Don't Be Evil — Hire It Done

MarkusQ writes, "The NY Times among others is reporting that Google is ramping up its lobbying clout (registration or bugmenot required). The 'Don't be evil' search engine company has hired the infamous astroturfing and dirty tricks firm Direct Connect, Inc. You may remember DCI from their recent attempts to pass off their 'Penguin Army' video as a product of some lone wit, unconnected with their client, Exxon. Or their involvement in Microsoft's 'even dead voters love Microsoft' campaign. With a staff of veterans in the biz (such as Chris 'Swiftboat' LaCivita and Jim 'Electioneering' Tobin), led by Tom 'Big Tobacco on the Dole' Synhorst, I'm sure DCI will be able to give Google whatever they're paying them for. The question is, what are they paying them for? And does 'Don't be evil' imply 'Don't pay professionals to be evil for you?' Or could there possibly be a non-evil reason to hire these clowns?"

Comments

sorry

[gEvil (beta)]

No can do...

If you still buy the "don't be evil" B.S...

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

It's 2006. If you still buy Google's "don't be evil" B.S., I have a rich friend in Nambia who wants to meet you.

It's a scribner's error

[tktk]

Google's real motto is "Don't? Be Evil!!!"

(Shamelessly stolen from the Simpsons)

IT'S ALIVE!!! ALIVE!! ALI-I-I-I-I-I-VVVVE!!!

[RobotRunAmok]

I just love how innovative companies like Google are forced to spend all this money on lobbyists just so Congress doesn't screw them over. Why isn't it all spent on making a better product? Because some people gave the government so much power beyond its strict Constitutional limits, which given enough time would mean lobbyists would be fighting over all that juicy government money and to shackle their competitors.

The folks who gave Congress power to lean on Big, Gigantic Corporations like Google are the people who fear Big, Gigantic Corporations. According to my scorecard, that's usually been a Left-Wing plank. The folks who try to limit Congress's ability to make life miserable for Big, Gigantic Corporations like Google are usually depicted as Right-Wingers.

The inability of the Congress-Monster to discern between Democrat-leaning darling-of-the-latte-technorati-crowd Google and some EEEEEEvil-Big-Bellied-Energy-Oil-Mean-Nasty-Republ ican-Contributor, the fact that Big, Giant Corporate Blood (and money) tastes the all the same to this Frankenstein, is, frankly, funny and ironic as hell.

Not as funny as that whole "Do No Evil" corporate motto, but still pretty funny.

Re:Show me links about money flowing to the Democr

[tbone1]

Show me how Democrats use evil companies like Direct Connect to further their goals.

The Democrats don't outsource that, they do it in-house.

Why did the Democrat enter the cemetary?
To thank his voters.

That's the system

[silentrob]

Look, "don't be evil" or not, this is politics they're talking about. The game itself is evil and behaving ethically will only get you ripped apart. That's the game. Don't wanna be evil? Don't play politics and let an evil organization with bigger balls than you ruin your life. Binary choice.

Real saints don't exist. Life is shit, get over it.

Nice word!

[loimprevisto]

To do otherwise is a breach of their fuduciary (sp?) responsabilities.

Fuduciary - It's FUD for fiscal matters! I *like* this word... I'll have to remember to use it next time someone brings up online payments or immigrant labor!