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Maker of Anti-Clinton Video Outed, Loses Job
Raul654 writes "Philip de Vellis, the author of the anti-Hilary Clinton viral video was outed yesterday on the Huffington Post. The company he worked for, Blue State Digital — a Democratic Internet strategy company that does work for Barack Obama — has now fired him as a result. Said Vellis: 'I made the "Vote Different" ad because I wanted to express my feelings about the Democratic primary, and because I wanted to show that an individual citizen can affect the process.'"
Well..I'm sure someone else out there will hire him...it was a pretty decent job...showed imagination.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
It was just before he was fired, he finally realized the horrible truth - he loved Big Sister.
And a boot descended over mankind's face, forever.
Ryan Fenton
From a reply to the Huffington Post article by the creator:
I've resigned from my employer, Blue State Digital, an internet company that provides technology to several presidential campaigns, including Richardson's, Vilsack's, and -- full disclosure -- Obama's. The company had no idea that I'd created the ad, and neither did any of our clients. But I've decided to resign anyway so as not to harm them, even by implication.
I see nothing in that article that says he was fired. I see user comments to that effect, but those aren't cited, either.
I heard on the radio this morning that he quit when he realized he was going to be unmasked. That's quite a bit different than being fired.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
This is a very old, and very nasty strategy:
...
1. Get somebody to make an offensive attack ad
2. Get it noticed by the press
3. Enjoy seeing your attack ad on the air FOR FREE for a dozen news cycles or more.
4. Offset the blame, since you never "approved" the ad.
5. Profit!
Primaries are always fun, if only because you get to watch each party attack itself for awhile before making their pick and pretending all that never happened.
"In the game of life, someone always has to lose. To me, if life were fair, that someone would always be Oklahoma." -DKR
Here's what I make of this whole flap -- not much: Clinton, Obama, the ad's maker (now out of a job), his employer and the press are all just playing their roles ... and the play is a farce. No one's really outraged by that video clip (especially Clinton). And no one really believes it's out of bounds. They're all just reading from the script. ... Of course, that's what high-stakes presidential politics is all about these days. More on this theme on my blog if anyone cares:
5 7
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/127
...About this video (and ones like it) are in an article in yesterday's Globe and Mail:
M .20070321.gtpoltube0320/BNStory/Technology/
M .20070322.w19840322/BNStory/Technology/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGA
Three key points from the article:
* How will Web content outside the control of campaigns affect voters?
* How should campaigns react to anonymous but highly viewed attacks?
* When is Web content, no matter how provocative, newsworthy?
Also worth noting. Apple has decided NOT to sue the creator as it would be unlikely that they'd win:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGA
Apple not suing somebody? I'll believe it when I see it.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
From his blog:
The campaigns had no idea who made it--not the Obama campaign, not the Clinton campaign, nor any other campaign. I made the ad on a Sunday afternoon in my apartment using my personal equipment (a Mac and some software), uploaded it to YouTube, and sent links around to blogs.
Man...I sincerely HOPE so...this is so much cheaper, maybe it will reduce the insane amounts of money political machines have to generate, and hence how beholden to the donors at the end of the race.
Anything to take some of the money out of the politics, I think, would be useful thing.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
There is no beef.
His employer, being that it works in the "politics industry", had a policy forbidding employees from political activity to avoid any impropriaties. He violated the policy and was fired.
An employer I used to work for was creating lottery systems. It forbid employees from playing lottery games. Violations were dealt very harshly.
In Soviet Russia, I ruled you
There is a lot of frustration among Democratic voters right now, about the crappy selection of presidential candidates. We felt like we got railroaded with Dukkakis in '88, and while Clinton was a pleasant surprise in '92, there was a lot of consternation about Lieberman in 2000 (and it should be clear by now, that Lieberman did more harm to Gore's campaign than Nader could ever dream to) - and Kerry in '04.
Democratic voters feel their principles have been betrayed. That their party is beholden to monied special interests (especially the mafIAA). Is it any wonder that a stooge like Bush can win?
I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with Obama as a candidate (his views on Gun Control are pretty wacky - the NRA will slaughter him, even with the weak field of Republican candidates). I'd rather see the Democratic Party take someone like Bill Richardson a lot more seriously. He has a lot more experience, and his views are a lot closer to the mainstream of America. Plus, he *is* a minority; but he doesn't use that status as a political tool, like Clinton and Obama do.
This Obama staffer made a bad move. It was a clear, ethical, conflict of interest, and possibly a violation of campaign finance law. But he made a damn important point. Is anyone at the DNC (and especially, the DLC) listening?
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Marx's original plan was that communism was a transitional government on the road to real anarchy and self governance. But it was criticized by true anarchists from day one. Anarchists such as Proudhon said that communism would invariably lead to a concentration of power, just the same as capitalism.
In any case, I think the post you were responding to was not raising a critique on that level. I think it was more along the lines of "They wants to take mah propurtai!"
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Your free only from government prosecution. Having a job is not an inalienable right and the employer has a right to fire him because he could hurt the business if Obama drops his contract with the company.
It sucks but thats how it goes. Yes you can run around office screaming the star spangled banner like a maniac and have security escourt you out and its your right to do so and lose your job of course. It only means the government can not prosecute you for doing so.
http://saveie6.com/
"I support Hillary Clinton."
-- TheMeuge (645043)
"I support Barack Obama."
-- MindStalker (22827)
I don't make the rules. I just make fun of them.
De Vellis was fired because he made a video attacking Clinton, fraudulently crediting it to the Obama campaign, while the Obama campaign was an actual (if tangential) customer where he actually works.
If he had not signed it "Obama", he might not have been fired. If his boss hadn't had Obama as a client, he might not have gotten fired.
This guy is a jerk. He's got the right to publish whatever video he comes up with, except when he lies in it. He has no right to frame Obama with that attack ad. And his boss has the right to fire a guy who pisses off the clients.
--
make install -not war
It was not a hard choice for his employer at all. According to the news, all employee contracts for that company specifically prohibit off-the-clock political productions of this sort by its employees, precisely because perception is more important than reality in their business. They cannot afford to have the perception that a contractor of one political candidate made X advertisement through under the table money, so they have to prohibit all such connections in the terms of their employee contracts.
This is just one of the first shots in what will be the dirtiest campaign in history. This is going to make all the comments on /. about Bush seem like hugs and kisses, and that's just the Democrats beating each other up! The Republicans will probably end up eating their own too. When we get to the final 2 standing the public will be so sick of the whole thing that I expect the lowest voter turnout in history. It would be great if a couple of truly knowlegeable and likeable candidates showed up but I won't hold my breath.
I remember the questions about when a Vice President moves up due to the senility/mental competence of the President during Reagans second term. After seeing how the press and other candidates treat everyone running, I question the sanity of anyone who want's the damn job! Colin Powell might be the smartest man of our times. He refused to put himself or his family through this asinine process, that's character!
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
He was paid to create the ad.... .... by Karl Rove.
Think about it - Hillary looks bad, AND Obama looks bad! This has to be the work of Republicans.
Or maybe it was Edwards.
paintball