New film exposes Astro-turfing of America

You’re probably sick of hearing me rant about Astro-Turf ‘front groups’ and the shadowy operatives that run them for the wealthy corporate interests, but I believe the danger to our democracy is very real. It seems that I’m no longer alone in this belief.

I just found this on the Center for Media and Democracy PR Watch.org website:

“The documentary film “(astro)Turf Wars: How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution,” explains the bizarre situation we face as America drowns in fake, corporate-funded “grassroots” movements.”

“The 2009 “Tea Party Movement”, for example, came out of nowhere, and through a string of well-funded activities, became a huge roadblock to reforming health care, financial services and more. Leaders portray the tea party “movement” as made up of hard-working, mom-and-pop patriots who love their country, but well-heeled players representing some of the biggest and most lucrative businesses in the country are really funding and organizing it. The Tea Party labels of “government takeover,” “socialism” and “communism” stir up fear while disguising hidden corporate agendas. Real grassroots movements rarely make multimillion-dollar ad buys, tour the nation in custom-painted buses, or put on media events from coast to coast. The film calls on propaganda experts like CMD’s own Wendell Potter, media critic Professor Mark Crispin Miller and PR expert James Hoggan to expose corporate fllim-flamming in other areas, too, like health care, climate change, and the 2010 elections. Don’t miss this important movie!”

If you want to see more about this film, go to www.Astroturfwars.com where you can instantly watch the film for $1.99 or order the DVD for $14.99.