Corporate Propagandist Secretly Taped Bragging About How He Smears Progressives

[freebuddy]

Corporate Propagandist Richard Berman Secretly Taped Bragging About How He Smears Progressives

AlterNet / By Steven Rosenfeld

October 31, 2014

One of corporate Americas most notorious political hitmen, Richard Berman, whose ugly campaigns almost always rely on smears and fake front groups that hide sponsors identities, has been secretly tape-recorded bragging about his dirt-filled tactics.

Think of this as an endless war, told a group of oil and gas industry executives at a June meeting of the Western Energy Alliance in Colorado Springs, as he sought to raise $3 million for a campaign called Big Green Radicals aimed at environmentalists and fracking opponents. You can either win ugly or lose pretty.

Bermans remarks were secretly recorded by an attendee who gave them to the Center for Media and Democracy. His speech was filled with the inflammatory rhetoric and bruising tactics that he has used for decades in corporate propaganda campaigns to smear, discredit and destroy public-interest causes and groups. As a lengthy profile in AlterNet detailed, Bermanlabeled Dr. Evil by CBSs 60 Minutesis known for pioneering a toxic mix of front groups, distortion-filled attacks, ridicule and bullying to stoke prejudice and hatred as a means of turning public attention and regulators away from clients business practices.

Berman has gone after a whos who of progressive causes: fast food workers seeking raises, advocates pushing for higher minimum wages, any union organizing effort, lawyers defending the right to a trial by jury, animal rights groups concerned about treatment of animals; environmentalists worried about mercury in fish, nutritionists worried about trans fat in diets, physicians worried about how high-fructose corn syrup induces obesity, and more. He came to Colorado this past June to build on a new anti-fracking campaign that already has run aggressive ads in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C., CMD reported.

Bermans speech was peppered with examples of how he has fought to win.

I get up every morning and I try to figure out how to screw with labor unionsthats my offense, he said. Im just trying to figure out how I am going to reduce their brand. He then gave an example, showing school children holding a mock election to imply that union elections are no different. If you want a video to go viral, have kids or animals, he said. Use humor to minimize or marginalize the people on the other side.

Berman explained that he is not aiming to sway visceral first impressionswhat he called public judgments.

"Public judgment is when the public decides that they want to vote for somebody or not vote for somebody even across party lines based on some facts," he said. "Public judgment goes deeper than public opinion. When you achieve public judgment about something, especially something that you are not in favor of: you're willing to tax it, you're willing to ban it, you're willing to put warnings on something. That's when you get public judgment, and the political process won't go that far until there is public judgment about something."

Berman said that there are all kinds of ways to do this. He said that selectively using a fact to provoke a cynical response works best, which he said can be combined with mocking a target. Bermans colleague, Jack Hubbard, said they especially like to tear down celebrities who endorse causes.

There is nothing the public likes more than tearing down celebrities and playing up the hypocrisy angle, Hubbard said, pointing to a billboard they had made mocking actor and filmmaker Robert Redford for his environmentalism. It said, Demands green living flies on private planes.

Berman said he was in the business of reframing public judgments, and if they could not win an argument for their clients they were happy to plant doubts to leave questions lingering. "I'll take a tie any day if I'm trying to preserve the status quo," he said.

Berman also told to the room of energy executives that he could easily hide their money if they bankrolled his campaignsbecause of easily used legal loopholes. He repeatedly boasted about how he could take checks from oil and gas industry executiveshe said he had already collected six-figure contributions from some of the executives in the roomand then hide their role in funding his campaigns, the Times reported.

People always ask me one question all the time: How do I know that I wont be found out as a supporter of what youre doing? Berman said. We run all this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity. People dont know who supports us.

Berman also bragged that he didnt mind his reputation as a rogue political operator.

They [opponents and critics] characterize us in a campaign as being the guys with the black helicopters, he said. And to some degree, thats true. Were doing stuff to diminish the other sides ability to operate.

http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/corporate-propagandist-richard-berman-secretly-taped-bragging?paging=off&current_page=1

[Ghostsof1915]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

[BanTSN]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[Tearloch7]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

Very well stated ..

[Brick Tamland]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

It works to we'll to get fired for. It's not legal but money talks.

[hockeyfan87]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

Um, many, many, many people slammed the Republicans for introducing the Patriot Act. I think after being President for six years it's more than fair to slam Obama for the same thing, after all he did sign extensions to the act, something he originally campaigned against before he became President. If you don't know what type of President Obama is by now then I feel sorry for you. He isn't about the people, being progressive, liberal, or open-minded. That was only part of the image that was successfully created for him. I hate wolves, but a wolf in sheep's clothing (which is what Obama is) is still a wolf.

[2SKATES1STICK]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

lol its called capitalism.

[drummer4now]

lol its called capitalism.

What does your DP mean?

Also even though it's capitalism doesn't necessarily mean its morally correct.. Making money off peoples death is a horrible practice.

[Common sense]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

You mean like this post that you typed out 7 hours ago?

[2SKATES1STICK]

What does your DP mean?

[Lancaster]

What? Why no posts about Progressives attacking those centre-right?

[Kragar]

What? Why no posts about Progressives attacking those centre-right?

Because the post is barely worth discussing? Ooooo, there are political "hitmen" out there, doing sneaky things to put down the other side. "The sky is blue, water is wet..."

This is just a weak attempt to rabble-raise the progressive supporters, when in fact there are slimeballs on both sides of the politcal pendulum.

I'm just surprised that no one to this point has called out that this article is based on something "secretly taped". Isn't that illegal?

[hsedin33]

lol its called capitalism.

Capitalism has it's flaws that's for sure. There is also this other thing called compassion for your fellow man. Weird eh? Oddly enough, people who live their lives with some compassion and kindness seem to lead much happier lives and are surrounded with much better people.

[drummer4now]

Capitalism has it's flaws that's for sure. There is also this other thing called compassion for your fellow man. Weird eh? Oddly enough, people who live their lives with some compassion and kindness seem to lead much happier lives and are surrounded with much better people.

Preach!

[RUPERTKBD]

I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone that there are professional dickwads out there and that they do immoral things in order to further the agendas of clients. (who are also professional dickwads, just of a higher order)

[freebuddy]

An example of the business is war mentality. This type of behaviour should not be condoned, and people who do these tactics should be fired.

I'm also seeing all over youtube, neo-cons slamming anything that is remotely liberal or just open-minded, or logical.

We're living in very dangerous times. I see people putting out BS attacks on Obama, but they never slag Republicans for putting in the "Patriot Act" which subverts due process. (How's that for Orwellian Thought Speak?)

Orchestrated by well funded right wing think tanks.

[ronthecivil]

We could do a similar article about how greenpeace and other green groups are soliciting money to launch a legal and propaganda war against pipelines, right on down to donating enough money to local municipal elections to have the issue hijack the conversation, even when local municipalities have no power over the decision.

Not only ever side, but every special interest will have organizations devoted to collecting money to go out and not only slam the opponents of their ideas but also tie up the courts wherever they can.

Heck, some go on to talk about how their opposition is slamming their ideas, and using dirty (same as their own, but on the other side, for shame!) tactics and go on to put in a plea to give some money to fight them back! To fight fire with fire!

Of course, nobody would hijack say, oh, a hockey discussion board to do something like that, would they?

Oh, wait...........

[freebuddy]

We could do a similar article about how greenpeace and other green groups are soliciting money to launch a legal and propaganda war against pipelines, right on down to donating enough money to local municipal elections to have the issue hijack the conversation, even when local municipalities have no power over the decision.

Not only ever side, but every special interest will have organizations devoted to collecting money to go out and not only slam the opponents of their ideas but also tie up the courts wherever they can.

Heck, some go on to talk about how their opposition is slamming their ideas, and using dirty (same as their own, but on the other side, for shame!) tactics and go on to put in a plea to give some money to fight them back! To fight fire with fire!

Of course, nobody would hijack say, oh, a hockey discussion board to do something like that, would they?

Oh, wait...........

Are they using smear tactics like this guy is? Do you not want Greenpeace or other environmental groups to stick up for the environment, or do you prefer global warming?

[ronthecivil]

Are they using smear tactics like this guy is? Do you not want Greenpeace or other environmental groups to stick up for the environment, or do you prefer global warming?

Everyone uses smear tactics. Check out CDC. Heck, check out some of your own posts.

Heck, check out this very one. Apparently if I don't want Greenpeace to wage a legal/political war on pipelines etc. then I want global warming. If that's not a "either your with us or against us" type mentality then I don't know what is.