Christians Concerned over McCain/Palin or Astroturfing for Obama?

America Is Suddenly Bursting With Concerned Christian Conservatives Expressing Conservatively Christian Concern over McCain/Palin … or so writes sarcastically the author ovr at the Ace of Spaced HQ blog … not what I’d normally point out as a blogs4God link due to the adult language used there … but because they appear to have spotted a trend where some are posing as “Concerned Christians” as part of an “Astroturfing Campain” … which said blog defines as:

… Astroturfing is the dishonest PR technique of inserting PR messages straight from the PR shop out into the public, but in the guise of “concerns” of “real citizens” who are “independent” and have “no relationship” whatsoever to the PR campaign.

The WikiPedia describes AstroTurfing as:

Astroturfing is a form of propaganda whose techniques usually consist of a few people attempting to give the impression that mass numbers of enthusiasts advocate some specific cause.

US Senator Lloyd Bentsen, believed to have coined the term, was quoted by the Washington Post in 1985 using it to describe a “mountain of cards and letters” sent to his Senate office to promote insurance industry interests, which Bentsen dismissed as “generated mail.”

What the author at the Ace of Spades HQ (ASH) is asserting is that Obama political adviser David Axelrod is  again allegedly “engaging in the practice of astrotufing“with a technique whereby  pro-Obama, anti-McCain/Palin talking points comments are posted by individuals identifying themselves as “Christians” and/or “lifelong Republicans.

I’ve seen this a bit myself over on a BBS entitled HomeSteadingToday.com - and more recently here in some email comments - which is why I’ve become immediately suspicious of any and everytime I see someone lead off with such identification.

This isn’t to say there aren’t Christians out there who aren’t truly concerned - but generally they don’t lead off their comments in such a way. Instead, somewhere along the lines of their point they cite Scripture, sermons, some tenet of faith, etc …

Your mileage may vary.

Update: Malkin - Bloggers sniff out anti-Palin astroturf campaign– and the cover up begins

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