ACLU: Poll Shows Americans are Against Spying

hat tip Talkleft



NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS
The poll was conducted by Belden, Russonello & Stewart, a PR firm mega-connected to Democrats and left wing organizations.

Their political client base:

Alliance for a Better California, 2005
"No on Amendment A" South Dakota, 2002
D.C. Councilwoman Kathy Patterson
Cook County Board President
U.S. Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D-CA)
Gore for President Campaign, 2000
"Yes on Amendment E," South Dakota,
Bruce Babbitt 1988 Presidential campaign
Clinton-Gore 1992, New Mexico campaign
Clinton-Gore 1992, November Group, OH
Connecticut Senate Democratic Leadership
U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA)
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democrats for the 90s
Democrats for Montgomery County, MD
U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA)

Their Civil Rights and Liberties client base:

Advancement Project
American Civil Liberties Union
Amnesty International
Catholics for Free Choice
The Constitution Project
IPAS
Justice at Stake
League of United Latin American Citizens
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
National Legal Aid and Defender Association
National Association of Women Judges
New York Immigration Coalition
NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund
Open Society Institute
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Youth Law Center

Oh my, the ACLU is there!!

Also from their site:

Social movements rise or fall on how well they reflect the public's values and appetite for change - whether it is education reform, Smart Growth, indigent defense, biodiversity preservation, death penalty moratorium or defending civil liberties.

Sheer coincidence they found an appetite for change here now isn't it.

Lets look at their team:

Nancy Belden, Founding Partner - In the 1970s, Nancy was active in women's issues and community organizing. She was the public information director for a Planned Parenthood affiliate

John Russonello, Partner- press secretary and speechwriter for House Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter Rodino (D - NJ)

Kate Stewart, Partner - Her work has advanced the goals of many organizations, including the Kendall Foundation, The Biodiversity Project, ACLU, and Amnesty International

Those are the principals, lets seeing some of the folks doing the research:

Chris Jackson, Research Assistant - joins BRS after serving in the Kerry-Edwards campaign as the war room manager and the Kerry primary campaign as the operations manager

Llorin Edwards, Research Assistant - worked for Dean For America as the Iowa Director of Special Projects. In 2002, he served as the Assistant to the Campaign Manager for Senator Wellstone's final campaign

Emma White, Research Assistant - was a field organizer for Dean for America in southeast Michigan

Client A believes in XY and Z.
Client A pays Firm that also believes in XY and Z.
Firm takes money and does 'poll' that shows that everybody believes XY and Z.
Nice work. Now lets get Halliburton to commission a poll.

Of course, this is common in politics, but sometimes it is good to actually see how nefarious this practice is.