Know thy adversary
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a right wing, neo-liberal, corporate funded think tank we've all heard of, but I've never looked at their site until today. Their history page is a primer for how to gut environmental protections and consumer safety regulations in ten easy lessons. The scary part is they're so slick, the average Jake is going to believe slick jive like these two very engaging commercials.
For the real life version of their history, you might want to compare the CEI version to the one at Source Watch that fleshes out some of the details that give it more context. A look at their funders should resolve any doubts one might have about where their loyalties lie.
One bit of trivia though was news to me; Michelle Malkin received a fellowship grant from them in 1995, when she was working at the Seattle Times as a columnist. Wasn't that about the time she denounced her "liberal roots?" They used to say you can't buy good press...
For the real life version of their history, you might want to compare the CEI version to the one at Source Watch that fleshes out some of the details that give it more context. A look at their funders should resolve any doubts one might have about where their loyalties lie.
One bit of trivia though was news to me; Michelle Malkin received a fellowship grant from them in 1995, when she was working at the Seattle Times as a columnist. Wasn't that about the time she denounced her "liberal roots?" They used to say you can't buy good press...
posted by Libby Spencer at 3:34 PM
11 Comments:
reminds me of "republican for environmental advocacy". I saw their president getting her ass kicked by Byron Dorgen and john Mcain on C Span a while back. Apparently, the woman Ms Italia Federici (a really beautiful name wasted) was using her connection to former secratary of the interior gail norton to get big bucks from aabramoff and his clients. Dorgan and Mcain had a kind of good cop / bad cop routine.
Occasionaly they have funny stuff on that channel!
Lester
I love Italia. She's my favorite character from the Abramoff scandal. Although I have to admit it was a disappointment when she opened her mouth and started talking like a raspy Long Island New Yorker. I expected dulcet tones with a continental accent with a name like that.
the name "republicans for environmental advocacy" doesn't exactly reak of legitamacy
No, that's up there with the Blue Skies Act.
I agree with anon. Anything with Repub and environment in the same sentence should be questioned.
that sourcewatch link is scary. the donors list is massive as is the list of total mental patients earning a living off whatever it is they do their. There are a handful of libertarians like James Bovard and a couple guys from Reason magazine. The rest are dumb articles and books like "the myth that there are any republican caused problems" etc. "exposing the myth: something"
We should all go get jobs at one of these places
Lester
I agree Patricia and anon, you got that right too. It's so easy to be a right winger. All you gotta do is repeat the daily talking points that someone else thinks up.
The scary thing about CEI is the average Jake is not going to check on the funders and these guys do the skepticism thing really well. Heck, people quote these guys all the time.
I'm serious. how hard could it possibly be to be a shill for, say, the defense industry? I bet you could get a job using this blog as you sole reference. write one article a year.
There was some clown on TV today comparing Gore's film to a Nazi propaganda film. As if the oil industry is some persecuted minority. How dumb do you have to be for fall for that?
the him. is that arch hall jr in your avatar.
I know you're serious anon. I believe you. It would be easy. I could do it with my eyes closed but unfortunately my principles won't allow me to shill for goons and miscreants, no matter how much money is in it for me. Otherwise, I'd be rich by now.
Thehim, I've been seeing the Gore bashing going around. Did you watch the commercials at the link? They're basically saying use more fossil fuels and pollute the air because it's good for you. But they say it so nicely, it almost sounds true...
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