'DON'T VOTE' billboards anger activists

[Robbien]

BY PATRICK CONDON

Associated Press

A series of billboards around the Twin Cities that brazenly declare "DON'T VOTE" have angered civil rights activists.

Fifteen of the billboards have sprung up in Minneapolis, St. Paul and its suburbs in the last few days. Several are in areas with large minority populations, including the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, leading the NAACP and other groups to criticize even the suggestion that citizens shouldn't exercise the right to vote.

"This is a highly sensitive election season, and to put it in areas like the Phillips neighborhood, that's a minority community that's been disenfranchised enough," Brett Buckner, NAACP branch president in Minneapolis, said Friday. "I don't care what kind of campaign this is, that community's been through enough."

The billboards are owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc. Lee Ann Muller, the company's general manager for outdoor advertising in Minnesota, wouldn't say who is paying for the billboards, but said it's a "teaser" campaign and its full meaning would become clear soon. I made the judgment call that the end of the campaign has value and a positive message, positive benefits for the community," Muller said.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/9814942.htm?1c

there goes Clear Channel again saying we know what is best for you. Yeah, right. I am sure Clear Channel has the best interest of minorities at heart.. . Not!

[wellst0nev0ter]

1. They Had Only Repuke Ads On The Area's Only Hip-Hop Station

Two years ago, which of course were targeted at blacks, so don't count me as surprised.

[not systems]

2. Just don't put a dove and a bomb on it and it is fine.

[shraby]

6. Someone should add Republican

to the end of the message...Don't vote Republican.

[sally343434]

3. GABBO!

GABBO!

[Gregorian]

4. Don't laugh. I so predicted a no voting campaign, that I made a t-shirt

Months ago, on another forum, I made this in photoshop. Bush is stranger than fiction.

[AndyP]

5. It's clear channel. Anyone surprised? <nt>

[bluedeminredstate]

26. Why do they hate America?

It's soooooo obvious, they hate us for our democracy and they hate us for our freedom!! (I suspect they also hate us for "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Will and Grace".)

[Dickie Flatt]

7. Calm down.

First off, note that the article says Clear Channel "wouldn't say who is paying for the billboards." So we can't just say that CC made these ads; yes they own the billboard, but that doesn't mean they produced the content on it. And the fact that these, AFAIK, are only appearing in Minnesota, and just in the Twin Cities area, tells me that this is probably something local.

Second, this is not a campaign to drive down voter turnout. Nobody is going to see this billboard and say, hmm, a big don't vote sign, well I guess I won't! People aren't that stupid. And from what I've heard about these ads, they are designed to promote voting. This is the first part of a series of ads designed to encourage people to vote.

I hate Clear channel as much as the next guy, and whoever's behind these ads maybe should have thought it out better, but I think we can lay off the hatin' on this one.

[Robbien]

8. When anything has Clear Channel's endorsement

"Hatin" is the recommended course. They spread hate throughout the nation through their hate-filled right-wing talk shows and limit access to anyone who does not follow the right-wing agenda.

"Hatin" is Clear Channel's middle name.

[Dickie Flatt]

11. We should wait

Like I said, this is a pro-voting campaign. Will we still be hatin' when it is complete?

[Robbien]

16. Standard GOP tactic. Wait until we are ready to tell you

And we will only tell you if we feel like doing so, when we feel like doing so and if we feel you are worthy of any explanation. But just wait. We know best so STFU and wait.

[fishwax]

35. If it is a pro-voting campaign

it appears (based on all the "mystery") dependent upon the outrage it sparks initially ... so even if that's the case, getting up in arms about it now will still help in the long run.

Besides, anything involving cc is worthy of suspicion.

[w4rma]

43. "Don't vote" = "pro-voting campaign"? How Orwellian. (nt)

[saigon68]

58. Right Wing Hate Radio == RWHR

Can't turn on an AM station anymore without a 24/7 attack on Dems, liberals,Kerry, blacks,the poor, gay men, lesbians, etc

Who the hell listens to this shit ??

[rinsd]

62. I not so sure anymore....

It seems CC has been more in pursuit of the almighty dollar than anything else. The fact that a few AAR stations are CC owned(after the debut) tells me that.

It doesn't make CC all warm and fuzzy but I think the "They're evil" meme is a bit overwrought.

[ret5hd]

9. maybe you are right, but...

you say:
Nobody is going to see this billboard and say, hmm, a big don't vote sign, well I guess I won't! People aren't that stupid.

i say:
well, stupid isn't the word i would use. But the field of mass psychology is pretty well understood nowadays. Advertising works. And Clear Channel, of all people, surely recognize this. It is how they make their living. It is their product. If advertising didn't work, that billboard wouldn't be there to begin with. They know goddamned well what they are doing.

[Dickie Flatt]

10. Well...

what "they" are doing? Do you know CC paid for and produced this billboard, or are you just speculating? Yes, they own the billboard space, but slamming CC over this billboard is like attacking NBC for producing the new "Progress" for America ads.

[ret5hd]

13. Do I take it you acknowledge that...

advertising is effective across the IQ spectrum?

And admittedly, it is not known (by me anyway) who "they" are, but whoever "they" are, they know exactly what they are doing, and "they" realize it is effective, or "they" wouldn't have paid for it. And Clear Channel is not shy about squelching political messages that it does not agree with, so it follows that they (Clear Channel) agrees with this political message, so, at best they (Clear Channel) are in bed with "they", which really makes them the same "they", doesn't it?

[dqueue]

22. so...

A quick search (for "Don't Vote" "ad campaign") produces a link to the Advertising Council. Does anyone have a picture of the billboard? Want to compare fonts? colors? I am merely being speculative.

What is the political affiliation of Advertising Council? This press release indicates they have worked closely with the whitehouse.

<tinfoil hat>
Are they psy-ops?
</tinfoil hat>

Seriously, though, Laura Rozens post last week is curious...

It seems the Advertising Council does work with the military...

It seems there is a lot of interrelation between the Adveristing Council (formerly the War Advertising Council search for War Advertising Council)) and the Fed.This page, too. (search for Lynne Cheney).

Okay, I'm done now... I'm curious for feedback.

EDIT Please keep this thread alive until the source of this advertising campaign comes clear.
Sorry. Links fixed. <sigh>

[ret5hd]

25. first off...

every one of your liks has one too many "http//" 's in the link.

Still reading.

[Robbien]

29. Interesting

The Laura Rozens post paints a very dark picture of the BushCo propaganda wing. She focuses on Iraq, but it does appear the same cast of characters are involved in every endeavor of this WH.

[dqueue]

47. I had found...

I had found a link with a picture of a billboard in Minnesota; now, I can't find it! In any case, it doesn't seem to match the PDF posted on the Advertising Council website. Hopefully it doesn't all tie back to them.

At this point, I'd prefer a little tarnish on my tinfoil hat, because this election year seems all too surreal.

[Amigust]

17. These billboards will turn away voters, regardless of what they say later.

If you think they won't keep some people away from the polls, you just don't know very much about human psychology.

[Orangepeel]

40. please explain how

I know a little bit about human psychology and I don't see hw these billboards will keep anyone away from the polls. Why would they? It isn't subtle enough to work subliminally, doesn't provide any excuse that can be used to justify staying home, and is much more likely to generate reactance, IMO, if it were to do anything at all.

[Amigust]

49. There are a lot of *potential* voters in such target communities

who are already either so turned off or just plain discouraged about their ability to ever make a difference, or for that matter, to even have their votes counted, that seeing "the system" once again so openly and blatantly discouraging them is all they need to make them decide to not participate in "the system's" election in November. The message does not have to be delivered subliminally in order to have an increasingly corrosive affect on a target voter's confidence and will to fight back.

But then, maybe these billboards will have no more influence on the minds of target voters than the word "VOTE" would have, if that was the message. Or than the influence of any other snippet suggestion, like "BUY" or "BUY NOW" has in an ad.

It would be great to see the billboards as a rallying point to energize these target communities to get out the vote, and I hope that's what they become, but I've learned not to wish for too much.

[jobycom]

23. Given the role the media has played in recent elections, and that it's

Clear Channel, owned and founded by a buddy of Bush's, as I recall, I don't think it's wrong to be suspicious first.

The Clear Channel station here in Austin runs promos for the Rush Limbaugh and Neil Boortz shows. In these promos, they run clips from the shows claiming that if Kerry is elected, more people will die. They claim it's just to advertise these shows, but you can't tell me they aren't trying to give Bush free advertising.

Notice that the first installment of these ads comes just before the cutoff for voting registration in most places, in heavily Democratic regions where the Republicans have done shifty things with the vote in the past? Notice that they are in minority sections, which the Bush team is known to target for supressing the vote? Did I mention that Clear Channel is owned by a Bush buddy? It's not a media outlet, it's an advertising department for Bush.

No, I think we can be very suspicious. You watch and see if this doesn't turn out wrong, somehow. The second installment will get lost, the second installment will regretably come out just after the voter registration deadline (Oh, we are so sorry, we didn't think of that!).

Suspect and accuse first when it comes to criminals that have proven to be criminals. Make them clear their name, don't do it for them. They have not earned our trust or our forbearance-- quite the opposite.

[Kinkistyle]

28. Sounds cool. Lets do a "Enslave Negroes" ad campaign!

You see, its just the first part of of a series of ads designed to ENCOURAGE minority civil liberties. Ingenious, ain't it? :eyes:

[Art_from_Ark]

33. And after that, a "Bring out the white hoods and gowns" campaign,

to encourage, oh I dunno, community involvement? :shrug:

[KittyWampus]

12. Someone's Been Posting "Vote/Don't Vote" Flyers Here In NY

since this is a series I suggest DU'ers not fly off the handle until the series is completed.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Clear Channel has a very clear record of supporting rightwing causes....

....and attempting to intimidate DJs, on-air personalities like Howard Stern, and recording artists like the Dixie Chicks.

IMHO, a negative reaction by DUers to anything Clear Channel does is probably more than warranted.

[Robbien]

24. But each Vote/Don't Vote piece of the series

delivers a complete message in each part of the series.

Clear Channel is telling minorities not to vote.
Why, you ask? Wait, says Clear Channel.

[Columbia]

15. Wait, let me get this straight

"Civil rights activists" want to shut-down another's right to free speech? Huh? :wtf:

[Robbien]

19. Civil rights activists do not want a propaganda campaign

used on their members which is telling them to act against their best interests.

[expatriot]

20. No. "Civil rights activists" disagree with the campaign and want

to know who is paying for the campaign. they disagree with the content, the message and think it is wrong.

[OutInTheBack40]

48. Does anyone have a right or need to know who is paying?

I was always taught that free speech needs no permission to be exercised. There is nothing stopping someone that wants to counter this message with their own message. They could even be more creative with it.

[Raster]

60. And what about the anti-$hrubco crowd's free speech????

Will Clear Channel accept "DUMP BUSH" or "ReDefeat BUSH?"

[Kadie]

18. Don't Vote for bushie! n/t

[Eric J in MN]

21. It's probably reverse psychology to encourage voting (nt)

nt

[2Design]

27. another attack on kerry I am sure from clear channel

[area51]

30. "don't vote" campaign

I vaguely remember that this campaign was done in Houston a while back. Billboards were used (@ least some of which were in minority neighborhoods), as well as ads in the Houston Chronicle newspaper. In very small type, the rest of the ad would say something like "uninformed", making the message "DON'T VOTE uninformed". If any Houstonians are reading this thread & remember this, please weigh in with your memories of this.

[Zan_of_Texas]

31. more on Clear Channel

The Vice Chair (or at least last time I checked) of Clear Channel is Tom Hicks. Clear Channel is a radio and media behemoth with over 1200 radio stations, and lots of billboards, concert venues, and related activities. A musician who wants airplay and a place to have a major concert knows s/he better not get on the wrong side of Clear Channel.

Tom Hicks is an old crony of George W. Bush.

Bush, while Governor of Texas, appointed Hicks to a board called UTIMCO, where Hicks got to manage billions in public investment moneys. Trouble is, Hicks claimed, um, the investments were proprietary, and that he didn't have to tell where he was investing. Some of the money went into private placements rather than publically-held stocks and bonds. Some of the money, possibly over $1 billion, went to (SURPRISE?!?!?!) cronies of Bush and Hicks. How did the money do? Hicks said he didn't have to tell.

When Bush was part-owner of the Rangers baseball team, it was Hicks who bought it, and Bush left with around 13 million more bucks than when he started (I think his original stake was $600,000, much of it borrowed).

Tom Hicks is also a principal of a venture capital fund that helped fund privately-owned Hart InterCivic. That is an Austin-based company that in the late 1990s ramped up with $40 million in new investment, to become one of the 4 largest national players in voting machine companies. Hart, like nearly all the others, claims that it doesn't have to tell about its voting machine software because it's proprietary.

[MisterP]

32. UTIMCO!

yet another link in the chains

[Gyre]

34. My guess is that it's illegal

and the ACLU in that area is waiting for a call. Can be construed as unprotected commercial speech, is potentially damaging to the exercise of a constitutionally-ordained right, and hence should be enjoined.

Gyre

[MsMagnificent]

36. Good Old Big Brother

He thinks of everything...

[lexicon089]

37. Come on..

Guys and gals isin't this kind of a non/issue. Anybody who wouldn't vote because a sign tells them not to probably shouldn't be voting in the first place.

[dqueue]

38. Yes, and no...

Anybody who wouldn't vote because a sign tells them not to probably shouldn't be voting in the first place.

How do you extrapolate your logic to cover the 30-40% of polled population who believed Saddam Hussein aided and harbored Al Qaeda and was directly involved in 9/11? That he posed an imminent threat to the US?

We can thank the Nazis for the Goebbellian technique... funny that bushco use it so often.

An interview with the woman from Clear Channel indicated the advertising campaign will be revealed October 11.

Would it be just sickly hysterical if the series reads:

"Don't Vote"
"We got Osama"
"See"

Voila, one October Surprise. heheh

[Amigust]

54. Yes, and maybe we should have an SAT qualifier test to vote,

but that probably ain't gonna happen this year.

We now have millions of Repuke braindeads voting their bigotry, selfishness and hatred.

I, for one, am not willing to say it's okay for a Repuke propaganda machine to use such manipulative tactics on large minority communities.

imho

[dqueue]

39. kick

kick. Does anyone have photos of this signage in Minnesota?

[Thor_MN]

41. There's one on my way to work.

Imagine every political sign you've seen this year. Blue, white and red, some lines and stars, and a big ass "DON'T VOTE." I could snap a pic, but don't have anywhere to post it.

[area51]

50. photos

What about posting photos of the "Don't Vote" signs on photobucket?

[NeoConsSuck]

42. Self-Deleted

...

[JohnnyCougar]

44. if we're talking about young people, this will probably backfire

That would make me more likely to vote. I wouldn't get so worried.

[Starlight]

46. Don't vote...if you have no morals, values or opinions??

I suspect the final part will be some sort of play on...don't vote if you don't care anything about war, taxes, deficit, foreign policy, environment, education, etc. I doubt they are seriously suggesting that people shouldn't vote.

[robcon]

45. Al Sharpton encouraged this a few years ago.

When he lost the primary for NYC mayor, he encouraged his followers not to vote - neither for Bloomberg nor Green.

[Zynx]

51. Republicans don't want people to vote.

[Amigust]

52. You can be sure that with Clear Channel behind it,

it has NOTHING to do with getting these (typically Democratic) target communities out to the polls, but everything with keeping them at home.


"the end of the campaign has value and a positive message"

How many more discouraging suggestions will they make before the punch line? All the damage that is do-able can be done before the punch line, and they can say as a whole it was a positive campaign because it had a positive ending.

[Carolab]

53. Article & a link to photo

'Don't Vote' -- a sign to read and to ignore?
Terry Collins, Star Tribune
October 3, 2004 DONT1003

Caught a glimpse of those "Don't Vote" billboards appearing across the Twin Cities this week?

Does the request exactly one month before a highly anticipated Election Day make you want to say: "Huh? What's up with that?"

Lee Ann Muller, president of Clear Channel Outdoor, which is running the billboards, said the provocative message does not involve a political party nor is it a candidate's new slogan.

"You can speculate all you want," she said coyly. "It's meant to draw attention, and it has. That's about all I can say."

While keeping mum on the sponsor, Muller will admit that the signs are "teasers," which typically give bits of a promotion away. She said all will be revealed Oct. 11.

The strategy isn't new. Eye-catching "teaser" ads go back at least two decades. (Remember those Porsche Boxster ads featuring an empty highway with tire marks streaking off into the distance?)

Tom SweeneyStar TribuneMuller said she is surprised by the quick reaction to the signs, especially because the concept was presented to her less than two weeks ago.

"My immediate response was 'No!' But we changed our minds once the entire campaign was laid out to us," Muller said. "We think the final message will be positive, and that's the only reason we allowed it at all."

Clear Channel Outdoor sales manager Chris Cockerill said he received a dozen calls or e-mails on Thursday about the signs and expected a similar total -- if not more -- on Friday.

Connie Beckers, 49, of Minneapolis, e-mailed Cockerill to complain that the signs send a bad message, especially with Minnesota being a battleground state.

"I don't like it," she said Friday. "There might be a sarcastic twist in the end, but it probably won't matter because there's only going to be a small population that's going to get it.

"We need people to get out and vote."

Clear Channel Outdoor is no stranger to teasers. Two years ago, the advertiser left motorists in the Twin Cities wondering for weeks who exactly were the "Ugly Kids." They turned out to be Clear Channel subsidiary KDWB (101.3 FM) morning show host Dave Ryan and his former sidekick, Angi Taylor. Muller said this time around, the end also will justify the means.

"We feel that this will be good; that much I will give away," she said. "Hold tight."

Terry Collins is [e-mail].

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5012647.html

[dqueue]

56. Thank you!

Thanks for posting the photo. I had seen that article before, then lost it.

[Raster]

59. Tear down those billboards. Paint them over. Deface their message.

Clear Channel will do anything to keep $hrubco in power. Paint guns. Paint balloons.

[TheWebHead]

55. contact info

[e-mail]

Clear Channel Outdoor
3225 Spring Street Northeast
Minneapolis , MN 55413
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[gatlingforme]

57. Thanks for the link - sent him a very nice msg.

[jackieforthedems]

61. Where Exactly Are These?

I live in the Twin Cities and haven't seen one!