`Vets For Freedom' Creates Stir (GOP front group endorses Lieberman)

[Pale Blue Dot]

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-senate0815.artaug15,0,1333902.story?coll=hc-headlines-home

Connecticut's U.S. Senate race continued Monday along its unpredictable way: The White House declined to endorse the nominee of state Republicans - and a new "Vets for Freedom" group with ties to the GOP advertised its backing of incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is waging an independent campaign for re-election after losing last week's Democratic primary.

The group's full-page ad Monday in The Courant created an immediate stir: Former Democratic State Chairman George Jepsen, a top adviser to Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont, said the ad showed that "national Republicans, in their effort to help Joe Lieberman, clearly have a well-laid-out strategy to attack Ned Lamont."

<snip>

The paid message was placed by the Virginia-based Vets for Freedom Action Fund, established last month under Section 527 of the federal tax code as a nonpartisan organization "to communicate with the public on veterans' issues and the war in Iraq."

The group has high-level Republican connections. It has used a public relations firm that includes Taylor Gross, a former White House official, and receives volunteer advice from GOP strategist Dan Senor.

[Tin Man]

1. Vets for Freedom, Swiftboat Veterans for Truth - notice the similarity?

Coincidence? I think not...

[fedupinBushcountry]

15. Simililarity and more

Fundraising: 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 (https://www.donationreport.com/init/controller/ProcessEntryCmd?key=D1I9J9C3Q2) (plus an extension code for VFF).

The connection for the DonationReport.com website (http://www.donationreport.com) arrives at a Login (https://admin.donationreport.com/init/controller/LoginView) page?requiring both a User ID and Password?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 <13> (http://www.campaignline.com/webedition/page.cfm?pageid=401&navid=51), 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. <14> (http://www.campaignsolutions.com/contents/clients/)

The Donatelli Group, using its "primary segment" Campaign Solutions <15> (http://www.edonation.com), is associated with Creative Response Concepts, the public relations firm that advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the "organization that accused Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record" during the 2004 presidential campaign. <16> (http://committeeforjustice.org/cgi-data/news/files/72.shtml)

The Donatelli Group, which produced the RNC website <17> (http://onepeoplesproject.com/site/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=488), also created the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website July 30, 2004, with Connell Donatelli Inc. (http://www.connelldonatelli.com/) (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. <18> (http://mailgate.supereva.com/soc/soc.veterans/msg45136.html)


much more >

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom#Fundraising:_Swift_Boat_Connection

[Tin Man]

16. Good stuff there at SourceWatch

From the SourceWatch piece:

Wade Zirkle, a decorated Marine lieutenant who served two deployments in Iraq, is executive director of Vets For Freedom. He said Lieberman is the first of several candidates the group, which was launched earlier this year, hopes to support," Brian Lockhart reported (http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.vets2aug15,0,4908456.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines) August 15, 2006, in The (Stamford, CT) Advocate.

I found it interesting that executive director Zirkle of VetsForFreedom is a former USMC lieutenant - the second lowest rank among commissioned officers. WTF? Couldn't the neocons find anyone with a modicum of rank to fill the role, even a run-of-the-mill major? Maybe VFF had to settle for Zirkle because more senior officers recognize how fucked-up Neocon policy (and VFF advocacy) truly is.

[Monkeyman]

18. They are funded by the same people I posted a warning

[4bucksagallon]

2. Vets in the republican party, WOW this is news.

I would have to check to make sure they REALLY were vets not rear echelon office types. Everyone knows that republicans don't fight.

[tanyev]

3. "Volunteer advice" from Dan Senor.

And I'll bet Danny boy receives a few "unsolicited" expressions of gratitude--envelope full of cash, expensive gift, luxury golf weekend, something.

[Zhade]

24. Anyone else find it ironic that pro-war lieberman is getting money...

...from a group that consults with Dan Senor, the b*s* criminals' spokesliar for the Iraq atrocity?

[xchrom]

4. republicans are not going to lwt this go easily.

and using vets is part and parcel of republicans being determined to run on the war.

never mind that these are swiftboaters -- beltway dems -- dem party machinery have not done enough to discredit these tapeworms in eyes of the public -- and so to too many people these folk carry street cred.

[eccles12]

5. "Volunteer advice from Dan Senor?"

Know your enemies: Notice the neocon-AIPAC link and the Today Show links

"Daniel "Dan" Senor is currently working as a crisis management and communications strategy consultant with his newly founded firm, Senor Strategies. Senor also appears regularly on Fox News. He previously served as spokesman and senior advisor to United States Presidential Envoy Paul Bremer, when he was Administrator of the Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority. Dan was born in upstate New York. He went to high school in Toronto, Ontario earned his B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and worked previously for the Carlyle Group (2001-2003). He also held a number of posts in the office of former Senator Spencer Abraham, R-MI.

In September 2004, the White House employed Senor to coach and ghostwrite the speeches of Iraq's interim prime minister Iyad Allawi during his visit to the US, in an effort to enhance the Bush reelection campaign. At the same time, Senor appeared on cable news programs asserting that Allawi's positive remarks (vetted by him) supported the Bush Administration's rosy view of the Iraqi occupation.


Senor married Campbell Brown, anchor of the weekend edition of The Today Show on NBC, on April 2, 2006, in Colorado <1>. His sister is Wendy Singer Senor, who runs AIPAC's Jerusalem office <2>."

Wikipedia search.

[saigon68]

9. He's a NeoCon Prostitute when he's not on his knees

Servicing the Chimp

[badgervan]

27. Are They All Authentic Vets?

Someone should get a hold of their complete roster and check it against DD214's on file with the VA. Whenever I see a veteran, especially enlisted, work as a repub operative, I want to scream. What part of the word "manipulation" don't these vets understand? All they have to do is examine what the bushies are DOING to veteran's benefits and funding, as opposed to what they SAY they are doing. This administration has been cutting vet's programs and funding for six years now. Just check out the waiting list to get in a VA facility - in some cases, 5 or 6 years is the norm. Talk to a VA doc, ask them if they have a manageable case load - or if they are forced to see too many patients per day. "Vets For Freedom", indeed. Freedom for a few to make a lot of money off the rest of us.

[Tin Man]

10. I can hear the AIPAC $$$ flooding coffers of VetsForFreedom as we speak

from the Courant article:

The Vets for Freedom Action Fund was registered with the IRS last month - about six months after the group Vets for Freedom was established - to support election of "pro-mission" candidates. Lieberman is the first, Zirkle said.

So-called 527s are political organizations set up under a section of the IRS code regulating nonprofit groups. They are not bound by federal rules on who can contribute or how much. They are required to disclose contributions and expenditures but file their reports with the IRS instead of the Federal Elections Commission.

[BigDDem]

6. In other news...

Mothers for Apple Pie have also endorsed Joementum.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Vets who hate Vets

and tow the fascist propaganda line, only too happy to trash honorable vets in the service of Commander AWOL and Dick "Five Deferments" Cheney.

Probably getting propaganda pointers from Rush "Anal Cyst Draft Dodger" Limbaugh.

These so-called "vets" are lacking in honor.

[onehandle]

17. They need to get their asses to Iraq.

If they have combat experience, they need to go and help out.

Well? We're waiting.

[Rambis]

8. "We need to get rid of these 527's" GWB

unless they are not doing your bidding right *?

[sabra]

11. ad here:

[zreosumgame]

19. whaddayaknow a lie in their first ad

the 'non-partisan' part...no surprise, and little doubt that will be the mark of all their propaganda to follow.

[Clark2008]

12. If Campbell Brown reports on this, we should complain

to NBC and point out her conflict of interest.

Liberal media, my ass.

[cyberpj]

13. Where are the messages from our "Band Of Brothers"??

"We are called by various names. Air America and the Daily Kos call us the “Fighting Dems”, Mother Jones calls us “The Capitol Brigade” and Draft Zinni dubs us “Security Dems”. I call us the “Band of Brothers”. We are the Democrats’ “secret weapons”. We have five core things in common: we are veterans, we are Democrats, we are strong on national security, we believe our nation is headed in the wrong direction -- and we are running for Congress to put America back on course."

more:
http://fightingdems.america-patriots.com/

I guess it always comes down to the "they have more money" bottom line, doesn't it?

[cyberpj]

20. By the way - whoever does this site needs to remove Paul Hackett -

I wonder what the status is on the other "Brothers"...

[KansDem]

14. "Non-partisan"?!?!?

:rofl:

[classysassy]

21. Joe

you should go silently into the night.

[grilled onions]

22. Demo Plants?

It seems to me that if the Repubs want him IN that he is more useful to THEM then US. It's these kind of PLANTS we need to weed out of our political landscape. If THEY like him then he/she must be working on their side of the street more then ours.

[struggle4progress]

25. Vegetables for Lieberman!

[Zhade]

23. So now lieberman's Nader - without the progressive leanings.

DEFINITELY can't promote that loser here now!

[bronxiteforever]

26. Connecticut about to get a taste of Southern Red State Roveian Hospitality

You know, hide who you really are, say your a vet group but be a GOP springboard. Just wait to go negative and BTW don't argue your Iraq plan BECAUSE YOU DON"T HAVE ANY. Just like your morals.
Does Connecticut want to be a Southern GOP bitch this november or is it a New England state?
That is the question.

[HuffleClaw]

28. 'leading non-partisan' bwhahhahahhaaaaa

what a crock. this will only help lamont.