SBVT publicist group aids Oliver Stone's new movie

[TayTay]

From the NYTimes site: (Registration required.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/movies/27stone.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=login

Odd Bedfellows Align to Market Film About 9/11

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

Source: The New York Times
Date: July 27, 2006
Section: Business/Financial Desk; SECTA
Page: 1

LOS ANGELES, July 26 -- Oliver Stone, that symbol of everything about Hollywood
that conservatives love to hate, is getting help in marketing his newest movie
from an unlikely ally: the publicity firm that helped devise the Swift boat
campaign attacking John Kerry's Vietnam record in the 2004 presidential race.

And so Mr. Stone, the director of the antiwar movies ''Platoon'' and ''Born on
the Fourth of July,'' now finds himself sharing something in common with a
group of Vietnam veterans who insisted that their comrades who demonstrated
against the war were misguided, misled or traitorous.

Mr. Stone said that he knew nothing of the firm's political work until he was
contacted by a reporter on Wednesday. The director's ''World Trade Center,'' a
largely factual drama about the rescue of two police officers from ground zero
after the 9/11 attacks, is to be released on Aug. 9 by Paramount Pictures. But
it is already drawing rave reviews in some unlikely quarters.

L. Brent Bozell III, president of the conservative Media Research Center and
founder of the Parents Television Council -- best known for its campaigns
against indecency on television and for stiffer penalties on broadcasters --
called it ''a masterpiece'' and sent an e-mail message to 400,000 people
saying, ''Go see this film.''

[TayTay]

1. CRC: Blast from the Past

TURNPIKE AUTHORITY DROPS PUBLICIST FIRM HAD WORKED FOR ANTI-KERRY GROUP
Boston Globe, THIRD, Sec. Metro/Region, p B1 12-11-2004
By Globe Staff Frank Phillips

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, facing the wrath of state Democratic leaders, yesterday canceled the contract of a Washington, D.C., public relations firm that during the presidential campaign worked for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked John F. Kerry's Vietnam war record.

A spokesman for the authority last night said the agency had decided that it no longer needed the services of Creative Response Concepts and its senior vice president Mike Russell, after just three weeks on the job. Russell handled the firm's work for the swift boat veterans, whose multimillion-dollar ad blitz in battleground states was a key element in undercutting Kerry's candidacy.

In a statement that reflects the deep bitterness about the swift boat group's tactics, a Kerry spokesman blasted the decision to hire Russell and his firm, calling it "just the latest breathtakingly stupid decision by the Republicans in charge of the Big Dig."

"Do they have so little respect for Massachusetts taxpayers that they believe the answer to years of waste, fraud, and abuse is to lavish more taxpayer money on a discredited partisan hack to spin the Big Dig?" said David Wade, Kerry's press aide, after the news circulated that the firm had lost the contract. "Will the taxpayers get a refund? Add this to the list of serious questions Matt Amorello must answer before the only reasonable verdict is that, like Mike Russell, he doesn't have a shred of credibility left."

More at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/12/11/turnpike_authority_drops_publicist/?rss_id=Boston%20Globe%20--%20City/Region%20News

[whometense]

2. oh. my. god.

It never ends, does it? And how is it possible that Oliver Stone would hire some publicist at random without even checking their credentials? Ok, I guess it's possible, but bless David Wade for letting his "bitterness" show. They should discredit these amoral assholes as often as possible till no one can deny they knew...

[TayTay]

3. Hey Whome, as a Mass-soul, enjopy this moment

Amorello resigned this morning under pressure. Watching him twist in the wind the last few weeks has been, ahm, a bit enjoyable.

Why? From the same Globe article mentioned above:

Turnpike officials acknowledged that Russell's role with the swift boat veterans was known to Amorello, a former Republican state senator, and his aides when they approved the three-month contract. But in a statement, the authority said it was looking to the firm for public relations expertise; the company's client list includes some of the country's top corporations.

Amorello, a confirmed Republican and former pal of Andy Card, knew who CRC was. They hired them as a reward for what they did in '04.


You are a much sweeter soul than I am. I love seeing these people take the hit. I friggin love it.

[whometense]

4. hah.

I'm not so nice. I loved that David Wade statement.

I'm delighted to see the Globe actually printed the section you quoted above. The only fly in the ointment is that seeing Amorello resign will make Mittens happy, and I don't like to see that.

[TayTay]

5. Mittens appointed Amorello

Give it time, honey, give it time. All things come out eventually.

[karynnj]

6. With all Romney's comments on Amorello,

I assumed he had to be a holdover or that that position was not appointed by the governor. What a hypocrite! (I called him by his name in case "mittens" is reserved to MA people.)

[whometense]

7. Nah - you're welcome to it.

I just came across this delicious article about blogger payola in the right wing, involving Romney and especially McCain. Evidently there's considerable backstabbing going on between their supporters. :D : http://tks.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YmVjN2Y1YzEzMDdmZjcwY2I0ZGNhZDEyMzVlMGQ0MmY=

Just writing a blog post on it. Next time some wingnut starts screaming about Kos...

[karynnj]

8. Interesting

CrushKerry? McCain really is a good friend.

[WildEyedLiberal]

9. "It's safe, we promise!"

Pushed by Governor Mitt Romney's administration, Massachusetts assured bond holders this year and last year that Romney's transportation officials were conducting ongoing safety examinations of the Big Dig tunnels, even though their only review was completed a year ago and was limited to a tunnel in the Interstate 93 section.

snip...

But, according to MassHighway officials, the department completed a single safety inspection, ordered by Romney in March, and wrote a report by July 2005. Its 25-page report concluded that the ``Central Artery tunnel poses a minimal risk to the users of the facility." It based its finding on a review of Big Dig documents and a field inspection of the I-93 tunnel on June 16, 2005.

http://www.boston.com/news/traffic/bigdig/articles/2006/07/27/state_told_investors_safety_tests_ongoing/?page=1

Now let's see if the local columnistas can stop fellating Mittens long enough to point out that he has been negligent, too.

[whometense]

10. I'm not holding my breath. n/t

[WildEyedLiberal]

11. Did you see the HILARIOUS Chimes at Midnight post about this?

Bandwagon Brian McGrory climbs back into the Mitt Romney Special without so much as a by-your-leave. You wouldn't mind so much, but him, Vennochi and Lehigh (who'll be licking Mitt's Hush Puppies before the weekend's out I assure you) are groveling at the Viceroy's feet on the basis of a few press conferences and some pro-forma photo-ops featuring Kerry Healey standing offside to the Governor mutely gazing at His Excellency with bovine adoration.

Other than that we aren't talking about any great managerial breakthroughs with the current Governor, nor will we given the fact that no matter what it becomes someone else's problem in just seven short months.

But these guys are all easily swayed by superficially dramatic things like press conferences etc...being shameless as well, all their carping begruding criticism of our absent and inept governor is now forgotten as they writhe on the floor in a compulsive bid to ingratiate.

http://chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/2006/07/bandwagon-brian-mcgrory.html

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

This was my favorite part:

...some pro-forma photo-ops featuring Kerry Healey standing offside to the Governor mutely gazing at His Excellency with bovine adoration.

:rofl:

[Blaukraut]

14. That is too precious!

Elias has a way with words, to be sure :rofl:

[ProSense]

12. That's going to be a whopper of an investigation

if the truth comes out!

07/19/2006
Senate Committee Passes Kerry Amendment on Big Dig Investigation

BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today offered an amendment to the National Transportation Safety Board authorization bill that passed the Senate Commerce Committee.

The amendment directs the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General to launch an independent investigation looking into the Big Dig’s contractors and the public agencies that oversaw their work to determine whether poor planning, construction, and oversight led to last week’s tragic accident.

“We need to ensure that those responsible for the design and construction of the collapsed tunnel will be held accountable,” said Senator Kerry. “An independent investigation is the best way to guarantee there are no politically fueled motives. It’s high time we get to the bottom of this.”

The amendment also calls on the DOT-IG to oversee investigations by the state and the Federal Highway Administration as well as any future investigations, and requires the IG to conduct a comprehensive safety review of the entire project.


###

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=258939

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2728619&mesg_id=2728619

[TayTay]

13. 'bout time. Kerry only started pushing for this ten years ago.

I am pleased beyond words to see this. I hope they call former Gov Celucci and Weld to the stand. I hope they spare no one and get to the bottom of this. A lot of federal money went into this and the American taxpayer has a right to know where the money went. (And it would be a hell of a take, let me tell you. All the dirty laundry could come out. Gee, I wonder how Mittens feels about bringing in the feds?)

[Blaukraut]

15. Finally!

Maybe they finally have to stop passing the buck and stop trying to blame the Mass. Dems, Kerry, and Kennedy (yes, beleive it or not, some idiot radio host was trying to place the blame on our Senators for the Big Dig mess). I mean, if you have Bechtel as one of the main contracting firms, there's a problem already.