A Tale of Two Eberles -- are they or aren't they related?

[CornField]

Last night someone asked that we do a little digging about Bobby Eberle's ties to the Bush* family. When you search Bobby, it is inevitable that you find information about a Bruce Eberle.

Bobby (aka Robert) is 36 years old. He began GOPUSA and Talon News.

Bruce is much older (50-60?). He is a long-time republican activist and has began a number of businesses and web sites. He worked for the Highway Administration back in the 1990s -- he serves on the board of Joe Gibbs (Redskins coach/Joe Gibbs Racing) Youth for Tomorrow. In short... Bruce is highly connected with the movers and shakers.

Not too long ago, millionsofamericans.com (began by Bruce) merged with GOPUSA (began by Bobby). In his letter about the merger, Bruce discusses how Bobby comes from the "Texas branch" of the Eberles.
Here's a link to that letter: http://www.gopusa.com/company/bruce_eberle_letter.shtml

This would seem to imply that there is some relation.

As I was digging around last night, I found an article from "Human Events" (which appears to be a right-wing mouthpiece) which states in the last paragraph that there is absolutely no relation between Bobby and Bruce. Here's a link to that article: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200408/ai_n9436903

Now, to further muddy the waters, I found a page on the millionsofamericans.com site (formerly Bruce's site) which states "Sen. Jesse Helms announces his plans to retire, and MOA posts a "Thank You" card at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Bruce Eberle's brother, Bob, and the MillionsofAmericans.com webmaster, Jordan Gehrke present the senator..."
Here's a link to that page: http://www.millionsofamericans.com/helmsproject.html
There is a photo on the page as well -- hard to tell.

So, according to Bruce's own website, he has a brother named "Bob."

Bobby is the second to hold his name... Robert D. Eberle. His young son is the third (goes by Tres) and his father was the first.

Remember Mike Krempasky? Well, if you have a look at the Feb. 12 entry of this blog: http://www.whyareweback.blogspot.com/ You'll see that Krempasky is speaking up... saying that Bruce and Bobby are not related.

Of course, a general Google will bring you to lots of blogger sites which name them as brothers (including the wikipedia at Kos).

???

So... are they or aren't they?

[papau]

1. They are brothers and do not hide that fact :-)

:-)

[Straight Shooter]

2. I think a private investigator could find that out quickly enough.

I bet they are brothers. Am I mistaken, or does one of those Eberles have a mass marketing business history, just like Rove?

Good research, CornField. :thumbsup:

[papau]

3. Yes - mass marketing business history is In Virgina

:-)

[papau]

4. The gold star means you have donated - and the SEARCH function is

available to you.

I think you will find a complete bio of both brothers posted on DU in more than one thread.

[CornField]

5. Yeah, I know & I did

There is nothing quoted back to a credible source indicating they are related, much less brothers.

Matter of fact, Bruce is the older of the two. So, if they were brothers, doesn't it make sense that the first born son would have been given the family name (Robert Eberle II) instead of a son born later?

In addition, given the age difference between the two and the fact that whenever Bruce discusses a brother he uses "Bob" in lieu of "Bobby" -- it seems much more probable that Bruce in an uncle (brother to the elder Robert Eberle). I was reading last night where Bobby discussed his father dying. I don't remember if he said when that was. The photo on millionsofamericans.com was taken at CPAC 2002... I seem to remember that the elder Robert had died prior to that time. If that's the case, then the "brother Bob" indicated on the webpage couldn't be him.

Finally, if there is a relationship between the two (it seems odd that there wouldn't be anything -- especially given the buyout of millionsofamericans.com) why go to all the trouble to hide it? Why involve the rathergate fellow (Krempasky)... why issue the false statement to the right-wing rag?

[papau]

6. all good points - but the Eberle site I linked to SAID they were brothers

I take them at the sites word! :-)

But the Eberle web sites are being messed with as we speak.

[papau]

7. This is what I posted a few days ago

This the "Jeff Gannon" operation that Howie Kurtz insists is a legitimate News Org that should be a standard question asker at White House news briefings.

In 1999 aerospace engineer Bobby Eberle started a Web-design company for Republican candidates. Eberle is the president and CEO of both GOPUSA, a news and commentary Website, whose motto is "Bringing the conservative message to America" and Talon. Brother Bruce Earle started GOPUSA and is CEO of Virginia-based Eberle Communications Group, a vast fundraising/direct mail/PR powerhouse that boasts such clients as Ronald Reagan, Operation Rescue, Oliver North and Paula Jones, and which illegally sold fund-raising lists to John Ashcroft during his failed United States Senate run for the seat from Missouri.

GOPUSA now gets about 30,000 page views every day. In 2000, when it started, it received about 3,000 views per month. GOPUSA is a 100 percent volunteer-run company. Bobby Eberle has served as president of the Houston Young Republicans, director of club development of the Texas Young Republican Federation and as a three-term state chairman of the Texas Young Republican Federation. He was a delegate to the 2000 Republican Convention in Philadelphia and was vice chairman at large of the Young Republican National Federation. In July 2003 he spoke on "Should Americans Who Don't Pay Taxes Have a Say?", asserting those who do not pay actual cash as a tax collected by the Federal Income Tax should not have a vote - no other tax collection payment should qualify one for a vote, but would give everyone the vote once the Federal Income Tax is replaced by a consumption tax.

Eberle notes. We have about 50 people involved nation wide with the day-to-day operations. We have folks in 40 of the 50 states who help update their state sections with news and commentary. Our e-mail magazine goes out on Mondays. And all that with no paid advertising. I believe in personal responsibility rather than collectivism, so it never occurred to me to call the Democrats. What I really like about Bush is that he stays on message and keeps coming. Family: Wife Kathleen, a physician children; Charlotte 7 and Robert III ("Tres"); Roman Catholic. Insists genuine religious faith inevitably influences political opinions http://www.gopusa.com / http://www.talonnews.com /

http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/Eberle_Communicatio ...

Eberle Communications Group, is a fundraising/direct marketing/PR firm with extensive ties to Republican Party politics (clients list includes Reagan, Ollie North, Paula Jones) and whose is CEO of the Virginia-based company is Bruce Eberle, whose brother owns GOPUSA and the "news agency" Talon News and its White House correspondent "Jeff Gannon" is well-known for asking loaded pro-Republican questions at White House press briefings, and appears to be more a political organization than a media outlet From Right wing FreeRepublic website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1075501/posts ?... "02/10/2004 This was the exchange at today's White House press briefing, much of which focused on George W. Bush's service records with the National Guard: JEFF GANNON (Talon News): Since there have been so many questions about what the President was doing over 30 years ago, what is it that he did after his honorable discharge from the National Guard? Did he make speeches alongside Jane Fonda, denouncing America's racist war in Vietnam? Did he testify before Congress that American troops committed war crimes in Vietnam? And did he throw somebody else's medals at the White House to protest a war America was still fighting? What was he doing after he was honorably discharged?

MR. McCLELLAN: We've already commented on some of his views relating back to that period the other day. And, obviously, this was a time period also when he was going to get his MBA at Harvard. But the President was certainly proud to serve in the National Guard.

TERRY MORAN (ABC NEWS): And would the White House consider those actions by Senator Kerry, that Jeff mentions fair game in the political season?

MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, I think -- I know that that's a way to try to draw us into a Democratic primary that is ongoing.

Eberle Communications Group is:

Bruce W. Eberle & Associates, Inc.
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc.
InternetFundRaising.com, Inc.
Campaign Funding Direct, Inc.
Omega List Company
onlineresponsesystem.com
Kaleidoscope Publishing, Ltd.
Affiliations are GOPUSA, Talon News, BAMPAC

ECG's Board of Directors is listed on 1/31/05 as consisting of:

Jon Bruss
Carl T. Berquist
Katherine M. Eberle
Peter Hannaford
James M. Irving

ECG's Company Officers are listed on 1/31/05 as:

Bruce Eberle, President, Eberle Communications Group, Inc.
William D. Griffiths, Vice President
Sandra J. Redhage, Corporate Secretary
M. Declan Bransfield, III, President, Bruce W. Eberle & Associates, Inc.
Michael Hiban, President, Omega List Company

The Eberle Communications Group, Inc.
1420 Spring Hill Road, Suite 490
McLean, VA 22102
Telephone: [phone] http://www.ecgone.com /

Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC) supports conservative policies and African-American candidates, even though numerous candidates listed on its website were either Caucasian or Hispanic. Its name misleadingly suggests that it represents the point of view of African-Americans, but in fact opinion polls and voting patterns show that the vast majority of African-Americans disagree with BAMPAC's political positions.

[CornField]

8. None of the links you've provided

state that the two are brothers or even related.

Matter-of-fact, the only sites which are stating that the two are brothers are liberal blogs, including Kos. There is no credible source (ABC, CNN, AP, Reuters, etc.) which provides this information.

The closest information on either site is the letter Bruce wrote when his site merged with GOPUSA and he said Bobby was from the "Texas branch." There is the page on Bruce's site that states he was with "his brother, Bob -- but the photograph is not conclusive.

[BurtWorm]

9. You're raising very good points.

I don't think they are brothers. But are they cousins or some other kind of relation?

[papau]

10. I agree - only Kos has the "brothers" mentioned

obvious they work together

but as you note - the relationship is not nailed down

[papau]

12. Here is some data that "proves" they work together - the IP addresses

Bruce is listed as board memebr to Joe Gibb's Youth for Tomorrow foundation, who have such luminaries as Oliver North and Brit Hume who is the Managing Editor, Fox News on its board as well.
He is also on the board of directors for the Time of Grace Ministries.
Bruce Eberle is the founder and president of the Eberle Communications Group, a national fund raising organization based in McLean, Virginia. Bruce serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College. He has previously served as President of God's Word to the Nations Bible Society, and on several commissions and boards of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. He gave the 1994 commencement address at Wisconsin Lutheran College where he received the 1994 Pro Gloria Dei Award. Bruce also serves as a Trustee of Joe Gibbs Youth For Tomorrow New Life Foundation. In 1999 he was the recipient of The Nehemiah Award from YFT.

In May of 2004, Bruce Eberle, Bobby's brother, folded his MillionsofAmericans.com conservative web site into GOPUSA, run by Bobby.

DataPipe's netblock allocates a handful of IP addresses to: Bobby Eberle DP-65-17-231-170 (65.17.231.170 - 65.17.231.189)

Some of these IP addresses host websites:

www.GOPUSA.com 65.17.231.173
www.Talonnews.com 65.17.231.174
www.Millionsofamericans.com 65.17.231.175
www.Millionsofamericans.org 65.17.231.175
www.Endeavormediagroup.com 65.17.231.176

Java King, Inc. is a California Corporation doing business as "Men's News Daily."

Java King, Inc.
PO Box 712
Guerneville, CA 95446 This tiny little town north of San Francisco happens to be the location of the well-known gay resort area called "Russian River."

Whois reveals that MillionsofAmericans.com is registered to:
EBERLE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
1420 Spring Hill Rd. MCLEAN, VA 22102
US Phone: [phone]

[BurtWorm]

15. There's no question they work together.

Doesn't Bruce own Bobby's enterprise now? The question is, are they related, and if so, how?

[CornField]

11. Okay -- the elder Robert Eberle is NOT "brother Bob"

If you look at the Sen. Jesse Helms page I linked to in the OP, you see that there is commentary which indicates "Bruce Eberle's brother, Bob" was present.

I found a personal column by Bobby Eberle: http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/bobby/2003/bobby_0616.shtml

In this article he states that his father (Robert D. Eberle I), died when he was 15 -- on a Wednesday in November of 1983. Since the presentation to Helms was made at CPAC 2001 or 2002, there is no way the elder Robert could be the "Bob" in question.

Also, in that article, Bobby speaks of two sisters (one 6 and the other 13 at the time) and his mother, but no other siblings.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Missing Links...Eberle To Gillespie or Blackwell

One more Eberle for you to look into...I wish I had time to really get in this: Elizabeth Eberle...Bobby's wife and also involved in a lot of groups and executive boards.

DoYouWonder and others were tracking down stuff about Ed Gillespie's PR firm...Gillespie-Quinn (Quinn is a Democrat and worked for Al Gore)...when Gillespie left to run the RNC he turned things over to a guy named Powell...whose, obviously, tied into lots of GOOP PR organizations...and his wife, who like Elizabeth Eberle, seems to do a lot of the "bookeepping".

Several areas of smoke here as well. First, is how does Morton Blackwell...another GOOP operative who ran the "J-School" that "Gannon" attended fit into this. Someone sent or refered or paid his way through there. Of course there's tons of questions about "Talon News"...and finally the places where all of these people can and did meet...especially if it was at the RNC Convention.

If you want a first hand taste of Bobby Eberle...I found some writings of his here:

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=5334

It'd be interesting if "Gannon" did a similar article.

Cheers!

[Ronbrynaert]

14. According to Mike

and I believe him.

Robert and Bruce are very, very, very distantly related (Hopefully late tonight I'll be posting an interview with Mike Krempsaky which I'm turning our email exchanges into) and not really even worth mentioning...he didn't give me an exact source for this..but I believe him.

Bruce and Bobby aren't even of the same ethnicity.

But.....

What I want to find out is about Don Eberle (or Don Eberly)....that's the relationship we need to find out...Is Don Eberle (or Eberly) related to either Bruce or Bobby Eberle...

Google Don Eberle or Don Eberly to find out who he is.

peace