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Title: “Rent a Crowd” Company Admits Politicians Are Using Their Service (AstroTurf - grassroots)
Source:
LibertyChat.com
URL Source: http://www.libertychat.com/2015/06/ ... cians-are-using-their-service/
Published: Jun 16, 2015
Author: Ian Cioffi
Post Date: 2015-06-16 15:13:42 by Hondo68
Keywords: None
Views: 1415
Comments: 3
Did you listen to Jeb Bush make his announcement yesterday? Did you hear loud cheers from a crowd that seemed excited at the prospect that there could be another Bush as President? Was I the only one confused? I don’t know one person who doesn’t threaten to leave the Country if it’s Bush vs Clinton for President again. Can’t imagine folks actually excited and cheering for Jeb. It got me wondering, would someone like Jeb, or another candidate that’s been struggling like he has, hire a crowd? Pay people to attend their rallies to make them seem like their gaining in popularity? We have seen Hillary Clinton stage appearances, knowing ahead of time the people she’d interact with. Would a staged rally be out of the question for a struggling GOP candidate? According to “Crowds On Demand”, not at all. Crowds on Demand is an American publicity firm. It claims to be the only “rent a crowd” service, providing its clients with the ability to hire actors to pose as fans. I decided to contact them, pretending to be an employee of a GOP candidate running for office. Their Founder/CEO, Adam Swart, responded. Here is our exchange… Me: “I saw your case study on foreign candidates but has your system proven to work in U.S. politics? Adam Swart: We have worked with dozens of candidates in the US primarily but not exclusively Republican. Mostly they are candidates who suffer from lack of enthusiasm/turnout at rallies and in need of a ‘game change’ (sorry, that’s a loaded term now!). The candidates have been primarily congressional/senate candidates. We’ve only worked with one (serious) presidential candidate thus far. I have found our approach has led to increased poll numbers and, in many case made the margin of victory for a few reasons: Poster Comment: Rent-a-Bushbot?
At the next Jeb rally, someone should see if Barbara was paid by Crowds on Demand. After all, she did say we’ve had enough Bushes in the White House. Why suddenly change your mind?$?$ 
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
Of course they are. Both sides do it. How many on FreeRepublic are paid to post on there? How much is JR paid to direct editorial policy? It's all under the table and as far as I know, it is legal.
No wonder election campaigns are so expensive. How much does it cost to rent 100 or more people and ship them off to a site so that a close-in camera scan can produce the impression that there is a whole world of people screaming support for a bone-head candidate? The candidate with the most money can rent the biggest crowd simulating mass support and enthusiasm.
I see that Trump is being accused of renting his own Astroturf, by a long-time enemy. I don't see any proof but there were at least a few actors in that crowd, it seems. Of course, this is the kind of thing you can do if you're rich. Really, really rich, as The Donald would say.
Rent-a-Bushbot?
#2. To: hondo68 (#0)
(Edited)
“Rent a Crowd” Company Admits Politicians Are Using Their Service
#3. To: hondo68 (#0)
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