I just want to consolidate some information that started at the "action alert" thread, hoping you might add more.
"Move on for America," run by Stephen Marks, is going to put out some "brutal, hard-hitting ads:"
http://www.moveonforamerica.org/The website indicates this has to do with two (racially-charged) items:
1. Giving Kerry a "Willie Horton"
2. Associating Kerry with Al Sharpton, portrayed as a dangerous hatemonger.
Both are OLD maneuvers that Stephen Marks used in 2000 against Gore, under the ironic name "Americans Against Hate" (I believe a different organization is using that name now).
The person Stephen Marks is trying to make into Kerry's very own Willie Horton is George Reissfelder. This man was *wrongly convicted.*
http://www.amnesty133.org/ai/actionteams/dp/g_reissfelder.htmlHe died in 1991 of a drug overdose.
Mark's hatred for Al Sharpton goes back at least to 2000, as well:
Americans Against Hate, a newly formed group run by G.O.P. consultant Stephen Marks, is up in four states with a spot linking Gore with the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton, says the announcer, admires Hitler (flash to photo of the dictator) and defends rapists and cop killers (video of Willie Horton-style mug shots). The ad asks, "Mr. Gore...what kind of unholy alliance will you have with Al Sharpton?"http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/2000/11/06/stuff.htmlAnd this:
American Against Hate alleges that Sharpton, among other things, once praised Adolph Hitler as "a great man." The ad also shows video footage of Sharpton urging college students to kill police officers.
"We're trying to get these ads out between now and the election to spread the word that the hate in this country is not on the right but on the left," said Stephen Marks, a spokesman for the group. According to Marks, the group is mainly funded by a few big dollar contributors from Tennessee.
"Unlike Bill Clinton, who properly denounced Sister Souljah and other racists in 1992, Al Gore has gone in the other direction and embraced people like Al Sharpton," said Marks.
"It's mind-boggling to me that George W. Bush was properly criticized and had to back away from the Bob Jones , and nobody has taken Gore to task, neither the Bush campaign nor the Republican party," said Marks. "Can you imagine if George W. Bush...praised David Duke and said we should listen to what he has to say and respect him? All hell would break loose," he said. More:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=4227&messageid=972561390It's possible Marks also worked for Pat Buchanan in 1996 -- not sure if it's the same guy.
This was just some cursory research. Please post what you find. Who else is in this group? Who's contributing to it? Looks like a cheap, low-level operation looking for some funding from Merrie Spaeth et al.