US lobbyists aimed to smear Occupy Wall Street: report

[ProSense]

US lobbyists aimed to smear Occupy Wall Street: report

A top US lobbying firm tied to the financial industry pitched a $850,000 plan to smear the Occupy Wall Street movement and discredit sympathetic politicians, MSNBC television reported Saturday.

A memo written on the letterhead of well-known Washington lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford urged the American Bankers Association (ABA), a client, to conduct "opposition research" on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct "negative narratives" about the protests and its political backers.

Warning that the movement could lead to weakened support for Wall Street among both Democratic and Republican politicians, the four-page memo targeted specific states where the outcome of 2012 elections could have a major impact on the financial sector.

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MSNBC noted that two of the memo's authors, Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, worked for House Speaker John Boehner before joining the lobbying firm, while the third, Steve Clark, is said to have ties to the leading Republican.

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[Number23]

1. SHOCKING!!eleven1

I'm SHOCKED!! And blow me down, did I read that right? REPUBLICANS are in on it too???!

[ProSense]

2. Well,

President Obama should co-opt OWS just to piss off Republicans and their lobbyists.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. I have a feeling that any attempt to smear OWS will merely strengthen it. nt