Earlier this year, I uncovered some unhealthy relationships between progressive organizations like ProVote, the Missouri Secretary of State's office, and a astroturfing internet coalition called Missourians for Fair Elections. Shortly after posting that information, the blog site was taken down and replaced with a press release.
The names associated with the coalition, including Julie Terbrock (the legislative director for ACORN) and Laura Egerdal (a former ACT employee, who apparently worked for the SEIU), were scrubbed from the site, and although internet readers from the Carnahan campaign and Jeff and Mindy Mazur's personal mail accounts came to 24thstate, no news organizations picked the story up. My complaint at the time was the the Missouri Secretary of State was using partisan political operatives and presenting them as ordinary citizens.
An account of the project is online at the StlAmerican, and also alternet, which conveniently adds Jeff Mazur from AFSCME as a driving force (Jeff is the husband of the former chief of staff for Robin Carnahan).
This evidence of astroturfing fake grassroots campaigns simply wasn't of much interest to Missouri reporters.
So what is Laura Egerdal doing these days? She's the communication director for Robin Carnahan.
Is there no division between far left progressive organizations and the Secretary of State's office? How exactly is it proper for a partisan operative who ran Missourians for Fair Elections to be rewarded with a job in the Secretary of State's office? Was this a reward for a job well done?
Robin Carnahan has fought common sense Voter ID legislation tooth and nail, while staffing her office with people whose job it was to manipulate the public and press for progressive causes. This unholy alliance get s worse with every hire, but don't expect to read about it in any newspapers. Does that give Missourians faith in fair and accurate elections? It's another example of how the Left uses government jobs to reward left wing activists. So let's recap, shall we?
Laura Egerdal - progressive activist, worked with ACT and SEIU, ran a web campaign under false pretenses used to pressure Republican lawmakers - currently Communications Director for Robin Carnahan.
Julie Terbrock, formerly of ProVote, now legislative director for ACORN, helped run web campaign under false pretenses used to pressure Republican lawmakers.
Jeff Mazur - Democratic political operative and husband of chief of staff for Robin Carnahan, given credit for helping run campaign to pressure Republican lawmakers.
Richard von Glahn, CWA organizing coordinator used in Carnahan Press Conference as an example of an ordinary citizen affected by Voter Id law.
Ron Berry - formerly of ProVote, Director of Policy and Governmental Affairs for Robin Carnahan
Bonus Fact: Missourians for Fair Elections has two authors in their profile - Laura Egerdal and someone named General Content, (just like the General Content at FiredUpMissouri?)
Remember this as more fraud convictions are brought against ACORN and other groups who traffic in voter registration. And keep in mind that at none of the time are the backgrounds of these people properly disclosed. Reading Missourians for Fair Elections (before it was scrubbed), or SOS press releases, or the chatter in the progressive blogs, one might come to the conclusion that the above people are all just average citizens, when in fact they are partisan political activists who move with ease between the Secretary of State's office and shady left wing voter registration groups masquerading as non-partisan organizations.
Seeing as FiredUpMissouri officially has a press exemption, it's instructive how they are tied into this whole affair. Google, can you remember this post in case there's a question of illegal collusion or campaign finance violations that pop up? Thanks, Big G!
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