Big Scoop Coming Down Tonight

Probably at about midnight or just before.

It's Rusty's story. It'll be posted later. Midnight ET or maybe a bit after.

The basics? Astroturfing, of a similar sort as practiced by David "Astroturf" Axelrod. An attempt to get a blatantly dishonest anti-Palin ad to go "viral" on YouTube. Gross deception in pumping out fake "amateur grassroots" ads which are really cooked up by a big PR firm connected to a top Obama advisor, David Axelrod, and Obama's officially-acknowledged ads. And likely bright-line violations of electioneering laws, which require those putting out "electioneering communications" to disclose the true creator and sponsor of such ads.

Oh, Yeah: I forgot to say:

IMPACTING...

Correction: The latest is that the law does not seem to require disclaimers naming the producers/sponsors of an internet ad if it was placed for free and not for fee. As it seems to have just been placed on YouTube in the normal course of things (that is, people from the firm just uploading it without paying YouTube), it doesn't look like this is outright illegal.

As far as that part goes, at least.

posted by Ace at 06:47 PM

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