Jason Lewis spewing lies about the war-mongering Vets for Freedom fiasco

[Minnesota Raindog]

According to failed congressional candidate and Rush Limbaugh wannabe Jason "Loser" Lewis, EVERY classroom in Minnesota displays a Wellstone bumper sticker or sign and is run by the Sierra Club and the "Democrat" Party. So according to the Gospel of Loser, that's why the kids at Forest Lake High School need to hear the pro-war preachings of the GOP-connected Vets for Freedom and their presidential groupie cheerleader Michele Bachmann. You can hear his lunatic ravings archived here (all three 3/25 segments):

http://www.ktlkfm.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=jasonlewis.xml

Isn't this asshat violating air pollution laws with this crap? One thing's for certain--I bet his Viagra jones is as big as Rush's.

There was a silver lining though. Democratic Underground--or as Loser calls it, "Democrat Underground"--got a bit of free publicity out of this episode!

[CatholicEdHead]

1. He is desperate for ratings isn't he

There is a reason KSTP-AM dropped that model as they were loosing too much money with low ratings. Now Clear Channel can take the losses.

[loveable liberal]

2. Jason Lewis= Operation Yellow Elephant!!

Another chickenhawk I bet.... 

[Avidor]

3. Jason Lewis Goes After Private Citizen

...and D.U.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDaK8YJHXw

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Lots of plugs that actually go to the wrong spot

He is so used to using "Democrat" instead of "Democratic", the talk is "DemocratUnderground.com" which goes nowhere. It makes good radio but is not accurate. But that is Lewis trying to protect Bachmann.

[Minnesota Raindog]

5. A Google search of "Democrat Underground" turns up DU on the first hit

So if The Loser was trying to keep from giving DU free publicity, he failed, just like his congressional race in Colorado, and his KSTP radio gig. It shouldn't be a big problem for Jason's listeners to find DU.

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Cool, maybe my username can get a plug tomorrow from Jason

:evilgrin:

[Demrock6]

12. A friend of mine said "know your enemy"

And encouraged listening to some right wing radio. I heard of DU from Michael Savage and have been here since. Welcome Jason Lewis lurkers!

[annm4peace]

8. Yellow Elephant.. I love it. !!!!!!

Real Elephants are probably smarter than Republicans

[loveable liberal]

10. there is a great sticker that i have...

but couldnt figure out how to paste.... its a yellow elephant, peeing itself stating "Operation Yellow Elephant" and then below the elephant... "Because Ranting is safer than Enlisting"

I dont know who created it, but it sure is funny...

[Minnesota Raindog]

11. The Operation Yellow Elephant sticker came from Jason Lewis' home page

http://operationyellowelephant.blogspot.com/

[Mister Ed]

7. "Vets for Freedom/Donatelli Group & the Swift Boat Connection" at sourcewatch.org

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom/Donatelli_Group_%26_the_Swift_Boat_Connection

An internet search for "Vets for Freedom" + fundraising arrives at a donation page bearing the same logos and information as other VFF web pages.
However, the web address is that for DonationReport.com...

...which belongs to eDonation.com, a member of The Donatelli Group, a fundraising company that has raised campaign funds for the Republican National Committee, Republican National Convention, Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., John McCain, the NRA and an exhaustive list of Republican members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as other political organizations.

The Donatelli Group, which produced the RNC website, also created the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website July 30, 2004, with Connell Donatelli Inc. (a.k.a. The Donatelli Group) as Registrant. Connell Donatelli Inc. was also listed as both Administrator and the Tech Organization for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website.

It only takes a couple of minutes to find this stuff. I don't expect Jason Lewis or Katherine Kersten to have the journalistic integrity to do that sort of homework, but geez, you'd think KARE 11 or KSTP 5 could put some minimum-wage staffer on it for half an hour or so.

The point is that, unlike Iraq Veterans Against the War, this is not a spontaneously-formed grassroots organization of patriotic vets. The genesis of one of these front groups more typically goes like this:

1) Beltway political hacks come up with the idea and start shopping for contributors.
2) Lobbyists for corporations that benefit from the war provide deep funding.
3) Spokesmen are recruited from the ranks of returning war vets.
4) The show goes on the road.

It's a can't-lose proposition for pro-war propagandists. If people buy the spiel, great. If people object, then the right-wing sound machine will get lots of mileage out of it, ranting about America-hating liberals depriving our veterans of the First Amendment rights they fought so valiantly to defend, etc.

Bottom line: just follow the money...

[annm4peace]

9. Always beware when they have a nice shiny bus

all you have to do is see their bus and they some Corporate group was behind them.