Homeland Security disowns(* appointee's) PR plan

[maddezmom]

Homeland Security disowns PR plan
'90-day Strategy' sought to play up success on border
By SCOTT HIGHAM and ROBERT O'HARROW JR.
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - A Bush political appointee in the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection bureau drafted and distributed a public relations strategy designed to "change perception" about the nation's security by repeating the message, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, that America is safer.


The "90-day Strategy" lays out a detailed media plan to "push information out," "maximize" the media and "brand" the border protection agency as a model of counterterrorism operations.

"Reassure the citizens of the United States," says the strategy, which was presented five weeks ago to public affairs officials for Customs and Border Protection regional offices around the country.

"Repeat the message. Repeat until we are completely exhausted by it."

This week, the chief public affairs officer for the border protection agency disavowed the 90-day strategy document and said it was never approved by senior officials.

more: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2872087

pg A-13 in my morning paper :eyes:

[shaolinmonkey]

1. This entire administration is little more than a marketing plan.

It's like they're selling f*cking Cheerios or Viagra.

Govern the country you idiots. We can make up our own mind. You don't buy government, there is no "brand space" for democracy. And most of all, you shouldn't act as if our government has a profit margin.

I hate this crap. 4 more days...4 more days...

[Inland]

3. Well put.

[Peanut Gallery]

10. Good post

n/t

[maddezmom]

2. WaPo link here:

~snip~
James M. Loy, deputy secretary of homeland security, dismissed the document as an unfinished draft and a "piece likely produced by well-meaning, enterprising public affairs folks." A copy of the three-page strategy obtained by The Washington Post is not labeled as a draft.

Loy and Murphy said they were unaware of any details about the document. They said they did not know that it existed or had been distributed to field officers until reporters contacted them this week.

The two officials said that politics played no role in writing the document, and that senior homeland security and White House officials knew nothing about it. Other documents from the same public affairs office take note of the campaign season by listing the dates of the presidential debates alongside radio interviews and media appearances by high-ranking Homeland Security officials.

Murphy said the debates were listed for planning purposes.

"If there's an announcement that you need to communicate and the public needs to know about, you need to know when the debates are," he said. "If you're going to make an announcement, you're not going to make it on that day."

~snip~
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7445-2004Oct28.html

[Village Idiot]

4. Drink the Kool-Aid...

honestly - you will feel better after...America is safer, Shrubby is the best president ever, Afghanistan and Iraq have been "liberated"...

This administration might as well be peddling crack to children...


GO KERRY, GO!!!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. No, the crack peddling to children, that was 41's style....

they are beyond that, this is serious mindfuck stuff.

[Bandit]

6. That is the GOP mo ...... repeat and repeat til it becomes true

Repeat a lie often enough pretty soon people will think it's true.

[tanyev]

7. What was Jon Stewart's comment on that?

Something about this administration fighting terrorism with repetition. I'll have to go back and look at TDS clips.

[Supersedeas]

8. Repeat....repeat....repeat until exhausted (how innovative)

[maddezmom]

9. kick...everyone feeling safer under * today????