28 August 2008

NPR's "Secret Money" on Cristi Adkins, the CAACR

A reporter from National Public Radio's "Secret Money" project has just published a well-researched article on the Coalition Against Anti-Christian Rhetoric, media figure Cristi Adkins, and a man amed Mike Donovan. You might recall that the CAACR produced a short-lived anti-Obama ad based on distortions. Do take the time to read the NPR piece.

Apparently, the ad was pulled A point of interest the real reason why the ad was pulled, originally because the station's payment wasn't forthcoming. Afterwards, Allen Media Services "canceled the buy." It appears that the ad was pulled, then, because there was no money to pay for it: Mike Donovan, so the article suggests, ran off before delivering the funds to the station and to the videographer.

Another point of interest:
[the videographer] says Adkins originally wanted to depict Obama with devil horns juxtaposed with images of Hitler [. . . .] Adkins acknowledges she wanted to show the disturbing similarities she saw between audience reactions to Obama and Hitler. As for the horns, the hypnotherapist says, "I might have said, 'Can you put a subliminal shadow in?' I don't know that I said put devil horns.
Nice evasion there. Note that the imagery mentioned in the article--the mish-mash of Satanic and Nazi symbols. While that didn't make the CAACR ad, it certainly made the Donovan-related website, Obama Hate Speech (see images here and site registration here).


Adkins never once mentions who made up the Coalition Against anti-Christian Rhetoric. The videographer believes the "coalition" was Adkins.

Rather than distance herself from the CAACR and its controversial ad, Adkins claims that, once her newer organization, Clintons 4 McCain, " own[s] the ad," they "might use some form of it to blast Obama again." Consider yourselves forewarned, then.

Someone posted a comment or two the other week claiming that the NPR story would vindicate Adkins. It doesn't seem to have turned out that way. It's a well-written, objective piece, but it confirms Adkins's involvement with a scurrilous attempt at political action.

Just for the record, this is a case of two people working on the same topic independently. The NPR reporter is, in no way, affiliated with this blog or with anyone who writes for it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So who's this Jonathan Davis that the ObamaHateSpeech site is registered to?

http://whois.domaintools.com/obamahatespeech.com

Did I somehow miss that bit of information?

Anonymous said...

Cristi Adkins admitted to the reporter responsible for the NPR story (see MPANDGS' link) that the Jonathan Davis websites were actually products of Mike Donovan.

Anonymous said...

o'brien,
Thanks for your question. I should have specific the links. Amended.

Anonymous,
Thanks for responding to o'brien's question!

Thanks to both of you for stopping by.