle is
going to be historic in a variety of never before seen ways. I intend
to be very active. Together the people will foster the unfolding of a
new world.
Not least will be the Occupy Movement's reaction to voter suppression efforts already in the works as a result of the Red Flood of '10. This will push radicalization to some critical mass.
Isn't the attempt to counter the OWS demonstrations the exact same sort of activity that the OWS itself is?
Isn't the effort to counter the OWS merely free individuals, exercising their fisrt amendment rights and the right to associate, just like the OWS protestors?
I don't make an issue out of the fact that the OWS movement is exercising their rights. I don't support them breaking the law, any more that I would support any protesters breaking the laws of our cities, and of private property, but they have every right to protest within the law.
As always, being a major first amendment supporter, I fully support your right to object to the effort to counter the OWS protests, and to organize an effort to fight back. But you should not be surprised when some citizens in a free society, with first amendment rights, decide to assert their rights to express their opinions of the OWS protest, and protesters, and to vigorously oppose the OWS. Welcome to life in a free country.
Its ratf*cking of the sort J.Edgar Hoover provided and Richard Nixon used.
You are thinking of Wikileaks, and evidently forgetting just how popular Julian Assange is, or the factthat we still have an American soldier in lockdown in Quantico for leaking details of the Iraq War to the press.
Here's another point, these are lobbyist for corporate entities and political operatives. These are not private citizens exercising their right to free speech. Citizens United was criminally wrong, it legalizes money laundering - and law-making is not a citizen's right to freedom of expression.
Ratf*cking by any other name still stinks.
You say:
"The story got a lot of attention. And as things snowballed yesterday, we kept coming back to one question: what else is out there? Did CLGC pitch this same plan to other clients? Are there more plans like this circulating in Washington?"
What else is out there? Could be a lot out there. Why? Because of the first amendment. What is wrong with "what else is out there"? Can you explain that to me?
Oh my gosh, freedom is breaking out all over! What shall we do?
Great idea, really dumb implementation.
Ken, YOU have to be following a person in order for them to DM you. How are you going to know you have to do that before they can send you a tip?
Yes, you need a very secure way of receiving these tips. Start a insider tip blog that allows people to post graphics, pdf, attachments, etc.
@MicheleHappy1
Great idea, really dumb implementation.
Ken, YOU have to be following a person in order for them to DM you. How are you going to know you have to do that before they can send you a tip?
Yes, you need a very secure way of receiving these tips. Start a insider tip blog that allows people to post graphics, pdf, attachments, etc.
@MicheleHappy1
Who Plans to Attack OWS?
Accusation:
Oakland police dept (OPD) conducted a covert operation sending black block vandals to justify police crack-down on OWS peaceful protesters during the General Strike Nov 2nd. (This is speculation that I don't have the resources to prove and leave up to you or the ACLU of Northen CA.)
The black bloc vandals during Oakland's OWS General Strike Nov 2nd have been falsely assumed to be common thugs who are members of an anarchy group with a penchant for vandalism. But if you review the extensive footage that day you'll see for yourself that they aren't thugs, they do not support OWS and they carefully push back protesters who oppose their professionally planned & coordinated vandalism. OWS will NOT succeed if black bloc vandals are allowed back in.
All of the following FACTS can be seen in the video or audio recordings; nothing is speculation:
1. Putting their arm out to stop onlookers from getting involved
2. Bear-hugging or pushing away the most vocal opponents to vandalism
3. Like a pack of wolves they help comrades escape when one of their own has been apprehended by opponents
4. Hitting opponents on the shoulder so they lose focus and feel intimidated
5. Comrades assigned to promote a false mood of normalcy stand and walk calmly while 6 people are tearing apart a fence and 2 people are shouting "No violence!!!"
6. Holding a baton horizontally to slow the crowd so vandals can move out ahead
7. Hand signals to indicate the operation is complete and move on
1. Assigned roles: vandalize, crowd control & coordinate
2. Most carried LOTS of equipment concealed in knapsacks or under their jackets
3. Hid their vandalism tools: 2 foot spray paint can, hammers, paint balls and sling shots
Possible approaches to proving the police conducted the covert vandalism:
2. When a guy with an orange shirt chased a vandal blue-shirt bear-hugged him and held him back.
3. When the guy with the yellow helmet tried stopping the vandals from breaking Whole Foods' fence the guy in the blue shirt grabbed him again and pulled & pushed him back away.
4. Find any link or association he had with the police: Phone calls, training, previous employment, payments or friends in the PD.
Other video sources of black bloc vandals during OWS's General Strike Nov 2:
Primary HD video of black bloc vandals at Whole Foods:
Video pointing out professional crowd control at Whole Foods:
Short video of spray painter and his assistant hiding behind the black bloc's banner:
Black bloc vandals fight the peaceful protesters trying to put the fire out:
Crowd control by holding a baton horizontally & pushing opponents back:
Sincerely,
Keith1776
My links were removed, so here are the search terms instead:
Oakland acting police chief Howard Jordan infiltrates peace group in 2003:
NPR: Oakland Police Spy on Anti-War Group
Primary HD video of black bloc vandals at Whole Foods:
Youtube /watch?v=zz22OvY6FTY
Video pointing out professional crowd control at Whole Foods:
Youtube /watch?v=IszZLaBqR_0
Short video of spray painter and his assistant hiding behind the black bloc's banner:
Youtube /watch?v=E3HvGV3D1VU
Crowd control by holding a baton horizontally & pushing opponents back:
Youtube /watch?v=rqoFR1MPSH0&feature=related
Black bloc vandals fight the peaceful protesters trying to put the fires out:
Youtube /watch?v=aZMlbU8LNGs&feature=related
Sincerely,
Keith1776
Thanks man. Ugliness.