Smear Campaign Against Palin may be the work of Professionals

Here is a remarkable investigative piece by the Jawa Report which suggests that the rumors and false allegations about Sarah Palin may have been the work of a professional public relations firm. Although not conclusive, and often hanging on what could be coincidence (e.g., identical alias used in multiple systems), I think the probability is quite high that at least some of the associations will be proven within the next 24 hours. The YouTube video at the source of the controversy has already been removed by its poster although the Google version is still online.

Update: Rusty has re-posted the youtube video and provided a screen capture from the original poster's account (eswinner). The story is going to be huge tomorrow.

Update2: "Eswinner"'s youtube account has been deleted. A related YouTube account, "Gocamerica," that was spreading the lie has now also tried covering its tracks and has been closed. See Michelle Malkin and Hyscience for more. With the criticism the eswinner account was receiving after the Jawa Report story first was published, I figured this would happen and captured screenshots last night [click here and here], shortly after the video was removed from youtube.

The video is professionally produced and appears tied through the user's alias (and other similar evidence) to a Democrat-linked high profile media consulting firm. There are other associations as well which may lead investigators quite close to the Barack Obama campaign.

I'm posting their summary but you'll want to read the entire report:

Extensive research was conducted by the Jawa Report to determine the source of smears directed toward Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Those smears included false allegations that she belonged to a secessionist political party and that she has radical anti-American views.

Our research suggests that a subdivision of one of the largest public relations firms in the world most likely started and promulgated rumors about Sarah Palin that were known to be false. These rumors were spread in a surreptitious manner to avoid exposure.

It is also likely that the PR firm was paid by outside sources to run the smear campaign. While not conclusive, evidence suggests a link to the Barack Obama campaign. Namely:

• Evidence suggests that a YouTube video with false claims about Palin was uploaded and promoted by members of a professional PR firm.


• The family that runs the PR firm has extensive ties to the Democratic Party, the netroots, and are staunch Obama supporters.


• Evidence suggests that the firm engaged in a concerted effort to distribute the video in such a way that it would appear to have gone viral on its own. Yet this effort took place on company time.


• Evidence suggests that these distribution efforts included actions by at least one employee of the firm who is unconnected with the family running the company.


• The voice-over artist used in this supposedly amateur video is a professional.


• This same voice-over artist has worked extensively with David Axelrod's firm, which has a history of engaging in phony grassroots efforts, otherwise known as "astroturfing."


• David Axelrod is Barack Obama's chief media strategist.


• The same voice-over artist has worked directly for the Barack Obama campaign.

This suggests that false rumors and outright lies about Sarah Palin and John McCain being spread on the internet are being orchestrated by political partisans and are not an organic grassroots phenomenon led by the left wing fringe.

Politics aside, if this was the professional manipulation that it appears to be, it is not good for blogs, Left or Right. It undermines their credibility and makes them no better than a propaganda tool become smear merchant for whatever candidate they happen to support.