Town Hall Plant For Hire
I've read in the past the McCain campaign not only carefully screens his town-hall attendees, but there have been instances of actual plants in the audience. Those plants are put there to ask the right questions of Mr. McCain, in order for him to put forth some of his talking points.
Seeing footage recently of one of those town halls, I was taken by the lone black man in the front row as he rose to ask a question. After hearing what the man had to say, I immediately suspected that this was one of those plants. A "two-fer" in a way, as it gave McCain a springboard, and his "token" African American to prove how diverse his supporters are.
Later, here in the RFO forum, it turns out I wasn't the only one who noticed. Many here talked about the same thing, and some were wise enough to persue it. A joint research effort by RFO members yielded a surprising result. Make that a shocking result. I'll let Alina tell you about it in the post she wrote:
James T Harris - Motivational Speaker for Hire Posing as Audience Member at McCain Rally
The African American gentleman who "Begged" McCain to "Hit Obama hard," citing the "Good Reverend Wright" at a rally in Waukesha Wisconsin yesterday is a motivational speaker for hire.
National media has identified him as James T Harris, Milwaulkee talk radio host. What you may now know is that Mr. Harris's services as a motivational speaker are for hire through his main business, IllumiNation. Homepage: http://www.jamestillumination.com/
From his website:
James T. Harris is a subject expert in cultural change and societal trends. His proven track record with organizations of all sizes and types shows he is a uniquely engaging individual who delivers motivational awareness and educational awareness messages as a:
- Keynote speaker at major events
- Panelist at conferences and symposiums
- Feature presenter at the podium or to lead a break-out session
"The outcomes you want your audience to experience should, whenever possible, determine the length of time to allocate to a subject expert. With IllumiNation, our subject experts will deliver outcomes. Only the constraints of time will determine how far we can or cannot “drill down” into the depth of the topic at your event. Therefore, your assessment of your audience’s needs should occur before final decision is made by the event planners about the available time slot."
CNN clips of the speaker:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2008/10/09/henry.mccain.on.the.attack.cnn
and:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2008/10/09/henry.mccain.angry.crowds.cnn
Yet another dirty trick by the McCain campaign. Please don't let them cover up their race-baiting like this. Please don't allow them to use plants to encourage McCain into more negative campaigning that incites his supporters.
McCain needs to be called out on this... loudly. Please submit this to any media outlet you think would use it. And especially to those that won't!
Update 10/11/2008
When I wrote this "press tip", my intent was to point out a dishonest tactic being used by the McCain/Palin campaign to "justify" their obvious use of incendiary race-baiting rhetoric of late.
While I may not agree with Mr. Harris' choice to assist them in such endeavors, I am disappointed to see all of the anger now being focused in his direction. I cringe at many of the messages on his blog, as well as buzz I'm seeing throughout the blogosphere. Regardless of his conduct and the motives behind it, Mr. Harris is not the one running a dirty campaign for the Presidency of the United States.
So, for the record, I wish the people directing anger his way would stop and consider our original intent of disclosing this information, and redirect their passionate response toward spreading the word about the conduct of Mr. McCain, Ms. Palin and associates.
- Suzi LeVeaux's blog
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Comments
This is what someone wrote
This is what someone wrote to him on his blog site.
That first comment is
That first comment is ridiculous - I'd hate to think it's real. It's more likely someone who's really pissed off and trying to emulate the pitchfork-yielding McCain rally attendees.
There are some other pretty good comments, though.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
It's a real comment. If
OMG!!!!!! Well, goes to
OMG!!!!!! Well, goes to show how creepy Sarah Palin fans are. I'm going to have nightmares again...
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
That Ralph guy is scary. I
He's beyond
He's beyond scary...a-far-right-wing-off-the-wall-in -your-face-kind-of-Christian-with-a-real-potty-mouth. Go figure.
I even googled PIAP and came up with nothing that fit. If anyone knows what this is, please share.
Wow. That took me over the
Wow. That took me over the usual two minute research limit... it's a reference to the Clintons and liberals in general, I'm assuming. Pig In A Pant Suit.
Some people should never go off their meds.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Whoa... this guy covers ALL
Whoa... this guy covers ALL the bases. He'd be a great character in movie. The fact that he's real makes me want to hug my children and double check all the doors to make sure they're locked!
He also talked about a "Deborah Anointing" that Palin underwent when she was prayed over (to in include protection from witchcraft.)
My favorite comment on his
My favorite comment on his site:
Please people...do not leave any more messages on this blog.
Before his outrageous behavior last night, Mr. Harris could not count on receiving even 1/4 of the number of entries/responses that he has gotten today. By continuing to submit responses, you are giving him what he really craves..."celebrity" on a national scale (which would be a huge step up from his current Milwaukee "celebrity" status).
Don't help his career or ego...DO NOT enter any additional comments!!!
How true. Paid or not, it's getting him loads of attention which he seems to be milking.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Suzi - I just sent the info
Suzi - I just sent the info to Crooks and Liars. Hope they pick it up.
Kate
Is "Ralph" even for real?
Is "Ralph" even for real? C'mon ... THIS is his idea of showing how relevant his "christianity" is? He's nuts!
UPDATE - hey, he was
UPDATE - hey, he was interviewed by Essence Magazine:
McCain Supporter Wants to Clear the Air
"
Last week, James T. Harris went from being an average guy to one of the
most reviled men in Black America. At a Waukesha, Wisconsin, town hall
rally with Senator John McCain
and Governor Sarah Palin on Thursday, the African-American radio host
from Milwaukee pleaded with McCain to step up his attacks against
Barack Obama. “We have the good Reverend Wright.
We have [the Reverend Michael L.] Pfleger,” Harris said to the cheers
of thousands of White audience members. “I am begging you, sir. I am
begging you. Take it to him.” In a show of true solidarity, Harris, 44,
and the Republican nominee then hugged. more
formerly klaf
Update - the wear and tear
Update - the wear and tear is beginning to show.
formerly klaf
I approve this
I approve this message.
Thanks, Suzi - I like the title!
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Gee willickers. If you
Gee willickers. If you excluded everyone in the Obama campaign who is there because they're paid, he wouldn't have anyone to carry his suitcases at the airport.
There is a difference
There is a difference between being a paid campaign staff member, and being paid to pose as a random citizen attending a rally and asking a question.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but McCain can't even hold an honest town hall rally.
jaba....my silly little
jaba....my silly little troll. This man isn't a part of McCain's campaign. He's supposedly "John Q Citizen", there to ask a "real" question. You see, we're not supposed to know that he was a paid plant. We're supposed to think he is an ordinary guy who cares! It's a secret!
LOL. That was the cutest
LOL. That was the cutest troll comment I've ever heard, though. Gee willickers. Bless your heart, jaba.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Funny, just the other day I
I started to point that out
Suzi, could you embed this
Suzi, could you embed this in the main blog text?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R77IJsNceY4
Thanks.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
I saw this clip and CNN and
Suzi and everyone, please
Hey NoMc....I'm reading away
I am just floored reading
I am just floored reading this.....Unbelievable.
I will not throw the first punch, but I will certainly throw the last...BHO
Hmmm.... you'll all recall
Anyone else want to be a
Conservative radio host
Conservative radio host James T. Harris has appearances on several national talk shows. Oh well!
Obama/Biden 2008
Doggonit (sp?)! I guess we
Doggonit (sp?)! I guess we did our part in helping him extend his 15 minutes of fame, while fattening up his pocket. DOH!
Well, Mr. Harris, you can post your thank-you note here.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Did you notice that Fox did
Did you notice that Fox did not ask him if he had been paid for his appearance?
I don't fault Mr Harris. He was doing what he gets paid to do.....that is the nature of his business. But I do fault Fox for playing into the scenario. But what else could I expect??
FOX and low level Harris
FOX and low level Harris will continue the down fall of McCain/Palin. Good
Obama/Biden 2008
I dont like Faux News so
Friends, Out ofthe
Friends,
Out ofthe thousands of hate e-mail that I've received over the last 48 hours, onlyone person asked if I was a plant(rather than insisting that I was a plant) paid by Republicans or any one else.This individual left a phone number. I was so moved by her sincerity that Icalled her last evening and answered her questions.
Theanswer is no.
If youknew the real story of how I ended up in the 2nd row of this event, thequestion that I asked and the incredible wave of hatred that my family andfriends (both left and right) have endured, you still wouldn't believe it.The series of events, in a word, was fantastical.
Simply unbelievable.
TonightI tried to go out to a place that I've been frequenting for over 20years. It was then and there that I realized that for the rest of my life, Iwill be identified as "that Uncle Tom Ni**er who begged his white massa tofight against the first black president (maybe)."
No, I amnot a plant and I did not get paid for my comments. I'm just your every day conservative, who through a series of extraordinaryevents, ended up at ground zero in the most historical and emotionalpresidential campaign this county has ever seen.... and I wouldn't have it anyother way.
Thanks for the forum.
If you are in fact James T.
If you are in fact James T. Harris I don't think anyone has any issue with your being a conservative. I think the stone in my shoe is the fact that you chose to encourage your candidate to fight dirty with non-issues, using things that have nothing to do with governing this nation -- Ayers, Reverend Wright, etc. You encouraged the continued divisiveness that has been a trademark of our party for the past eight years. I am a conservative too but I don't find it necessary to use personal attacks to make my points nor would I fault someone for associating with someone I don't like.
Fear is not what this campaign should be about and quite frankly Mr. Harris you should be ashamed of yourself for peddling that fear, not for being a conservative.
Enjoy our site.
James, Had you actually
James,
Had you actually read the content of this blog, you would have noticed the update I added yesterday. In it, I point out my disagreement with the negative attention being concentrated on you, rather than on the campaign, over this.
That said, at no point did we say "How can a black guy be conservative?". That would naive coming from Republicans for Obama, whose membership includes a number of African-American conservatives.
So why are we asking "Is James T Harris a plant"?
In this case, the assumption is not "How could a black man ever support McCain/Palin without ulterior motives?", but rather the opposite.
Put simply, it's "How could McCain embrace a black man without ulterior motives?"
The McCain/Palin campaign has shown an uncanny penchant for rousing deep-rooted bigotries among those attending its events, as well as many of its supporters throughout America.
Its use of fear-mongering and incendiary rhetoric to wake the sleeping beasts of racism and xenophobia has reached levels rivaling only those of George Wallace in living American History.
Its allowance and encouragement of racist outbursts by the crowds at its rallies has led me to reach the conclusion that John McCain and Sarah Palin are knowingly acting in a manner that amounts to the incitement of hate crimes.
In that light, I happen to find it strikingly odd and orchestrated that the candidate of such a campaign - a man who can barely bring himself to shake Barack Obama's hand - would suddenly feel the urge to embrace, both figuratively and literally, a black man at one of his infamous rallies.
This is not to say that I don't find your choice to fuel the flames of McCain/Palin hate indefensible. I find your behavior no more or less despicable than that of any other member of the angry mobs that gather at their events these days.
You're not that special, James. Not in my eyes anyway.
But you'll have a hard time convincing me that McCain picked you randomly out of the crowd for a question, just as hard as it will be to convince me that you, a professional motivational speaker, expected nothing in return for such a stellar professional performance.
I will concede that it was naive of me to assume that you necessarily received a check for your services. For a person of your ambition, guest appearances on national media are worth a whole lot more than money in the bank.
I may not like the idea that you are willing to stoop so low in order to make a name for yourself on a national level as the man who took, to quote you "the biggest ass-whoopin' " of all for supporting McCain, but it's not you I have a bone to pick with.
So if you're looking to this forum to further your "ass-whooped" image, you're in the wrong place.
That said, welcome to the forum, and feel free to tell us your story.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Hey James - How about
Hey James - How about giving US a plug on your radio show? Let your Republican listeners know that it's actually OK to vote for Obama - we are. Listen, seeing some of the hateful comments you received - especially "Ralph" - just further points out that there is a much bigger picture here than you don't support Obama or we don't support McCain (we both go against "type") - is that we, as conscientious Republicans, are actively seeking to change the politics of the past with all of it's hate and division. Puting McCain in office, not just for being an old white guy, but for being a hawk, a member of the richest 10%, and showing his total lack of character by running willy nilly all over the place with his tactics in the past few weeks - just validates the institution that keeps this prejudice and division alive. By supporting McCain Palin (especially Palin) you are endorsing that institutionalized race and class warfare. Don't you get it?
I wouldn't waste too much
I wouldn't waste too much time trying to convince Mr. Harris of our stance, klaf. If you want to hear what he has to say, tune in... he'll be making a number of TV appearances today. And that's what it's all about.
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." - James Carville, October 7, 2008
Thanks Alina. Can't help
Mr. Harris(If this is
Mr. Harris(If this is you)
I in no way shape or form have a problem with you being the Conservative that you are.
BUT I have a serious problem with you sitting in the 2nd row encouraging McCain to continue with the personal attaks on Sen. Barack Obama. Why not encourage your lousy candidate to talk about the economy and how he plans on addressing the problem instead of attacking Obama's character even painting the picture that he is an Arab, and a terrorist. You really pissed me off, the same people that were cheering you on are the same people that talk about you just as bad as they talk about Obama and yet you thought it was cute to add fuel to their fire of hate.
Bless Your Heart you poor soul.
JUST RED THE ONLINE
JUST RED THE ONLINE NEWSMAX.
AND AN ORANGE COUNTY PAC FUNDING HATE..IN THIER PUBLICATIONS TOO
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Well...so much for
Well...so much for MSM.
CNN did a piece on him and NOT A WORD about being a plant. It was all about him being a (one of 4 in the room) black guy for McCain. It boiled down to him collecting his remaining 15 minutes of fame to advertise his radio show and other "for-hire" services.
Seems CNN either did not completely vet or research him (IOW - found this story), choose not to expose for any number of reasons - fear of the attack from the right comes to mind, or found the "for-hire" not to be true -- or at least not able to prove it -- ie: no money trail.
So, like many things that need to be exposed about this dangerous GOP faction and our first ticket in US history with matching ethics violations and proven guilt -- I sense this will get dismissed.
No money trail is my guess.
No money trail is my guess. I actually tipped CNN when we first figured this out. Is the clip from CNN available online?
Help stop the hate. Sign the petition to end incitement to violence by McCain/Palin.

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"THANK YOU FOR CARRYING THE WATER FOR JOHN McCAIN BUT REMEMBER WHEN THIS IS OVER AND YOU HAVE DONE YOUR JOB FOR US YOU ARE STILL NOTHING BUT........
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