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HACKED! Lies, Lieberman, and Message-mongering

by luaptifer

Tue Aug 08, 2006 at 10:57:45 PM EST

Update [2006-8-9 12:34:14 by luaptifer]: links to reports of FBI investigation, important refutation of details cited in this note.

As I listen to the regional stream of NPR's Connecticut primary coverage, Nader just answered the question posed in the capture of Google's headlines that I'd yet to verbalize.

Thanks Ralph.

It's between the corporate and the progressive wings of the Democratic Party, the battle of Lamont and Lieberman.

That was among Nader's first points of discussion when he rocked my ears by mentioning one focus of this week's local disagreements. Nader makes my point: the US Chamber of Commerce was Lieberman's biggest supporter.

This is my commentary, easily encapsulated. You thought I didn't know 'short and sweet', hunh?!

make the jump anyhow ;-)

commentary :: :: :: buzz-it!

Why mention these points, how are they relevant to HACKED as the topic?

Read Google's top news title more than 8 hours after progressive blogger-types figured out why Lieberman's website ain't working. Note the time, below, on the unofficial post of the official Ned Lamont-Daily Kos wing of the Democratic Party, known as gate-crashing netroots describing what Lieberman didn't get.

Doh! Lieberman doesn't get the 'Nets, he didn't pay for the traffic that presumably wanted to see his message!

And that's not even Pacific Standard Time!

One full one-third of a day later and the big money's still able to yell the headlines that are the corporate wing's way of HACKing the vote.

Got the message yet?!?
US Chamber of Commerce => Lieberman's biggest supporter
Message-mongering media megaphones the lies.
Whatever it takes, no matter the cost.

Screw 'em, the gates are broken and progressives won! With 93% counted, it kinda looks like Ned Lamont did too.

Can Joe do the indie thing? I don't think so, his MO(ney) is clear.

+ + + + +

Update [2006-8-9 12:34:14 by luaptifer]:

Be sure to see the complete overnight report from TPMCafe of FBI investigations into the alleged hacking of the Lieberman website. First, however, note the report directly challenges the early assertion cited above that Lieberman's website outage was the result of insufficient service coverage. TPMCafe's Justin Rood quotes the Lieberman website service provider, of 40-fold greater traffic allowance than claimed by kos.

Update: FBI Said to Probe Hacking Allegations By Justin Rood - August 8, 2006, 11:17 PM The FBI has begun inquiring into allegations that a Web site and email services belonging to Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D) re-election campaign were maliciously tampered with on the eve of Tuesday's primary election, according to two senior employees at technology firms involved in handling the candidate's internet services. The employees also confirmed that the Lieberman campaign had a contract for robust service allowing them several hundred gigabytes of data transfer per month, not a cheaper plan reported previously elsewhere...

Importantly, the attempted message-mongering of the Lieberman campaign was evident in this report. On the day of the primary, the now independent Democrat established the high-profile allegation against Lamont of criminal activity as his staff

...charged Monday that the Lamont campaign was responsible for alleged cyberattacks which they said brought down their primary web site and email services. Such "dirty politics" were "a staple" of its operations, asserted Lieberman campaign manager Sean Smith. Later, Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein admitted to TPM's Greg Sargent that Lieberman's staff had no evidence Lamont's campaign was behind the alleged attacks.

Dirty politics, indeed. The Lieberman MO is clear.

HACKED! Lies, Lieberman, and Message-mongering | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

Thank you for posting that. (5.00 / 1) (#1)

Friends of Joe Lieberman report at the FEC shows only $1,000 from the US Chamber of Commerce PAC... but I agree with the sentiment.
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by wanderindiana on Tue Aug 08, 2006 at 11:46:51 PM EST

what's the date on that? (none / 0) (#2)

alot of times, these groups do last minute filings to avoid being on-record at FEC prior to the vote.

by luaptifer on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 12:03:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

: should have qualified my comment (5.00 / 1) (#6)

Just because they only gave $1000 directly from PAC to Friends of Joe Lieberman doesn't mean that $1000 was all they gave... and that wasn't a final report, either, so there could very well be a last-minute influx. Also need to comb through "individual" contributions, which these days seem to have a way of coming from larger entities through the individual.
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by wanderindiana on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 12:28:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

According to (5.00 / 1) (#3)

the Financial Times they are trying to protect their hold on the legislative branch.

With a specially fitted-out bus and a multi-million dollar budget, the US Chamber of Commerce this week launched what it said was its biggest ever campaign to help elect business-friendly candidates in November's mid-term elections.
...
The primary focus on protecting pro-business incumbents is a sharp contrast with the approach the Chamber took in 2004, when it spent more than $1m to help defeat Tom Daschle, then the Democratic leader in the Senate. Mr Daschle had been criticised for the role business leaders said he played in blocking key legislative priorities, including legal reform and tax cuts.
Like other business groups, the Chamber is supporting some Democrats, including Joseph Lieberman, who faces a tough primary challenge in Connecticut, and Melissa Bean, a House member from Illinois who won praise from business leaders for her support of the Central America Free Trade Agreement.

by standingup on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 12:35:53 AM EST

this scares me (none / 0) (#4)

I am terrified by this becuase the Republican running for OH SOS is a big-time Chamber of Commerce kind of guy. Almost half of his money raised came from 14 people giving $10,000

by intranets on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 06:47:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

: The Chamber's Support (5.00 / 2) (#5)

With friends like those? Their list, and the present mood, seems like a sure fire way of identifying candidates who ought to be defeated, and helping make sure they are.

by Chris White on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 07:33:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]