One Blue Marble Blog

All I can think of is that old line from Get Smart, the classic television series.

If only he had used his powers for niceness instead of evil.

This story is about the hardest working man (or woman) in DC. It’s none other than that single employee at Bonner & Associates who was deemed too sleezy to work there. I know, I know… That’s a mighty high bar to hurdle, but Bonner actually dropped this guy like he was nuclear waste. (At least, we think they did. Maybe. But not for the reason they sold to the media).

Anyway, I digress. If you’re new to the story, let me lay it out.

Bonner & Associates — an astroturfing group — was hired by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy to create a fake grassroots campaign while the epic Waxman-Markey bill was wending its way through the House. And so they went to work, doing what they do, running vocal, incendiary, dishonest crusades that are prepared by Wall Street professionals, but made to look as if they originated on Main Street.

Bonner and the ACCCE almost got away with it.

But in early August, we learned that Tom Perriello, a Democratic congressman who voted for the Waxman-Markey bill in the House, received six letters from two advocacy groups complaining that his support for this climate bill would cause power rates to rise, and put a strain on tight budgets.

The problem is that all six letters were forgeries crafted by AN employee at Bonner & Associates. Bonner immediately fired said employee, describing the person as a bad apple who deviated from standard company practice.

The advocacy groups aren’t buying it.

“They stole our name,” said Tim Freilich, an executive at Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit network that tackles issues related to Charlottesville’s Hispanic community. “They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization. It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.”

The other forgeries were purported to be from the NAACP.

But now the plot thickens. Three weeks later, a bevy of other letters have surfaced, appearing to come from advocacy groups for senior citizens, all complaining about Democratic support for Waxman-Markey. Letters trying to put the fear of God in people who are doing what is right for America, and right for the planet.

The letters are forgeries. Once again, Bonner & Associates and the ACCCE are to blame. They just didn’t take responsibility for when the story first broke because of letting sleeping dogs lie, and all that.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thoroughly impressed that a single employee — a bad seed — could accomplish so very much in such a short time. Presuming that he is a he, this employee would have to recreate the letterheads for dozens of advocacy groups; write letters that are all subtly different (mentioning concerns particular to each group); create job titles and fake names; work on his forged signatures; and then address each letter and get it in the mail all before the June vote. But that’s not all! Since he’s probably the “new guy” at the office, I’ll bet that he had to do the Dunkin Donuts run every morning, and put up with all manner of horseplay as the old timers gave him the business.

Imagine how much closer we’d be to passing a meaningful climate bill if only he’d used his powers for niceness, instead of evil.

And make no doubt about it. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy and Bonner & Associates are evil.