Unless there’s another Bill Richardson fanatic living in Boston with insider connections to Richardson who is using Zanby to promote the Bill Richardson for President campaign, I’ve identified the mystery man I was asking about earlier this morning as Jeff Gulko, who is also the co-creator of the America for Richardson web site.
Jeff Gulko is alternately referred to as a consultant or an account manager at Schneider Associates, a public relations firm. He has worked in the past at L3 Communications and in the White House Office of National Drug Policy. Gulko also worked under Bill Richardson at the Deparment of Energy.
A zanby grassroots campaign organized by a PR professional? I really hate it when I find that what appears to be a genuine outpouring of enthusiasm for a cause turns out to have the sheen of astroturf. At least Gulko seems to be himself a dedicated supporter of Bill Richardson. I’d imagine that soon he will be a paid employee of Bill Richardson for President, if he is not already.
Oh well. The best way to counter this kind of insider-based political organizing at a site like Zanby is to do some yourself.
Post script:Mr. Gulko has written here, as you can see in the comments below, and asserts that he is not being paid in any way to create the Zanby grassroots network. He wants me to take this article down, or amend it to suit his tastes. As a PR professional, he ought to know that people like myself don’t respond positively to requests for self-censorship.
I never claimed that I knew for a fact that Mr. Gulko is currently in the employ of the Richardson for President campaign. I said, “I’d imagine that soon he will be a paid employee of Bill Richardson for President, if he is not already.” That’s not a claim of fact. It’s a claim of what I imagine to be true.
I also referred to Mr. Gulko’s work as “insider-based political organizing”. Well, it is. He promoted his Richardson for President web site, and its related Zanby network, through contacts with Washington Whispers, a US News and World Report column of news about political insiders for political insiders. The column describes itself as “a lighthearted look at the inside-Washington scene.”
I also said that “I really hate it when I find that what appears to be a genuine outpouring of enthusiasm for a cause turns out to have the sheen of astroturf.” I have to say that the Zanby Richardson for President network does have an astroturf sheen to it, given that Mr. Gulko, known as Mass4Richardson in the Zanby world, has made himself one of only a few members in what are supposed to be local organizations across the USA. How a Boston resident can be a true member of a group called Los Angeles for Richardson is beyond me. I call it astroturf because it has the appearance of an engineered pseudograssroots effort.
It would have been skillfully done, if it were not for Mr. Gulko’s request that I censor what I’ve written about him here. I’m sure that Mr. Gulko doesn’t want this kind of information about his efforts to be written about as I am writing about them now, but I am not writing anything that is untrue. Mr. Gulko has promoted his efforts elsewhere in the press, and if he wants to promote his Zanby PR efforts elsewhere, he makes himself vulnerable to people writing about his activities in ways that he does not like. That’s how things work, when there’s a free press.
I have no particular agenda against Jeff Gulko. I didn’t ever hear of his name before this morning. I will vigorously defend my right to write what I like about his political campaign activities, however, whether he likes it or not.
I suggest to Mr. Gulko that if he does not want this incident to be written about further, giving more bad publicity to his work, that he stop asking me to retract what I’ve written. PR professionals may not like it when they get bad press, but badgering writers to try to control what they write is a tactic that can only continue to backfire.
Well, I must first say that I am suprised to be the focus of this blog on this day. And it is also my responsibility to set the record straight as one who reads the last posting might have some questions.
Yes, I am a co-founder of AmericaForRichardson.org and yes I used to serve as Special Assistant to Governor back at DOE from 1999-2001. And yes I did work at ONDCP and L3 Communications. And yes, I did formerly work for Schneider Associates, a PR firm in Boston. However, today I am a private citizen attempting to organize a grassroots effort to elect Governor Richardson the next President of the United States. As part of an upcoming grassroots event taking place on February 6th, I wanted to reach out to the Zanby group hosts to coordinate events with them. I approached Zanby and asked what the best way to communicate with group leaders. I was told by Zanby that the only way to communicate with the group leaders was to join the group, and then as a member of the group you could email the host.
I live in Boston and am a private citizen attempting to build a grassroots movement in support of Governor Richardson. I along with a few other private citizens met over a year ago in a yahoogroup and decided to design a page where folks could learn about Governor Richardson, but at the same time have an opportunity to share their views and thoughts. That being said, we created http://www.americaforrichardson.org. The site has been a great success and truly demonstrates the power of the internet, and more importantly, how this election and elections to follow will emphasize the importance of a grassroots effort.
Having spent some time working at a PR firm should not eliminate me from having the freedom to participate in a grassroots movement. In fact, I have spent the majority of the last four years working in the area of homeland security and not public relations.
My involvement is the yahoogroup and the Richardson site far predate Richardson’s decision to run. We started this site over a year and a half ago. I am not part of Richardson’s campaign and am not a paid employee. Our site went up October 2005. Lastly, working as a PR professional does not mean I forfeit my 1st Ammendment Rights.
I plan to continue to work to help elect Governor Bill Richardson our next President.
Well, Jeff, if what you say is true, then the Richardson campaign ought to hire you. Your move to get the Richardson campaign active on Zanby is a great idea. You’ve recognized an opportunity that other campaigns have not. Good for you.
J. Clifford, thank you for your kind words.
Cynicism in politics makes me crazy. I’m tired of seeing this kind of yellow “blogism” (since we cant call it journalism)infect the political landscape. A few facts and a lot of innuendo does not make a story correct. Through this post you have set the precedent that if you are a PR person you can not start a grassroots effort because it may be construed as an act by the campaign itself. I have to ask if you actually called Mr. Gulko to see if he was actually working for the campaign or not. Instead you smeared Mr. Gulko and through him Bill Richardson. I wonder what your motivation is? I request that you take this down and next time check facts before posting this sort of “Drudge”-like smear piece.
Thank you.
uncle charles in the house. lol
And yeah, Gulko WAS working for the campaign. Smear, my patootie. As for Charles Compton… well, look his past positions up on LinkedIn. Just sayin’.
J Clifford, with the situation now having been explained, I would like to ask you to please either take down the initial story or update it to reflect the factually correct information I have provided you on my status as a private citizen and not a campaign employee. I would sincerely appreciate this. Thank you.
No, Mr. Compton, I won’t take it down, and here’s why. If you are a PR person, there is ample reason to suspect that your actions in a campaign are not what they seem. My suspicion was well founded, given the rampant misinformation that’s been performed by PR operations over the last decade. The PR industry reaps what it sows. Skepticism and doubt are not something to be ashamed of. They should be celebrated.
You seem to resent it when independent writers fail to simply accept what they see at face value. PR campaigns depend upon superficial interpretations, and I won’t give one here. Mr. Compton, I won’t censor myself to suit your taste for an unquestioning public.
As for Mr. Gulko’s request, I’m afraid I won’t take down this post for his benefit either, though I will add a postscript. I have to say that the Mass4Richardson “membership” in so many supposedly state-level groups creates an aura of unathenticity that reflects a serious PR misstep. Gulkko’s prior relationship with Bill Richardson, and other Democratic Party insiders, and your work in the public relations industry are relevant, especially when the appearance of a grassroots effort was created somewhat disingenuously. Mr. Gulko’s crowing efforts to publicize his Zanby work, as can be seen across the web, put him in a position where some scrutiny is called for.
J Clifford, I do appreciate you adding a postscript. Many thanks.
Wow. That is pretty tacky. Even the Weekly World News and the National Enquirer post retractions and apologies when they are wrong.
Crap like this makes people distrust the information they see on the internet.
Sad. Shame on you.
By the way, Mr. Compton is part of the Richardson for President universe … so that wasn’t a random, disinterested comment.
Well, “Cara Valente”, I didn’t write anything in the article that was wrong.
You want to talk about “crap like this” that makes people distrust information?
Okay, I’ll play that game. How about the fact that “Cara Valente” and “Charles Compton” have exactly the same IP address. Two names. One computer.
Sad. Shame on you.
I think they’re married, J. Clifford. On the Richardson websites, she’s Cara Valente-Compton. The couple that echoes each other, um, well, I don’t know how that aphorism ends.
Geckoes eachother?
Thanks for the note, Jim. Perhaps they are husband and wife indeed, or father and daughter, or some other relation.
What’s lost ont he is protesting, outraged small bunch, so angry that I wrote a couple of articles, including a link, about their efforts, is that amdist all their outrage at being written about, their cause has been drowned out. They’ve made more outrage at being written about than they have about their candidate of choice.
They could have come over here and written some nice comment praising Bill Richardson, but instead they’re twittering that someone wrote an article that didn’t follow their script. That, certainly, is not effective publicity.
Well you went to the trouble to do “Bush tactics” to unearth the shocking revelation that I am, indeed, married to Mr. Compton. Yes I will admit that, and yes we shared a computer. Shocking indeed.
Why are you hiding your identity? You don’t give your full name. You don’t have any problem revealing information about me, or Mr. Gulko, or my husband. Do you want the names of our children? You probably know those, too.
Bush tactics?
Bush tactics?!?
Keep it up, Cara. Keep talking about how I’m trying to invade the privacy of your children, and the distant voice of what once was publicity for the Bill Richardson campaign will continue to fade off into the distance, faintly remembered…
Would you like to tap our phone calls and IM’s next? Perhaps you would like our mail. I have a whole pile of junk mail that is yours for the taking.
Looking around your site I see that you claim to be a liberal. But I seem to have struck a nerve. Now yes, personal information is there for the taking on the internet, but does that give you the right to exploit it? Clearly you care about your own personal privacy, which is why I am not digging around to find out about who you are and where you live, and with whom.
My candidate is one of substance, with a record of accomplishment that I would think would excite someone like you, and our grassroots effort is genuine. I am not paid, neither is my husband. I just believe that my governor is a remarkable leader and I am willing to share him with the rest of the nation. I believe we need a Richardson presidency. You are free to disagree, but offer some substance. Please don’t go after decent people who are as committed to making the world a better place as you claim to be.
Cara
Cara,
You’ve hit it on the head. There’s a big difference between me tapping your telephone calls and just taking a look at the public information that you and Jeff Gulko have volunteered to put online for others to read.
I’m not hiding anything about my identity. You can find out who I am quite easily, if you know where to look. Go ahead. I have nothing to hide.
As for substantive opposition to Bill Richardson, some writers here at Irregular Times are open to his candidacy, but I have to say that I’m not impressed with his choices. You can read an article that I just wrote explaining my thoughts on this matter at:
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2007/01/22/richardson-dark-side/
Ok, here is a promise I will make to you. I have to go bathe the kids and get them ready for tomorrow, but tomorrow I will be back, will read your article, and will provide you with a friendly, substantive response. How is that? Fair?
Cara,
Come on, now. It’s not Orwellian to note that you call yourself Cara Valente-Compton elsewhere when you… um… call yourself Cara Valente-Compton elsewhere.
Besides, J. Clifford has named himself on this website and others. Do a whois search. And I have named myself, too, right down to my street address, my middle name, and my number of kids. So, yes, actually, we are right out there and we do name ourselves and all that jazz.
I’m with J. Clifford: if I were you, I’d spend less time being shocked… SHOCKED! that people ask questions when someone from Massachusetts organizes an Ohio for Richardson group, especially when that person has a history of working for Bill Richardson and is a P.R. professional. Of COURSE people will ask questions about that, and of COURSE it’s reasonable to ask how much of a connection this person has to Bill Richardson currently. This is a campaign for a man who wants to be the most powerful person in the most powerful nation on the entire planet. Questions will be asked, and they SHOULD be asked.
So when those questions are asked, why not do what Jeff Gulko has done — quite skillfully — which is to answer them. THEN you have an opportunity to gush about Bill Richardson, and explain to us all why he’s a good candidate.
You have an opportunity to convince a lot of people here — a lot of people with open minds (see my recent posts here and here). Use that opportunity.
Cara,
We just over-posted each other. That sounds completely fair. There’s no reason we have to be adversarial.
This article is really just full of conjecture and an attempt to make something out of nothing.
Mr. Gulko might want to be part of many groups so that he can get their e-mails and things. Considering that he is heading up the grassroot organization, he’ll want to know what folks are doing.
Mr. Gulko has responded and I hope that all readers will look past the conjecture and at the real truth. Mr. Gulko has been convinced that Governor Richardson would be a wonderful president for several years.
Nicely documented, jClifford.
Republicans have been using slick media consultants very successfully for decades. It`s high time the Democrats did some catching up.
I hope the Democrats can manage something more professional than the Laurel and Hardy routine we`re seeing here. True to form, the liberals are going for each others` throats while the right-wing religious whackos are laughing all the way to the bank.
I managed to figure out exactly who jClifford and Jim were before I posted even one word here, and I`m no big computer geek. Looks like the Democrats need someone with computer literacy as well as people skills. If the rest of the Dems are as together as the Richardson volunteers, we`re going to be in for a loooonnngg Cheney presidency.
Wow, looks like I took a bit too long to plug back into this post. Anyway, I agree with J. Clifford’s original point that Jeff being member of so many groups did look a bit shady. It was something that I had a problem with for awhile, but didn’t point out to Jeff until someone else noticed earlier today.
As a bit of history, back in May 2006 a bunch of “for Richardson bloggers” consciously went looking for a meetup.com alternative and came up with zanby.com. Since then we’ve promoted the idea of using zanby groups on americaforrichardson.org and other state based blogs.
Jeff’s idea to join as many as them was an innocent mistake.
J. Clifford’s point about starting your own zanby group is an awesome one. There are now over 50 just on zanby. There are other alternatives out there, so when groups show up on those, hopefully we can all link together.
By the way, David Weinberger had a great post yesterday on the difference between meetups and “house parties” that is relevant to this discussion.
Jeff,
I’m impressed you actually came here to reply. Shows character, quite a bit more than many politically-involved people tend to show.
Don’t worry about the article not being withdrawn, it’s merely there to state fact and I think a lot of people read the Comments section.
Honesty is a good thing.
Cara,
You know as well as anyone here that matching IP addresses usually mean it’s the same person posting. We have no wish to delve into your personal lives.
I have a lot of information about myself available on the internet, and in posting it I have given assumed consent for people to look at and quote it.
Generally people have better things to do with their time online though, so I take each case of being Googled with a pinch of surprise and a look into why.
Hope you’re both well,
HareTrinity (AKA Zoe Samantha Hand; 19, female, UK)
[Note: Makes it feel like a dating agency doing that.]
And on second-read, J.Clifford; maybe you should put some reference to the Comments section into the article (e.g. at the top in italics) so that people can read the response/s made by the person in question.
And I’m triple-posting… My preference to order didn’t really need the other post, but I’m tired. Sorry for filling up the section, you can delete this and #23 if you like.
Ok as I promised I have returned. In the spirit of full disclosure I will tell you that I am married to Charles, and that most of the time I go by Cara Valente-Compton, but sometimes either Valente or Compton. You can all call me Cara.
My husband and I are big believers in the Richardson candidacy, and will share with you why. Richardson has done an incredibly good job administrating the state of New Mexico, which was regarded as many Americans as part of the Third World. Our previous Governor ran our treasury into the ground providing fat cat contracts to build private prisons and warehouse people using overpaid private security companies and underpaid guards. He was a nightly Letterman and Leno joke for his reflections on drugs. Crime, drunk driving, and our state’s deficit were the only things to go up. Education, jobs, the economy and New Mexican’s hopes and dreams went down. Charles and I left NM in 1996 for greener pastures, seeing the trend in NM. We had just gotten married and wanted to have a family and actually be able to buy groceries, so we moved to Kansas City, then St. Louis.
Of course we had family ties and friends here, and always missed New Mexico, because even when it isn’t a great place to earn a living it is a wonderful place to live. We longed to come home. In 2004 when Richardson was elected I was elated, because I had seen him in action in Congress and the UN and DOE and I knew he was a man of substance. He made a lot of promises, and in the first term he worked hard to keep them. Here are a few of the things he has done to improve New Mexico…
1. Improved our schools by reducing overcrowding, building new facilities in areas that needed them and paying teachers more by shifting expenditures from administration to teachers salaries. Also increased accountability in the classroom.
2. Encouraged industry to come to NM through incentives and showing a committment to education, creating tens of thousands of new jobs in our state. I believe the number is 78K, which in a state of 1.5 M is HUGE.
3. Encouraged the development of renewable energy plants, making NM the leader in clean energy production. We have wind farms. We are building a biomass plant and a solar plant. Each of these has led to the creation of jobs in very rural areas, where people are particularily desperate for an economy boost.
4. He has reduced taxes on EVERY New Mexican, and eliminated SALES TAXES ON FOOD AND MEDICINE COMPLETELY. As the mother of four small children I can attest with some real authority that this is a HUGE savings for families.
5. He has reduced drunk driving dramatically through tougher laws and implementing a revolutionary ignition internlock system, where offenders have to give a breathalyzer test to start their cars.
6. He has been extremely proactive in the elimination of meth labs, and is now working to create a mechanism where homebuyers will be able to know if the property they are purchasing was used for a meth lab, and potentially containing dangerous residue.
7. New Mexico will be the frontrunner in the development of new space technology and exploration thanks to Governor Richardson’s push for a space port in Alamogordo.
8. The University of New Mexico Medical Center will be a frontrunner in stem cell research thanks to Governor Richardson’s committment to this program.
9. Other industries directly effected by the administration’s pro-development policies are film production, construction, housing, technologies, information technologies, and of course with all this development the service industries are benefitted.
I could go on, but there are so many things he has done for our state, and I am very proud of them. When Charles and I moved back home 15 months ago we knew we were here to stay. The kids are so happy, and we know that there are plenty of opportunities for us in New Mexico, and for our children.
I also am so impressed by his ability to bring people together to talk about problems and get win-win solutions. He has negotiated with N. Korea, Iraq, Sudan…rescued hostages and gained the release of political prisoners and arbitrated cease fire agreements and non-proliferation treaties. I believe that what we need now more than ever before is someone who understands that not every conflict or crisis demands a military resolution.
This brings me to Iraq. I think it is important to remember, and I give Hillary and Edwards the same latitude here, that in 2002 and 2003 the mood in this country was dramatically different than it is today. We had been attacked, the intelligence had been distorted to suit the interests of the current administration, and a great majority of not just our elected officials but Americans supported going to Iraq (I didn’t myself, but I am a true peacenik.) Richardson wants the troops out immediately, insists there is no military solution to this crisis, and says only diplomacy works. I am in the middle of Jimmy Carter’s book, “Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid,” and I couldn’t agree more (great read btw).
I want to also say that last night I jumped in to defend a friend, Jeff Gulko, because I felt he was wronged. So did my husband. I used Cara Valente only because I didn’t want to just be echoing my husband (as for the geckoing I will refrain from comment.) Jeff is a great guy, and our efforts to push for Richardson in the blogworld, in the online community building groups, and with our own website (www.richardsonbringshope.com) are completely organic and borne out of our excitement for this candidate AND our belief that Richardson really does bring hope to America.
On that note, http://www.richardsonbringshope.com is under construction, and will be complete (but still and always fluid) on Friday.
We are not affiliated with the campaign, we are not paid, we are just true believers. And we are willing to help get the word out and answer any questions, or find any answers to questions, to help bring people over to our side. This guy is the real deal!
Thanks for the opportunity to clear this up!
Cara
Cara,
Thanks for your long, detailed post. I agree with you that Richardson brings a lot to the table, and I look forward to finding out more about him as the months in this election season progress.
Jim, thank you again for the opportunity to make my case. If you have any questions or issues that you WANT addressed, just let me know. You can contact me on the RBH site, or email me at cara@richardsonbringshope.com or beansmom68@yahoo.com. I promise if I don’t have an answer I will keep looking til I find one!
well, one thing that a very brief search on the Internet reveals is that J Clifford and Jon Cooke (the owner of this Site) are related (brothers, maybe?). I can just imagine them sitting across the room from each other, egging the other on.
I find it a little disingenuous to use different names — the impression is that they are acting independently, which gives the further impression that there is more to their position than there is. Shame.
Not exactly, Oliver. It’s Cook, not Cooke. And J. Clifford IS Jonathan (Jon) Clifford. I’m James (nickname Jim). My middle name is Matthew.
We have different names because we are different people.
I think the original poster just likes to hear himself speak. Sad that you have to do it at the expense of an honest man.
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Man, did J. Clifford nail it or what?
“…grassroots campaign organized by a PR professional? I really hate it when I find that what appears to be a genuine outpouring of enthusiasm for a cause turns out to have the sheen of astroturf. At least Gulko seems to be himself a dedicated supporter of Bill Richardson. I’d imagine that soon he will be a paid employee of Bill Richardson for President, if he is not already.”
Here’s the PR professional part.
Look what it lists as part of his professional experience: “Prior to his current position, Jeff most recently served as the National Grassroots Director for Governor Bill Richardson’s Presidential Campaign where he managed the campaign’s grassroots program which included ballot access, visibility, letters-to-the-editor, grassroots fundraising and volunteer travel in the forty-six non-early primary states.”
And here’s the “I’d imagine that soon he will be a paid employee of Bill Richardson for President” part: Turns out that Gulko got himself hired on officially for PR capacities by the Richardson campaign in March 2007, just as J. Clifford predicted.
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