Vendaval
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Hi julia,
This article about Sal Russo and the Tea Party was in the L.A. Times a few days ago. Russo is a political professional.
Sal Russo, the firepower behind the 'tea party'
The seasoned strategist, who spent decades handling advertising for Republican politicians, is advancing the movement through Tea Party Express, which has raised $5 million. Some question his motives.
September 18, 2010|By Matea Gold, Tribune Washington Bureau
"There's no question that Tea Party Express, the political action committee Russo runs out of his Sacramento-based firm, is the advertising muscle behind the tea party insurgency. In Delaware, the group spent $236,000 on television and radio commercials on behalf of Christine O'Donnell before last week's Republican primary, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, helping her beat the expected winner, Rep. Michael N. Castle.
Earlier this year, the PAC dropped nearly $600,000 in Alaska on ads that boosted Joe Miller over Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and racked up $944,000 in advertising in Nevada backing Sharron Angle, who hopes to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
As the only tea party group making significant advertising buys, Tea Party Express has become one of the most potent forces in the protest movement. The PAC raised $5.39 million through early August, all in single donations of $5,000 or less, by tapping into a database of supporters that now surpasses 400,000 people.
Much of the group's success is because of Russo, whose political expertise gives the PAC media firepower in its efforts to elect fiscally conservative candidates.
"It's great to blog and have signs and demonstrations, and we do all those things," Russo, 63, said in an interview. "But we believe in changing through the political process."
Sacramento attorney Steve Merksamer, who was Russo's boss when both worked for Deukmejian in the governor's office, said the group had an edge because of Russo.
"A lot of these tea partyers are extremely frustrated Americans who are new to politics," he said. "He's a talented political operative who has been doing this a long time."
But that's exactly what rankles others in the movement, who view Russo and his colleagues as professional GOP consultants exploiting the grass roots.
"These are folks who have done what so many feared would be done: They tapped into the movement to raise money for their own interests," said Mark Meckler, co-founder and national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, an online network of local groups."
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/18/nation/la-na-tea-party-ads-20100919
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RE: Tea Party Radicals - Astro Turf Manipulation - 
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