Academic

LOGROLLING IN OUR TIME: Obama Campaign Ad Firms Signed On to Push Health-Care Overhaul. ?Two firms?

By Glenn Reynolds

LOGROLLING IN OUR TIME: Obama Campaign Ad Firms Signed On to Push Health-Care Overhaul. “Two firms that received $343.3 million to handle advertising for Barack Obama?s White House run last year have profited from his top priority as president by taking on his push for health-care overhaul. One is AKPD Message and Media, the Chicago-based firm headed by David Axelrod until he left last Dec. 31 to serve as a senior adviser to the president. Axelrod was Obama?s top campaign strategist and is now helping sell the health-care plan. The other firm is Washington-based GMMB Campaign Group, where partner Jim Margolis was also an Obama strategist. . . . Axelrod was president and sole shareholder of AKPD from 1985 until he sold his interest after Obama?s victory, government records show. The firm owes Axelrod $2 million, which it?s due to pay in installments beginning Dec. 31. Axelrod?s son, Michael, still works there. He didn?t return a phone call. The firm?s Web site continues to feature David Axelrod?s work on the Obama campaign.”

Ben Smith at Politico: “It’s hard to imagine a situation in which, say, Karl Rove was still getting checks from a firm that was, in turn, employed by the drug lobby not drawing fire from the left, and Axelrod’s arrangement is, a bit belatedly, getting that attention.” (Via NewsAlert).

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on August 19, 2009 (boomark / email).