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Blakeman, B

===

VP at bgr?!

brooks bros

bgr 2004-5

wayne berman park strats

===

BBR:

As is customary with Stone, there is

some controversy about his precise role.

“I was the guy in charge of the trailer,

and I coördinated the Brooks Brothers

riot,” Brad Blakeman, a lobbyist and political

consultant who worked for Bush

in Miami, told me. “Roger did not have

a role that I know of. His wife may have

been on the radio, but I never saw or

heard from him.” Scoffing at Blakeman’s

account, Stone asserts that he was in the

trailer; he said that he had never heard of

Blakeman. (Rule: “Lay low, play dumb,

keep moving.”)

==

tbtimes 2018

Soon the several dozen protesters were banging on the glass door of the elections office demanding to be let in. Many were paid Republican operatives, flown in by the party, later identified in a photo by the Washington Post. Quinn is not in the picture.

"They were banging on the glass with clip boards. We were afraid the whole thing could collapse," said South Florida attorney Joe Geller, who had walked in from the elevator in the middle of the chaos. "They were chanting, 'Let us in, let us in.' "

Geller, a Democrat and now a state representative, asked for a sample ballot he planned to use to demonstrate a flaw in the machine tabulation system only to be almost immediately swarmed by protesters accusing him of stealing a ballot.

"Then I was surrounded by all of these pushing, shouting, shoving, kicking, elbowing people," Geller remembers. He eventually got away with the help of a police officer who intervened. The protest had a lasting effect.

"People were nervous and frightened and upset," said Geller, who saw the canvassing board huddled after the protesters left the building.

Later that night, Miami-Dade elections officials called off the rest of the recount process.

"Violence, fear and physical intimidation literally shut down the counting of votes," Geller said.

==
Bradley A. Blakeman, J.D.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bradley_A._Blakeman

Bradley A. Blakeman is the former president and chief executive officer,[1] as well as one of several prominent conservatives funding Freedom's Watch, a new White House front group[2] which began "a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to urge members of Congress who may be wavering in their support for the war in Iraq not to 'cut and run'."[3]

Blakeman resigned as Freedom's Watch chairman in March 2008[4] amid a reported "internal dysfunction" in the group that resulted in a breakdown in relations between Blakeman and the board of directors.[5]

Blakeman served as a member of President George W. Bush's Senior Staff as the Deputy Assistant to the President for Appointments and Scheduling.[6]

Prior to joining the Bush administration in 2006, Blakeman worked as a lobbyist at Park Strategies LLC for former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.).[7][8] He is also the Senior Advisor for Gordon C. James Public Relations.[6]

Blakeman is a former vice president of Barbour, Griffith and Rogers.

Contents [hide]

Profiles

"Bradley A. Blakeman also served in the White House as Volunteer Lead Advance Representative from 1980-1993. During this time he implemented and supervised major media events nationally and internationally. He was also a consultant to the offices of both the President and the Vice President of the United States from 1980-1993 in support of our nation's domestic and international policies.

"Appointed by President [George H.W.] Bush in 1990, he became the youngest member on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. [He] was appointed to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Board of Directors in 1999 by the County Executive and served as the Assistant Secretary until 2001.

The IDA uses non-taxpayer dollars to help grow, expand and bring business to Nassau County. Bradley A. Blakeman is a Founding member of the Secret Service Family Fund and sits on the Board of Directors. This organization, which began in 1995 after the Oklahoma City bombing, supports families of Secret Service victims.

"[He] is a well known Republican Strategist and can be seen and heard regularly on :{FOX }:News, MSNBC and BBC Television and Radio. [He] has appeared on CNN, Tucker Carlson, Joe Scarborough, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Nightline, Fox and Friends and numerous other national and local media outlets.

"[He] obtained his B.A in Political Science from Adelphi University in 1980. He graduated from Jacob Fuschsberg Law Center-Touro College in 1986 with his J.D."[6]

Contact information

Park Strategies

101 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10178

Phone: 212 883-5608

Resources and articles

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. ↑ Mike Allen, "Pro-Bush group spends $15M defending war," The Politico (posted by Free Republic), August 22, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Adelson runs attack ads against Porter," Las Vegas Gleaner, August 22, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Group to Urge War Support," New York Times, August 22, 2007.
  4. ↑ "A Statement from Freedom's Watch President and CEO Brad Blakeman," Freedom's Watch, March 7, 2008.
  5. ↑ Michael Luo, "Great Expectations for a Conservative Group Seem All but Dashed," New York Times, April 12, 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Our Staff: Bradley A. Blakeman, Director - Washington Group, Park Strategies LLC, accessed August 22, 2007; cache file.
  7. ↑ James Gordon Meek, "Don't give up, ads urge GOP. $15M blitz aims to keep pols' support for war," New York Daily News, August 25, 2007.
  8. ↑ Lobbyist profile: Bradley Blakeman, Influence.com, accessed August 22, 2007.

External articles

External resources

===

http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/bradley_a_blakeman.html

Bradley A. Blakeman most recently was the President of Freedom's Watch a right of center conservative advocacy 501 C4. Prior to founding Freedom's Watch, Mr. Blakeman was a member of President George W. Bush's Senior Staff having served from 2001-2004 as Deputy Assistant to the President for Appointments and Scheduling, Vetting and Research, Correspondence and Surrogate Scheduling.

Mr. Blakeman can be seen regularly as a Republican Strategist on FOX News, MSNBC, BBC, CNN and Al Jezeera. He also is published regularly in Politico, US News and World Report and Newsmax. Mr. Blakeman played a major role in the 2000 Presidential Election as a Senior Advisor and played a critical role in the Florida Recount a role that landed him a part as a character in the HBO Film "Recount". He has also been an advisor on the ABC TV Drama Series "Commander in Chief".

Mr. Blakeman is an Attorney licensed to practice in that State of New York and the District of Columbia and is currently the President & CEO with Kent Strategies LLC, a private corporation dedicated to providing strategic advice as well as crisis management and communications strategies to foreign governments and foreign and domestic corporations.

He is also a principal of Manhole Barrier Security Systems Inc., which owns a U.S. Utility Patent on a manhole-locking device that is currently being sold nationwide. Mr. Blakeman has been active in Presidential Politics since 1980. He was appointed to serve as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council during the George H.W. Bush Administration.

Courses Taught:

Internship Class (SWP all tracks)

Politics & Public Policy: Academic Seminar

Brad Blakeman would end up in the Bush inner circle, as a deputy assistant to the President. He would later be placed in charge of Freedom’s Watch, a political action group with strong connections to the administration and hefty funding from Sheldon Adelson. They would buy heavy advertising in support of the surge in Iraq. “I know what I lost,” said a veteran with both legs missing in one of their ads. “I also know if we pull out now, everything I’ve given and sacrificed will mean nothing.” A soldier in another ad, also with both legs missing would say, “I would go back to Iraq if I could, it’s that important because if Iraq isn’t stable it will be a breeding ground for terrorists.”

Freedom’s Watch was intended to be a conservative counterpoint to progressive groups like MoveOn.org. It was sued by Larry Klayman for copyright violation of his own group, Freedom Watch, and fell apart after a year due to internal squabbling92. In discussing his movie Recount, about the events in Florida, director Jay Roach would place heavy emphasis on Blakeman’s role. “He was, by his own account,” wrote Roach, “the man at least partly behind “Sore Loserman,” “Surrender Gorethy,” “The Gorinch Who Stole the Election,” and other demonstration characters and stunts that appeared at rallies outside the Florida Supreme Court and outside counting centers throughout the 36 days of the recount:{.”}:93

Roach would continue:

Blakeman also said he helped organize the edgier “Brooks Brothers Riot” from his roving RV office in Florida. As you see in the film, this protest took place outside the counting rooms in Miami-Dade County. By most accounts, the shouting and shoving and pounding of fists on the doors and windows succeeded in intimidating the canvassing board, who shut down the recount right after the protests, even though the board had approved the counting earlier.

Fascinatingly for me, Blakeman told us there was a very deliberate effort by the Republicans in Florida to “act more like Democrats,” and to take a page out of the book written by the left-wing protestors in the ’60s who used protests and street theater to inject turmoil and chaos into established political processes to make them look flawed, corrupt, or ridiculous (as with the Democratic Convention in 1968 or the attempts to levitate the Pentagon). Blakeman told us that the Republicans were certain that in 2000, the Democrats would “lie, cheat, and steal” to win the Florida recount. So, to “preserve the victory,” the Republicans this time had topre-emptivelytake to the streets and make the recount seem messy, chaotic, and even dangerous to the country. The hope was to prevent the recount from flipping the victory to Gore, and if it did, to make the recount’s results seem illegitimate.

For Blakeman, this meant loud protests during the recounting; bull-horn disruptions that shut down speeches by people like Jesse Jackson and other Democrats during rallies; characters like “Cry-Baby Gore”; and catchy slogans and T-shirts at every possible public event. He told us that for him, what the Democrats and the Florida Supreme Court were trying to do was pure farce, so the only proper response was pure farce. He wanted people to connect hand-counting of votes with utter turmoil and dysfunction, and for him, the wackier the whole process seemed, the better.

In the movie Recount, the other supposed co-ordinator of the Brooks Brothers Riot is mentioned once, when James Baker says with a sinister undertone “Get me Roger Stone

==

BGR Holdings LLC, previously called Barbour Griffith & Rogers, is a Washington D.C.-based public relations and lobbying company that boasts its operating philosophy is "performance based: a proactive, creative approach to solving problems and aggressively seeking results". [1]

|

Controversies

Fundraiser for Wisconsin anti-worker rights politicians

On March 16, 2011, BGR hosted a lavish, Washington, D.C. fundraiser for Wisconsin Republican politicians. Guests were expected to donate a minimum of $1,000 at the door. They could become "sponsors" by donating $2,500 or "hosts" by donating $5,000. Guests included Wisconsin's Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and the state's Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. The event was held just days after Republicans in Wisconsin's legislature voted 18-1 to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees.

The vote was held with no Democrats in attendance. All five Republican members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation were invited to attend the D.C. fundraiser, along with Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.[2][3]

The fundraiser sparked protest from pro-worker groups and workers' rights supporters who gathered in front of BGR Group offices to draw attention to Wisconsin Republicans' union-busting bill, and their subsequent efforts to raise money from out-of-state corporations in support of their actions.[4]

History

The company was founded in 1991. On its website it states "the firm represents a diverse, blue-chip clientele which includes Fortune 500 companies, international governments, trade associations, non-profits, academic institutions, hospitals, coalitions, and state and local governments. "[5]

In a profile on the company and its strong connections with the Republican Party, Thomas B. Edsall wrote in the Washington Post that "in less than a decade, the Barbour Griffith & Rogers lobbying shop has become one of the most profitable operations in Washington". [6]

According to Haley Barbour, who was sworn in as the Governor of Mississippi in January 2004, the firm was sold to the Interpublic Group of Companies in 1999. Part of the sale deal was that the name remain the same, even though Barbour no longer had a financial stake in the company. [7]

However in June 2004 O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that BG&R was discussing buying a controlling interest in itself back from Interpublic. It reported that "the former Republican National Committee chairman has put his stake in BG&R into a blind trust. He has said that he isn't sure whether he will return to BG&R after he leaves office [8]

In a September 2003 article on his blog site, Josh Marshall wrote that New Bridge Strategies -- a company established to help clients win Iraq reconstruction contracts -- "looks an awful lot like an outgrowth of Barbour Griffith and Rogers". [1]

In June 2004, O'Dwyers PR Daily reported BG&R recorded $1.6M in fees in 2003, according to Roll Call. [9]

Clients

Domestic (U.S.)

In May 2002, BG&R indicated that on behalf of Virginia-based United Defense it would lobby in favor of the Crusader $11 billion artillery system. Despite attending a strategy session in mid-May 2002, BG&R subsequently decided to drop the account. "The White House contacted BG&R when it heard that the firm was going to represent the Crusader. That contact resulted in BG&R dropping the account," O'Dwyers reported. [10]

In October 2002, Haley Barbour headed up a team "on corporate governance issues" for Citigroup, with assistance with Jennifer Larkin, Dan Murphy and Loren Monroe. "Citigroup's Salomon Smith Barney brokerage house faces various probes concerning potential analysts' conflict of interest and how it allocated shares in initial public offerings. On October 14, Citicorp denied charges in a lawsuit filed by New York State Comptroller Carl McCall - who is also running for Governor - that its Travelers insurance unit made improper loans to Bernie Ebbers, the former CEO of WorldCom," O'Dwyers reported.[11]

International

In June 2002, 'O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that BG&R had gained a $30,000-a-month contract with the Embassy of Bolivia "to deal with tactical planning, trade and appropriations matters." The BG&R team was headed by Barbour and also included Keith Schuette, "a former president of the International Republican Institute, and Scott Barnhart. "Bolivia scored a coup on the trade front as Congress agreed to reduce tariffs on canned tuna, textiles and cut flowers to encourage it, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to fight the drug trade," reported O'Dwyer's. [12]

In July 2004, the Kurdish Democratic Party retained BG&R, "to ensure that Iraqi Kurdistan maintains its autonomy from Baghdad in the new Iraq Government" and for the "return of oil-rich Kirkuk, which Saddam Hussein had "Arabized" as the capital of the region, to Kurdistan." [2]

In February 2005, O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that the government of Qatar had "hired Barbour Griffith & Rogers to a $300K pact to smooth relations with the Bush Administration."[13]

In August 2006, the Washington Post reported that BG&R was working for the "National Dialogue Party of Lebanon and its chairman, Fouad Makhzoumi. The Republican shop registered to lobby for the Lebanese party in mid-June, with an effective start date of April 15." After armed hostilities between the Israeli government and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia began in July 2006, BG&R started promoting "Makhzoumi's message of support for a cease-fire and a diplomatic solution to policymakers in Washington." The contract totaled $300,000 over six months.[14]

BG&R had also registered with the State Department "to 'provide guidance and counsel' on foreign policy to the embassy of Eritrea. That contract, which paid $65,000 a month for six months, or a total of $390,000, expired last month," the Washington Post reported in August 2006. [3]

BGR’s involvement and efforts in 2007 in ousting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to replace him with former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, were documented in hundreds of emails sent in Allawi’s name, Think Progress reported in 2007.[15]

Allawi was called “Saddam lite” by Slate in 2004[16] for his “mostly rhetorical” toughness and alleged courting of insurgents. Robert Blackwill, the lead BGR lobbyist on the account, oversaw the creation of the new Iraqi government, National Public Radio reported in 2007.[17]

BG&R landed a $60,000 a month contract to represent Serbia. The contract, which was signed by Serbia's Minister for International Economic Relations, Milan Parivodic, runs until January 2009. Serbia has been criticized for being half-hearted in its cooperation with investigations into war crimes committed during the 1990's. [4] (sub req'd)

BGR has also had extensive contact with the Embassy of Poland in 2008-2009.[18]

Client List

New clients since 2004, according to Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, accessed March 16, 2011:

As listed on the company website January 2004, except where referenced:

Former Clients

Political contributions

Lanny Griffith, Chief Executive Officer of Barbour, Griffith and Rogers, is a Bush Ranger having raised at least $200,000 for Bush in the 2004 presidential election. [21]

Barbour, Griffith and Rogers gave $73,603 to federal candidates in the 2006 election through its political action committee - 100% to Republicans. [22]

Personnel

Current staff: [23]

Former staff

Contact information

Barbour Griffith & Rogers

Tenth Floor 1275 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202)333 4936

Fax: (202)833 9392

Email: information AT bgrdc.com

Web: http://www.bgrdc.com

References

  1. ↑ Barbour, Griffith and Rogers Profile Approach Accessed October 3, 2007 - the statement quoted is no longer on its current website, noted as of March 16, 2011)
  2. ↑ David Green BGR Group Hosting $1,000 Fundraiser For Wisconsin Republicans, Gather.com, March 11, 2011
  3. ↑ Evan McMorris-Santoro Report: Major DC Lobby Firm Throwing Fundraiser For Wisconsin GOP Leaders, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, March 11, 2011
  4. ↑ People for the American Way PFAW Rallies to Support Wisconsin’s Workers, press release, March 16, 2011
  5. ↑ BGRDC BGR About, organizational web site, accessed March 16, 2011
  6. ↑ Thomas B. Edsall Another Lobbyist Emerges From the GOP Trenches, Washington Post, Page A15. January 13, 2004
  7. ↑ Aziz Haniffa Blackwill factor in US lobbying firm deal, Rediff News, September 17, 2005
  8. ↑ O'Dwyers BG&R Nears Buyback, June 1, 2004
  9. ↑ O'Dwyers BG&R Nears Buyback, June 1, 2004
  10. ↑ O'Dwyers [http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2002/may/0521crusader.htm BG&R SHOOTS DOWN CRUSADER AFTER TWO DAYS], May 21, 2002
  11. ↑ O'Dwyers CITIGROUP HIRES BG&R, October 17, 2002
  12. ↑ O'Dwyers BOLIVIA INKS DEAL WITH BG&R, June 6, 2002
  13. ↑ O'Dwers QATAR HIRES BG&R, February 1, 2005
  14. ↑ Judy Sarasohn Clients Don't Come Much Hotter, Washington Post, August 3, 2006
  15. ↑ Think Progress Right-Wing Operatives Plot To Overthrow Maliki, Replace Him With Reliable Collaborator Allawi, Think Progress, August 23, 2007
  16. ↑ Slate Magazine Iyad Allawi: Is Iraq's new strongman strong enough?, Slate Magazine, August 3, 2004
  17. ↑ National Public Radio Lobby Firm Tied to Bush Aids Allawi in Ouster Bid, National Public Radio, August 24, 2007
  18. ↑ Foreign Lobbying Influence Tracker Barbour, Griffith & Rogers contacts for Embassy of Poland, accessed March 16, 2011
  19. ↑ Lobbying Disclosure Act Database BGR, accessed March 16, 2011
  20. ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 20.12 20.13 20.14 20.15 20.16 20.17 20.18 20.19 20.20 20.21 20.22 20.23 20.24 20.25 20.26 20.27 20.28 20.29 20.30 20.31 20.32 20.33 20.34 20.35 20.36 20.37 20.38 20.39 20.40 20.41 20.42 20.43 20.44 20.45 20.46 20.47 20.48 20.49 20.50 20.51 20.52 20.53 20.54 20.55 20.56 20.57 20.58 20.59 20.60 20.61 20.62 20.63 20.64 20.65 20.66 20.67 20.68 20.69 20.70 20.71 20.72 20.73 20.74 20.75 20.76 20.77 20.78 20.79 20.80 20.81 20.82 20.83 20.84 20.85 20.86 20.87 20.88 20.89 20.90 20.91 20.92 20.93 20.94 20.95 Barbour, Griffith & Rogers client list. Opensecrets.org. Retrieved on 25 October 2007.
  21. ↑ Lanny Griffith, Texans for Public Justice, accessed August 2007.
  22. ↑ 2006 PAC Summary Data, Open Secrets, accessed August 2007.
  23. ↑ Bios, Barbour, Griffith and Rogers, accessed August 2007.
  24. ↑ Lucy Madison Haley Barbour Won't Denounce Proposal Honoring Confederate General, Early KKK Leader, CNS News, February 16, 2011

External links

Categories:

georgetown

Semester in Washington, D.C. Program

Bradley A. Blakeman was the President of Freedom's Watch a right of center conservative advocacy 501 C4. Prior to founding Freedom's Watch, Mr. Blakeman was a member of President George W. Bush's Senior Staff having served from 2001-2004 as Deputy Assistant to the President for Appointments and Scheduling, Vetting and Research, Correspondence and Surrogate Scheduling.

Mr. Blakeman can be seen regularly as a Republican Strategist on FOX News,MSNBC, BBC, CNN and Al Jezeera. He also is published regularly inPolitico, US News and World Report and Newsmax. Mr. Blakeman played a major role in the 2000 Presidential Election as a Senior Advisor and played a critical role in the Florida Recount a role that landed him a part as a character in the HBO Film "Recount". He has also been an advisor on the ABC TV Drama Series "Commander in Chief". Mr. Blakeman is an Attorney licensed to practice in the State of New York and the District of Columbia and is currently a Principal with The 1600 Group, a private corporation dedicated to providing strategic advice, policy implementation and strategy, as well as crisis management and communications strategies to foreign governments and foreign and domestic corporations. Mr. Blakeman is a member of the Senior Faculty of Georgetown University's Global Education Institute. Mr. Blakeman has been active in Presidential Politics since 1980. He was appointed to serve as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council during the George H.W. Bush Administration.

Courses Taught:

Internship Class (SWP all tracks)

Politics & Public Policy: Academic Seminar

park strategies os

people who have been through the Revolving Door whose current or former place of employment matches your criteria:

EmployeeEmployerCurrent/Former?
Berman, Wayne LPark StrategiesEmployer
Blakeman, BradleyPark StrategiesEmployer
D'Amato, Alfonse MPark StrategiesCurrent
D'Amato, ArmandPark StrategiesCurrent
D'Amato, ChristopherPark StrategiesCurrent
Fossella, VitoPark StrategiesCurrent
Kardon, JoshGrant Park StrategiesEmployer
King, SeanPark StrategiesCurrent
Poleto, DavidPark StrategiesCurrent
Siracuse, Kraig MPark StrategiesCurrent
Zagame, JohnPark StrategiesCurrent

OS

Employment History

PeriodEmployerTitleAdditional Info
2013

1600 Group

Revolving Door Personnel: 1

PrincipalFirm lobbying profile
2009

Georgetown University

Revolving Door Personnel: 61

Professor*Major Donor profile*
2007 - 2008

Freedom's Watch

Revolving Door Personnel: 5

FounderClient lobbying profile
2004 - 2005

Barbour, Griffith & Rogers

Revolving Door Personnel: 28

Lobbyist

Firm lobbying profile

*Major Donor profile*

2001 - 2004

Executive Office of the President

Revolving Door Personnel: 214

Deputy Asst to the Pres for AppointmentsAgency lobbying profile

Gordon C James Public Relations

Revolving Door Personnel: 2

Senior AdvisorFirm lobbying profile

Kent Strategies

Revolving Door Personnel: 1

President & CeoFirm lobbying profile

Manhole Barrier Security Systems

Revolving Door Personnel: 1

PrincipalClient lobbying profile

Park Strategies

Revolving Door Personnel: 10

Lobbyist

Firm lobbying profile

*Major Donor profile*

Education

Industries Represented

The charts below approximate concentrations of industries represented by lobbyists registered with the Senate Office of Public Records according to the Lobbying Disclosure Act and are calculated by summing the amounts from reports the individual is listed on. These amounts are then aggregated according to OpenSecrets' industry-coding system based on the clients from those reports.

Top industries represented by Bradley Blakeman

Other$1,420,00039.43%
Other$971,00026.96%
TV/Movies/Music$430,00011.94%
Electric Utilities$380,00010.55%
Casinos/Gambling$220,0006.11%
Industrial Unions$180,0004.99%