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Ellie Light: Obama Astroturfer?
POSTED AT 6:01 PM ON JANUARY 23, 2010 BY PATTERICO
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Someone appears to be doing a little Astroturfing for Obama.
In recent days, a letter defending Obama has appeared in dozens of newspapers throughout the country all signed by an Ellie Light. In the letters, which all use identical language, Ms. Light explains that Obama never promised to fix all our problems quickly or painlessly. She declares:
Today, the president is being attacked as if hed promised that our problems would wash off in the morning. He never did. Its time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president cant just wave a magic wand and fix everything.
Editors all over the country found Lights message strangely compelling. It was reprinted at The Politico; the Philadelphia Daily News; the San Francisco Examiner; the Washington Times; and a USA Today blog. In addition, the letter has appeared at literally dozens of small-town papers across the country, with names like the Los Banos Enterprise, the North Adams Transcript, and the Danbury News-Times.
Ms. Light always claims to be a local in these letters. Her real estate holdings are apparently prodigious, as she has claimed residences in Philadelphia, PA; Daly City, California; Mansfield, Ohio; Waynesboro, Virginia; Algoma, Wisconsin; Bangor, Maine; and dozens of other places. Who said Obama supporters were all downtrodden?...
Remember who told ya that from day one.
Radio's the first one on the case.
Wouldn't be surprised if this were true. Goodness knows it would just be another way that Obama is no different than Bush or any other politician. Change indeed.
Remember who told ya that from day one.
I learned my lesson quite well. It was just another thing to add to the list when Obama supported the RIAA the other day in a $650,000 file sharing case. But at this point, it no longer surprises me.
Radio's the first one on the case.
Wouldn't be surprised if this were true. Goodness knows it would just be another way that Obama is no different than Bush or any other politician. Change indeed.
Difference between Talk radio and the rest of the press is a very clear one:
Radio's the first one on the case.
Wouldn't be surprised if this were true. Goodness knows it would just be another way that Obama is no different than Bush or any other politician. Change indeed.
Well, the mystery may be over. A woman who said her name was, in fact, Ellie Light called this morning into the radio show of Michael Smerconish, a national talker based in Philadelphia who has been friendly to Obama, to clear things up.
"I'm only me," she said, identifying herself as a traveling nurse who works for 13-week stretches at hospitals around the country, and whose primary residence is in Southern California.
"I need to own up I did misrepresent my home town in some places," Light told Smerconish. Her logic in faking the addresses is one familiar to advocacy groups: "If I thought it was written by a neighbor of mine, I would give it more credence."
Light mused on why the letter was so widely circulated: "My letter was pretty darn good. It took a long time to write. I took more interest in honing it than most people take today."
"I don't know why others are not making the observation that, Why are we all abandoning the president we so adored so quickly?" she said.
R-R-R-Resurrection!
Ellie Light speaks - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com
Well, the mystery may be over. A woman who said her name was, in fact, Ellie Light called this morning into the radio show of Michael Smerconish, a national talker based in Philadelphia who has been friendly to Obama, to clear things up.
"I'm only me," she said, identifying herself as a traveling nurse who works for 13-week stretches at hospitals around the country, and whose primary residence is in Southern California.
"I need to own up – I did misrepresent my home town in some places," Light told Smerconish. Her logic in faking the addresses is one familiar to advocacy groups: "If I thought it was written by a neighbor of mine, I would give it more credence."
Light mused on why the letter was so widely circulated: "My letter was pretty darn good. It took a long time to write. I took more interest in honing it than most people take today."
"I don't know why others are not making the observation that, Why are we all abandoning the president we so adored so quickly?" she said.
