Mystery as IDENTICAL letters appear in 21 newspapers across 12 states slamming Trump's Supreme Court pick – and they're all signed by different people

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

[h=2]Mystery as IDENTICAL letters appear in 21 newspapers across 12 states slamming Trump's Supreme Court pick – and they're all signed by different people[/h]

At least 21 U.S. newspapers ran identical letters to the editor opposing President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week
Each letter was published with the name of a different 'signer,' claiming Kavanaugh threatens 'everything that we hold dear as a nation'
Technique is known as 'astroturfing'; it's unclear who's behind it
One editor says the woman who appeared to have emailed him the letter now denies ever sending it
Three prominent liberal advocacy groups that oppose Kavanaugh's nomination have all denied involvement in the campaign.
The White House is shrugging off the technique, whose history includes similar campaigns from the Republican Party and the liberal MoveOn.org

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is going into the Supreme Court confirmation process with a hail of rhetorical arrows zinging by him, including a phony letter-writing campaign aimed at unsuspecting American newspaper editors
At least 21 papers were duped last week, including big-market brands like the Dallas Morning News and The Washington Times. They ran identical letters over a four-day period, each signed by a different person.
The effort is an example of public-relations 'astroturfing,' a technique meant to simulate genuine grassroots support for an idea or cause.
The form letter is one small piece of the message minefield erupting around Kavanaugh as he prepares for a brutal confirmation process that will end with scant support from Democrats.
It begins by declaring that 'Brett Kavanaugh is the wrong choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. If he is confirmed to the Supreme Court, everything that we hold dear as a nation will be at stake.'

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Judge Brett Kavanaugh is going into the Supreme Court confirmation process with a hail of rhetorical arrows zinging by him, including a phony letter-writing campaign aimed at unsuspecting newspaper editors

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

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The Washington Times published this letter on Wednesday signed by a woman from Frederick, Maryland, the first of at least 21 instances of the same letter running in four days.

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

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The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio printed the same letter on Friday, signed by a person claiming to be from the suburb of Westerville

GasMan · Jul 15, 2018

Almost better than watching cock roaches scurry in the cereal cabinet when the light goes on

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

The Dallas Morning News quickly deleted the letter from its website after DailyMail.com emailed its opinion editor, who said it had not yet run in print

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

It warns that he could be a swing-vote on the high court 'that takes away our rights' and awards new levels of political influence to 'mega-donors with extreme agendas.'
Three of the newspapers contacted Friday by DailyMail.com later removed the letters from their websites. Two, the Morning News and the Union Democrat of Sonora, California, publicly explained why.
In an email Saturday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah shrugged off the practice as inconsequential and amateurish.
'I suppose that’s a clever way to ensure message discipline,' he said, 'but we think most Americans will see through these tactics and be impressed with Judge Kavanaugh’s sterling record and qualifications.'
Richard Lodge, editor of The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, Massachusetts, said Friday after hearing from DailyMail.com that he called the apparent 'signer' of the letter his paper ran, and '~~he said she didn't send it.'~~
~~The woman recalled receiving a phone call from an anti-Kavanaugh activist asking her to sign an online petition against him days before the letter was sent in her name.~~

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

The Union Democrat in Sonora, CA and The Express Times in Easton, PA both took the letter down on Friday afternoon

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

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Delaware's largest newspaper, The Wilmington News Journal, was successfully targeted by an Allene Goodfellow

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

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Democrats have been holding more traditional protests to vent their opposition to Kavanaugh, beginning just hours after his nomination last week

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

Lodge said it's likely 'that person or group used it to sign her name and send this astroturf letter to my paper.'
'I got duped, which is embarrassing and frustrating,' he added.
It's standard practice for opinion page editors to call the writers of lettes
Creating the illusion of popular support by littering newspaper opinion pages with phony letters is nothing new.
In 2004 the liberal group MoveOn.org launched a website tool that generated editorial letters for its members promoting the Michael Moore film 'Fahrenheit 911.' All it required was a name, hometown and ZIP code.
The program provided users with sample sentences and a salt-to-taste text editor. Many left the stock message the way it was and clicked 'send.'
The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism's Online Journalism Review reported that the Republican National Committee had the technique down a year earlier.
Using a website called 'GOP Team Leader,' the party offered 'points'– redeemable for merchandise – when their letters were actually published.
Both the George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigns used the technique during the 2004 presidential election cycle.

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

4E43091C00000578-5955289-The_Forum_in_Fargo_North_Dakota_was_so_impressed_withthe_form_le-a-2_1531675537969.jpg

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The Forum in Fargo, North Dakota was so impressed withthe form letter that it ran an enlarged quote from it as a graphic on Thursday

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

The conservative 'Liberty Headlines' blog first took note of the duplicate letters targeting Kavanaugh.
Quin Hillyer, a contirbuting editor at National Review Online who spotted the trend, told DailyMail.com that the 'rather transparent astro-turfing shows that the Leftist intensity against Kavanaugh is not naturally widespread, but instead is manufactured by paid agents.'
It's unclear who those agents are.
Brian Fallon, whose group DemandJustice runs a focused campaign against President Trump's judicial nominees, said Sunday that it's not his organization. 'We have no involvement in this,' he told DailyMail.com.
A representative of Protect Our Care, a group operated by Democratic operative Brad Woodhouse – who, like Fallon, is known for crafting unusual public relations campaigns – said the organization was not involved.
Similarly, a MoveOn.org spokesman also denied involvement.
'While millions of MoveOn members oppose Brett Kavanaugh‘s nomination, the organization did not generate these letters to the editor,' the spokesman said Sunday after this story was first published.
Large outlets that have run the letter since July 11 include The Washington Times (DC), the Boston Herald (MA), The Columbus Dispatch (OH), the Dallas Morning News (TX) and the San Antonio Express-News (TX).
The Grand Junction Sentinel (CO) was a victim, along with The Wilmington News Journal (DE), the Coeur d'Alene Press (ID), The Forum (Fargo, ND) and the Beaumont Enterprise (TX) .
Smaller newspapers that published the letter included the Santa Monica Daily Press (CA), The Union Democrat (Sonora, CA), the Daily News (Newburyport, MA), The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, MA), the Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA), The Times Herald-Record (Middletown, NY), the Daily Reflector (Greenville, NC), The Express Times (Easton, PA), the Republican Herald (Pottsville, PA), The Herald-Zeitung (Brownsville, TX) and the Martinsville Bulletin (VA).

superbeets · Jul 15, 2018

Mystery as IDENTICAL letters appear in 21 newspapers across 12 states slamming Trump's Supreme Court pick – and they're all signed by different people

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