So while I have sympathy for Edrie Irvine, who is unemployed, I have none for Good Morning America's Claire Shipman, who portrayed Irvine as an ordinary American who is out of work and "never thought her very livelihood would depend on a political debate in Congress."
Irvine complained "They are talking about tax cuts for the rich and are holding people like me hostage." But she spoke at a Nancy Pelosi press conference yesterday--which Shipman didn't tell her viewers. Fortunately, Newsbusters was on the ball.
And there's more: Irvine, according to her biography on the left-wing Democracy For America site, is a "tree-hugging, bleeding-heart, ACLU-card-carrying progressive liberal and damn proud of it!"
Shipman's husband is the communications director for Joe Biden.
Astroturf comes in all varieties.
UPDATE December 3: Through the comments section, Ms. Irvine informs me that after a year out of work, she received a job offer--which she accepted.
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3 comments:
Thanks for your sympathy. Just for the record, especially for Newsbusters (where--despite trying 3 different times--I can't register to respond in their comments), I *have* been unemployed since 10/2009; I *have* sent out hundreds of resumes and applied for many many jobs; I *have* networked, used contacts, volunteered to get noticed; I have *never* hidden my politics from anyone, including being a member of USAction/True Majority; and received a good job offer today--the first one I've gotten since losing my job over a year ago and one I happily accepted.
"Astroturf" is where an organization tries to hide behind individuals to push an agenda. I'm not shielding anyone; I'm a member of USAction/True Majority, which openly *sponsored* the press conference on Wednesday and provided my name to the media.
Congrats on your new job.
As I wrote, "Joblessness knows no political ideology." I have been on the outside too, although not nearly as long as you were. I know the feeling.
My beef was with GMA.
I barely know the Newsbusters people, but I will pass this on to them.
Thanks, John. My problem is with the implication that I'm not a normal person just because I have political inclinations. I didn't get the job I was laid off from because of my politics; I didn't get laid off because of my politics; I haven't been denied a job or offered a job because of politics. I am, in fact, just a regular American who happens to live near Washington DC. And as the stories of more and more people just like me get coverage, maybe folks will realize that.
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