Official Obama Propaganda Report

Staff Report
U.S. House of Representatives
111th Congress
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Lets see how far this gets.. This report details the methods and resources used by the current administration and compares them to 3 other administrations. Obama clearly took this to an all new level.
Summary

Since the beginning of the Obama Administration on January 20, 2009, ordinary Americans have financed and been exposed to an unprecedented number of public relations and propaganda efforts. Federal spending for public relations contracts rose to historically-high levels during the Bush Administration. Under one-party rule in 2009, the White House used the machinery of the Obama campaign to tout the President’s agenda through inappropriate and sometimes unlawful public relations and propaganda initiatives. Congress buoyed the Administration’s propaganda efforts by increasing federal spending on public relations for the first time since 2005.

The Obama Administration frequently used federal resources to promote the President’s agenda. In many cases, the Administration relied on the reach and resources of federal agencies and their personnel to promote certain of the President’s favorite programs. The White House also leveraged ties to the arts and entertainment community to embed propaganda in the content of television programming and artwork. These propaganda efforts violated appropriations riders and federal law prohibiting the use of appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda purposes.

The White House also used its inherent visibility advantages to multiply the effectiveness of websites containing misleading and controversial information. The White House used its resources to push visitors to websites that urge grassroots activism based on false and misleading information. The President’s right to sell his policy recommendations to Congress and the public is not disputed; however, using the resources of the federal government to activate a sophisticated propaganda and lobbying campaign is an abuse of office and a betrayal of the President’s pledge to create “an unprecedented level of openness in Government.”1

Instead of facilitating openness, the public relations and propaganda activities of the White House have had precisely the opposite effect. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has historically deemed activities involving “covert propaganda” to be unlawful. In those cases, the source of the public relations or propaganda materials did not disclose his or her identity as a federal employee or contractor. Many of the Obama Administration’s propaganda activities are unlawful because they are covert. Furthermore, several programs closely resemble those decried by Democrats and ruled unlawful by GAO during the Bush Administration.

This report examines several of the most visible public relations and propaganda efforts during the first year of the Obama Administration. Viewed collectively, these activities reveal an Administration better suited to campaign-style self-promotion than to providing transparent and honest leadership.

dailycaller.com...

Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, is blasting the Obama administration in a new report, charging the administration has engaged in an “unprecedented” propaganda effort to sell the president’s health care and other policies.

“Under one-party rule in 2009, the White House used the machinery of the Obama campaign to tout the President’s agenda through inappropriate and sometimes unlawful public relations
and propaganda initiatives,” the report says.

Issa’s report cites as evidence for his charges 11 separate episodes where the report says the administration abused taxpayer resources and, in some cases, violated federal law.

dailycaller.com...





[edit on 16-8-2010 by jibeho]

I just read a similar article,and really liked this part:

The Oversight Republican Report documents that Russo covertly attempted to shape public opinion by posting comments on the Internet anonymously, or through the use of a pseudonym, attacking authors or contents viewed as critical of the president, in an effort to shape debate online.

The report concludes, "The deployment of Justice Department resources to generate clandestine comments on message boards and blogs is a highly improper use of the Department's resources."

The report cites GAO rulings stating that covert propaganda violates Title 5 U.S.C. Section 3107 of federal law, which prohibits the use of publicity experts unless specifically appropriated for that purpose.

www.wnd.com...



[edit on 16-8-2010 by On the Edge]

Republicans are trying to say the Obama administration is using propaganda? Quick better put that up on ATS. Sure sounds like a conspiracy.

No, actually it sounds like typical politics. Oh well, death panels, terror babies, socialism, and WMD. Propaganda indeed.

reply to post by Lessinterested


Thanks for your input. Please note that this is posted in the political madness forum and not the political conspiracy forum.

I see that you're new so, if you're searching for conspiracies the forums are labeled as such. Lots to see and read on ATS. There is something for everyone. Enjoy and welcome to the thunder dome.

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by Lessinterested

 

Thanks for your input. Please note that this is posted in the political madness forum

on a conspiracy website.

and not the political conspiracy forum.

of a conspiracy website.

I see that you're new so,

Or at least just recently signed up but may have been reading here for years, not sure

if you're searching for conspiracies the forums are labeled as such.

all over this conspiracy website for conspiracies of all kinds.

Lots to see and read on ATS. There is something for everyone.

Not really. There is something for people into pretty specific things. Updates on LL or Jersey Shore, not so much.

Enjoy and welcome to the thunder dome.

Hope you can read that a little better.

Originally posted by Lessinterested

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by Lessinterested

 

Thanks for your input. Please note that this is posted in the political madness forum

on a conspiracy website.

and not the political conspiracy forum.

of a conspiracy website.

I see that you're new so,

Or at least just recently signed up but may have been reading here for years, not sure

if you're searching for conspiracies the forums are labeled as such.

all over this conspiracy website for conspiracies of all kinds.

Lots to see and read on ATS. There is something for everyone.

Not really. There is something for people into pretty specific things. Updates on LL or Jersey Shore, not so much.

Enjoy and welcome to the thunder dome.

Hope you can read that a little better.

Easy there tiger. No need to get defensive. Not every forum and tpoic within ATS deals expressly with conspiracies. Nice job trying to argue a non issue though. Insults too.. better read about T&C.

You sound familiar??

Originally posted by jibeho
Easy there tiger. No need to get defensive. Not every forum and tpoic within ATS deals expressly with conspiracies. Nice job trying to argue a non issue though. Insults too.. better read about T&C.

You sound familiar??

I was not being defensive at all. I was offering my opinion. This place is ok with me expressing my opinion right? Do I need a certain reg. date or point count to have an opinion? I used to come here all the time back in the day when the front page was mostly UFO pics and strange animals caught on film or something like that, along with the anti-christ, government coverup, knights of the templar lizard people stuff. That was interesting. A thread on how republicans are accusing Obama of using propaganda just does not seem to fit. Do you have threads on how Democrats accused Republicans of things too? That happens in Washington. One side accuses the other of stuff. Hardly an unbiased report. So, no conspiracy, no news, no thing. It looks like more of the same wasteful bickering and troll bait as the mosque threads that cannot get off the front page.
I think if I am arguing a non-issue it is because your thread is all about a non-issue. I was not arguing though. I do not expect to come to an agreement. I was expressing myself.
Insults? What insults?
I sound familiar? My voice is a little hoarse today and I am typing not talking but OK.

Same as this thread?

reply to post by jibeho


Don't let em get you down OP.

Attack the person
Appeal to authority
Wrong direction
Non support

They are ALL the same. Do not dispute the debate issue. Use all possible fallacious arguments.

I have come up with a new one, BTOGDI Syndrome. But the other guy did it syndrome.

The NEW member in questions still falling for the divide and conquer. Some irreconcilable problems with some people's minds. Too many flashy lights.

Best to avoid logical fallacies.

Originally posted by saltheart foamfollower
The NEW member in questions still falling for the divide and conquer. Some irreconcilable problems with some people's minds. Too many flashy lights.

That must be me. I have a question. How am I the one falling for the divide in a thread about how bad the Dems are according to the Repubs?

Originally posted by Lessinterested
Republicans are trying to say the Obama administration is using propaganda? Quick better put that up on ATS. Sure sounds like a conspiracy.

No, actually it sounds like typical politics. Oh well, death panels, terror babies, socialism, and WMD. Propaganda indeed.

As I said earlier.

Attack the person
Appeal to authority
Wrong direction
Non support

They are ALL the same. Do not dispute the debate issue. Use all possible fallacious arguments.

As I said, if you really want to make a difference instead of just pointing fingers, you would ACTUALLY attempt to discredit the assertion.

But instead, use fallacies.

Here is a good link for your future use of them, since we both know that someone here is not going to change-en.wikipedia.org...

Constitutional Libertarian here, no man in the race, so someone in the discussion has a man in the race, wonder WHO THAT IS?!

Originally posted by Lessinterested

Originally posted by saltheart foamfollower
The NEW member in questions still falling for the divide and conquer. Some irreconcilable problems with some people's minds. Too many flashy lights.

That must be me. I have a question. How am I the one falling for the divide in a thread about how bad the Dems are according to the Repubs?

If you dont feel as this stuff is important, then why comment? There still is plenty of lizard people like threads going on....in other subforums tho. Just click that little mouse a couple of times and you will find em.

But, to the op, this stuff always goes on. It does need to stop though, imho. I rather not have the media reporting skewed information. If i wanted to read that, Id read the opinion columns cause thats all it seems to be now a days instead of real news.