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<div></div><div>=new an 1119Inside Purdue Pharma’s media playbook: How it planted the opioid ‘anti-story’

Written by David Armstrong / ProPublica November 21, 2019

In

2004, Purdue Pharma was facing a threat to sales of its blockbuster

opioid painkiller OxyContin, which were approaching $2 billion a year.

With abuse of the drug on the rise, prosecutors were bringing criminal

charges against some doctors for prescribing massive amounts of

OxyContin.That

October, an essay ran across the top of The New York Times’ health

section under the headline “Doctors Behind Bars: Treating Pain is Now

Risky Business.” Its author, Sally Satel, a psychiatrist, argued that

law enforcement was overzealous, and that some patients needed large

doses of opioids to relieve pain. She described an unnamed colleague who

had run a pain service at a university medical center and had a patient

who could only get out of bed by taking “staggering” levels of

oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin. She also cited a study

published in a medical journal showing that OxyContin is rarely the only

drug found in autopsies of oxycodone-related deaths.

“When

you scratch the surface of someone who is addicted to painkillers, you

usually find a seasoned drug abuser with a previous habit involving

pills, alcohol, heroin or cocaine,” Satel wrote. “Contrary to media

portrayals, the typical OxyContin addict does not start out as a pain

patient who fell unwittingly into a drug habit.”The

Times identified Satel as “a resident scholar at the American

Enterprise Institute and an unpaid advisory board member for the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.” But readers

weren’t told about her involvement, and the American Enterprise

Institute’s, with Purdue.

Among the connections

revealed by emails and documents obtained by ProPublica: Purdue donated

$50,000 annually to the institute, which is commonly known as AEI, from

2003 through this year, plus contributions for special events, for a

total of more than $800,000. The

unnamed doctor in Satel’s article was an employee of Purdue, according

to an unpublished draft of the story. The study Satel cited was funded

by Purdue and written by Purdue employees and consultants. And, a month

before the piece was published, Satel sent a draft to Burt Rosen,

Purdue’s Washington lobbyist and vice president of federal policy and

legislative affairs, asking him if it “seems imbalanced.”

On the day of publication, Jason Bertsch, AEI’s vice president of development, alerted Rosen to “Sally’s very good piece.”
“Great piece,” Rosen responded.Purdue’s

hidden relationships with Satel and AEI illustrate how the company and

its public relations consultants aggressively countered criticism that

its prized painkiller helped cause the opioid epidemic. Since 1999, more

than 200,000 people have died from overdoses related to prescription

opioids. For almost two decades, and continuing as recently as a

piece published last year in Slate, Satel has pushed back against

restrictions on opioid prescribing in more than a dozen articles and

radio and television appearances, without disclosing any connections to

Purdue, according to a ProPublica review. Over the same period, Purdue

was represented by Dezenhall Resources, a PR firm known for its

pugnacious defense of beleaguered corporations. Purdue was paying

Dezenhall this summer, and still owes it money, according to bankruptcy

filings.Purdue

funded think tanks tapped by the media for expert commentary,

facilitated publication of sympathetic articles in leading outlets where

its role wasn’t disclosed, and deterred or challenged negative

coverage, according to the documents and emails. Its efforts to

influence public perception of the opioid crisis provide an inside look

at how corporations blunt criticism of alleged wrongdoing. Purdue’s

tactics are reminiscent of the oil and gas industry, which has been

accused of promoting misleading science that downplays its impact on

climate change, and of big tobacco, which sought to undermine evidence

that nicotine is addictive and secondhand smoke is dangerous.

Media

spinning was just one prong of Purdue’s strategy to fend off limits on

opioid prescribing. It contested hundreds of lawsuits, winning

dismissals or settling the cases with a provision that documents remain

secret. The company paid leading doctors in the pain field to assure

patients that OxyContin was safe. It also funded groups, like the

American Pain Foundation, that described themselves as advocates for

pain patients. Several of those groups minimized the risk of addiction

and fought against efforts to curb opioid use for chronic pain patients.
Purdue’s

campaign may have helped thwart more vigorous regulation of opioid

prescribing, especially in the decade after the first widespread reports

of OxyContin abuse and addiction began appearing in 2001. It may also

have succeeded in delaying the eventual reckoning for Purdue and the

billionaire Sackler family that owns the company. Although Purdue

pleaded guilty in 2007 to a federal charge of understating the risk of

addiction, and agreed to pay $600 million in fines and penalties, the

Sacklers’ role in the opioid epidemic didn’t receive widespread coverage

for another decade. As backlash against the family swelled, the company

filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September.“Efforts

to reverse the epidemic have had to counter widespread narratives that

opioids are generally safe and that it is people who abuse them that are

the problem,” said Caleb Alexander, co-director of the Center for Drug

Safety and Effectiveness at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

Health, who has served as a paid expert witness in litigation alleging

that Purdue’s marketing of OxyContin misled doctors and the public.

“These are very important narratives, and they have become the lens

through which people view and understand the epidemic. They have proven

to be potent means of hampering interventions to reduce the continued

oversupply of opioids.”Satel,

in an email to ProPublica, said that she reached her conclusions

independently. “I do not accept payment from industry for my work

(articles, presentations, etc),” she wrote. “And I am open to meeting

with anyone if they have a potentially interesting topic to tell me

about. If I decide I am intrigued, I do my own research.”
As for

Purdue’s funding of AEI, Satel said in an interview that she “had no

idea” that the company was paying her employer and that she walls

herself off from information regarding institute funders. “I never want

to know,” she said. She didn’t disclose that the study she referred to

was also funded by Purdue, she said, because “I cite peer-reviewed

papers by title as they appear in the journal of publication.”

The

sharing of drafts before publication with subjects of stories or other

interested parties is prohibited or discouraged by many media outlets.

Satel said she didn’t remember sharing the draft with Rosen and it was

not her usual practice. “That’s very atypical,” she said. However, Satel

shared a draft of another story with Purdue officials in 2016,

according to emails she sent. In that case, Satel said, she was checking

facts.
Satel said she didn’t remember why the doctor with a patient

on high doses of painkillers wasn’t named in the Times story. The draft

she sent to Purdue identified him as Sidney Schnoll, then the company’s

executive medical director, who defended OxyContin at public meetings

and in media stories. In an interview, Schnoll described Satel as an old

friend and said her description of his patient was accurate. He left

Purdue in 2005 and now works for a consulting company that has Purdue as

a client, he said.
Purdue, in a statement, said it has held

memberships in several Washington think tanks over the years. “These

dues-paying memberships help the company better understand key issues

affecting its business in a complex policy and regulatory environment,”

it said. “Purdue has been contacted over the years by policy experts at a

variety of think tanks who are seeking additional context on industry

issues for their work. Our engagement has always been appropriate and

aimed at providing a science-based perspective that the company felt was

often overlooked in the larger policy conversation.” The company

declined to discuss specific questions about internal documents and

emails reviewed by ProPublica.

A spokeswoman for the Times,

Danielle Rhoades Ha, said in an email that the company doesn’t know the

details of how the Satel story was handled because the editors who

worked on it are no longer employed there. She noted that the Times

labeled the article as an “Essay” and cited Satel’s connection to AEI.

Currently, she said, Times editors “generally advise reporters not to

share full drafts of stories with sources in the course of

fact-checking,” but there is no formal rule.
Purdue launched

OxyContin in 1996, and it soon became one of the most widely prescribed

opioid painkillers. By 2001, it was generating both enormous profits as

well as growing concern about overdoses and addiction. That August, a

column in the New York Post opinion section criticized media reports

that OxyContin was being abused. The piece — headlined “Heroic

Dopeheads?” — mocked a “new species of ‘victim,’ the ‘hillbilly heroin’

addict.” The real victims, the article contended, were pain patients who

may lose access to a “prescription wonder drug.”
At 5:17 a.m. on the

day the article was published, Eric Dezenhall, the founder of

Washington, D.C., crisis management firm Dezenhall Resources, sent an

email to Purdue executives, according to documents filed by the Oklahoma

attorney general in a lawsuit against opioid makers.
“See today’s New York Post on OxyContin,” he wrote. “The anti-story begins.”

Purdue

had hired Dezenhall Resources that summer. Dezenhall’s hard-nosed

reputation fit the blame-the-victim strategy advocated by Purdue’s

then-president, Richard Sackler. “We have to hammer on the abusers in

every way possible,” Sackler wrote in a 2001 email quoted in a complaint

by the state of Massachusetts against the company. “They are the

culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.”
Purdue later

followed this approach to fend off a New Jersey mother who was urging

federal regulators to investigate the marketing of OxyContin. Her

daughter had died while taking the drug for back pain. “We think she

abused drugs,” a Purdue spokesman said without offering evidence. Purdue

later apologized for the comment.
However, pain patients with

legitimate prescriptions for OxyContin and similar painkillers can and

do become addicted to the drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention warns that “anyone who takes prescription opioids can become

addicted to them,” and that “as many as one in four patients receiving

long-term opioid therapy in a primary care setting struggles with opioid

addiction.” A review article in The New England Journal of Medicine

reported rates of “carefully diagnosed addiction” in pain patients

averaged just under 8% in studies, while misuse, abuse and

addiction-related aberrant behaviors ranged from 15% to 26% of pain

patients.Although

Dezenhall Resources was working for Purdue until recently, it rarely

has been linked publicly to the company. Purdue paid Dezenhall a total

of $309,272 in July and August of this year and owes it an additional

$186,575, according to bankruptcy court filings. The total amount paid

to Dezenhall since 2001 was not disclosed in records reviewed by

ProPublica.
Dezenhall Resources has also defended Exxon Mobil

against criticisms from environmental groups and former Enron CEO

Jeffrey Skilling as he fought against fraud charges, according to a 2006

BusinessWeek profile of Eric Dezenhall that called him “The Pitbull of

Public Relations.” (Skilling was later convicted.) It reported that

Dezenhall arranged a pro-Exxon demonstration on Capitol Hill to distract

attention from a nearby environmental protest, and that the company

discussed a plan to pay newspaper op-ed writers to question the motives

of an Enron whistleblower. “We believe a winning outcome can only be

achieved by directly stopping your attackers,” Dezenhall Resources

states on its website.ProPublica

reviewed emails to Purdue officials in which Dezenhall and his

employees took credit for dissuading a national television news program

from pursuing a story about OxyContin; helping to quash a documentary

project on OxyContin abuse at a major cable network; forcing multiple

outlets to issue corrections related to OxyContin coverage; and gaining

coverage of sympathetic pain patients on a television news program and

in newspaper columns.
“Dezenhall

has been instrumental in helping with the placement of pain patient

advocacy stories over the last several years,” Dezenhall Executive Vice

President Sheila Hershow wrote in a 2006 email.
Eric Dezenhall told

ProPublica that he does not confirm or deny the identity of clients.

While declining to answer questions about Purdue, or comment on the

BusinessWeek article about him, he said that his company acts

appropriately and seeks fair and truthful coverage.
“We regularly

work with experts and journalists, including Pro Publica, to ensure

accuracy in reporting and persuade and dissuade them regarding various

storylines with facts and research,” he wrote. “Ultimately, these

journalists and experts decide how to use the information provided.”One of Dezenhall Resources’ first moves, after being hired by Purdue, was to cultivate Satel.

In July 2001, Hershow reported to Purdue officials that she and Eric

Dezenhall had lunch with Satel and the doctor was “eager to get

started.” Hershow said Satel had read a “debunking package” and was

“interested in doing an opinion piece on the medical needs of patients

being sacrificed to protect drug abusers.”
Satel said that the meeting with Dezenhall was not unusual, and that “I often talk to people who have interesting stories.”Satel

was raised in Queens and has an Ivy League pedigree. She attended

Cornell University as an undergraduate before going to medical school at

Brown University. She was a psychiatry professor at Yale University for

several years and then moved to Washington. For a little over a decade

beginning in 1997, she was a staff psychiatrist at a methadone clinic in

the city.
She has become an influential voice on opioids, addiction

and pain treatment. Her writings have been published in The Wall Street

Journal, USA Today, The Atlantic, Slate, Health Affairs, Forbes,

Politico and elsewhere. She frequently appears on panels, television

shows and in newspaper articles as an expert on the opioid crisis and

pain prescribing guidelines. “We’ve entered a new era of opiophobia,”

she recently told The Washington Post.Satel

has been a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute since

Among the notable figures who have spent time at AEI are the late

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and former Trump national security

adviser John Bolton. Current fellow Scott Gottlieb returned to AEI this

year after serving as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, which approves and regulates prescription drugs like

OxyContin.
Purdue

said its annual payments of $50,000 to AEI were part of the institute’s

corporate program. That program offers corporations the opportunity to

“gain access to the leading scholars in the most important policy areas

for executive briefings and knowledge sharing,” according to the

institute’s website. Corporations can choose between three levels of

donations: At $50,000 a year, Purdue was in the middle level, the

“Executive Circle.” Besides the annual payments, Purdue has also paid a

total of $24,000 to attend two special events hosted by the institute,

according to a company spokesman.Internal

emails show the main Purdue contact with AEI was Rosen, the drugmaker’s

in-house lobbyist based in Washington. In one email, Rosen described

the leaders of the think tank as “very good friends” and also noted that

former FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan ascended to that job after a

stint at AEI as a scholar. Rosen also organized a group of pain reliever

manufacturers and industry funded groups into an organization called

the Pain Care Forum. It met to share information on government

efforts to restrict opioid prescribing, according to records produced in

litigation against Purdue.
Veronique Rodman, a spokeswoman for AEI,

said the institute does not publicly discuss donors. She said that the

institute does not accept research contracts, and that its researchers

come to their own conclusions. “It makes sense” that Satel would be

unaware of AEI funders, she said.Dezenhall’s

courting of Satel soon paid off. A month after the lunch with Dezenhall

and Hershow, Satel defended Purdue’s flagship drug in an article for

the opinion page of The Boston Globe.
“Something must be done to keep

OxyContin out of the wrong hands, but the true public health tragedy

will be depriving patients who need it to survive in relative comfort

day to day,” she wrote.
In February 2002, AEI held a panel discussion

at its headquarters to answer the question, “Who is responsible for the

abuse of OxyContin?” The panel of experts included Satel, a Purdue

executive and a Purdue lawyer. Covering the event, Reuters Health

reported that the panel “mostly agreed that Purdue Pharma should not be

viewed as the culprit in the problem of the abuse of its long-acting

painkiller OxyContin.”
Two months later, Purdue approved spending

$2,000 to pay for Satel to speak to the staff of a New Orleans hospital

about addiction, according to internal company records. Satel said she

had “absolutely no memory of speaking at a hospital in New Orleans.” The

physician who organized the planned event said he doesn’t recall if it

took place, and the hospital no longer has records of medical staff

talks from that period.In 2003, a Dezenhall staffer recommended Satel as a guest to a producer for “The Diane Rehm Show” on NPR.

The firm and Purdue executives, including Vice President David Haddox,

helped prep Satel for the appearance. Haddox passed along what he called

“interesting intel for Sally” that Rehm’s mother suffered from chronic

headaches. “Thanks for helping us get her up to speed for the show,”

Hershow replied.
A spokeswoman for WAMU, the NPR station in

Washington that produced the Rehm show, said there was no policy to ask

guests about funding of their organizations, or if there was a financial

connection to the show’s topic. “For most segments, the producers would

try to bring as many perspectives to the table as possible so that

listeners would be better able to make their own informed judgment of

the topic at hand,” wrote the spokeswoman, Julia Slattery.
ProPublica was unable to reach Haddox for comment.Also

that year, when conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh revealed

that he was addicted to prescription painkillers, Purdue declined a

request from CNN for a company representative to discuss the news on the

air. Instead, Purdue recommended Satel, who assured viewers that

OxyContin was a “very effective and actually safe drug, if taken as

prescribed.” Dezenhall’s Hershow told Purdue executives in an email that

she was “very glad Sally went on.” Hershow, a former investigative

producer at ABC News, declined comment for this article.In

September 2004, Forbes magazine published a Satel article under the

headline, “OxyContin doesn’t cause addiction. Its abusers are already

addicts.”
“I am happy this morning!” Purdue’s then general

counsel, Howard Udell, emailed other company executives and Eric

Dezenhall with the subject line “RE: Forbes Article.” Three years later,

Udell and two other Purdue executives would plead guilty in federal

court to a misdemeanor criminal charge related to misleading patients

and doctors about the addictive nature of OxyContin.
As part of that

2007 settlement, Purdue admitted to acting “with the intent to defraud

or mislead” when it promoted OxyContin as less addictive and less

subject to abuse than other painkillers.

In an article for The Wall Street Journal headlined “Oxy Morons,” Satel

defended the company. “The real public-health damage here comes from

the pitched campaign conducted by zealous prosecutors and

public-interest advocates to demonize the drug itself,” she wrote.After

Purdue and Dezenhall launched their “anti-story,” media reports of

OxyContin addiction and abuse declined for several years. In 2001, there

were 1,204 stories that included the words “OxyContin,” “abuse” and

“Purdue” published in media outlets archived on the Nexis database. The

number plummeted to 361 in 2002 and to 150 in 2006.
Purdue’s counterattack against an ambitious investigative series about OxyContin abuse may have contributed to that drop.

An October 2003 series in the Orlando Sentinel, “OxyContin Under Fire,”

found that Purdue’s aggressive marketing combined with weak regulation

had contributed to “a wave of death and destruction.”The

series, however, was marred by several errors that were detailed in a

front-page correction nearly four months later. The reporter resigned,

and two editors on the series were reassigned. While acknowledging the

mistakes, the newspaper did not retract the series, and its review

upheld the conclusion that oxycodone was involved in a large number of

the overdoses in Florida.
Dezenhall Resources, in an email, took

credit for forcing the newspaper to issue the corrections. “Dezenhall’s

efforts resulted in a complete front-page retraction of the erroneous

5-day, 19-part, front-page Orlando Sentinel series,” Hershow wrote in a

2006 email summarizing Dezenhall’s work for Purdue under the subject

line “Success in Fighting Negative Coverage.”
Purdue officials and

the company’s public relations agencies came up with a 13-point plan to

generate media coverage of the errors. It included getting a doctor to

talk about how the series “frightened and mislead (sic) the people of

Florida” and having a pain patient write a newspaper opinion column on

the subject. The Sentinel series, one Purdue official wrote to other

company executives and Dezenhall’s Hershow, was an opportunity to let

the country know about “all of the sensational reporting on OxyContin

abuse over the past 4 years. The conclusion: this is the most overblown

health story in the last decade!”
In the six years after Purdue

challenged the Sentinel’s findings, the death rate from prescription

drugs increased 84.2% in Florida. The biggest rise, 264.6%, came from

deaths involving oxycodone. The state became a hotbed for inappropriate

opioid prescribing as unscrupulous pain clinics attracted out of state

drug seekers. The route traveled by many from small towns in Appalachia

to the Florida clinics was nicknamed the “Oxycontin Express.”In

2017, 14 years after the Sentinel series was published, the Columbia

Journalism Review described it as “right too soon” and said it “eerily

prefigured today’s opioid epidemic.”
Purdue couldn’t hold off

restrictions on opioid prescribing forever. Since 2011, a growing number

of states, insurers and federal health agencies have adopted policies

that have led to annual declines in prescribing. Advocates for pain

treatment have complained that this turnabout has gone too far, and the

CDC recently advised doctors against suddenly discontinuing opioids.

Still, the U.S. remains far and away the world leader in per capita

opioid prescriptions.Under

increasing pressure, Purdue enlisted other public relations firms known

for aggressively helping corporations in crisis. Burson-Marsteller,

which after a merger last year is now known as BCW, signed an agreement

in 2011 to provide Purdue “strategic counsel.” Burson-Marsteller

represented Johnson & Johnson as it responded to the Tylenol

poisoning case and Union Carbide after the deadly Bhopal explosion in

India. According to documents, it helped Purdue identify and counter

“potential threats,” such as congressional investigators and the group

Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. A 2013 proposed work plan

between the companies called on Burson to perform as much as $2.7

million of work for Purdue. BCW did not respond to requests for comment.Purdue also employed the services of Purple Strategies,

a Washington-area firm that reportedly represented BP after the

Deepwater Horizon disaster. Purdue paid $621,653 to Purple Strategies in

the 90 days prior to the drugmaker’s Sept. 15 bankruptcy filing and

owes it an additional $207,625, according to court filings. Purple

Strategies did not respond to requests for comment.
Purdue also added

Stu Loeser to its stable. The head of an eponymous media strategy

company, Loeser was press secretary for Michael Bloomberg when he was

mayor of New York City, and he is now a spokesman for Bloomberg’s

possible presidential bid.Soon

after Loeser began representing Purdue, Satel wrote in a 2018 piece for

Politico headlined, “The Myth of What’s Driving the Opioid Crisis,”

about “a false narrative” that the opioid epidemic “is driven by

patients becoming addicted to doctor-prescribed opioids.”Loeser

told Purdue executives in an email that “we are going to work with AEI

to ‘promote’ this so it comes across as what it is: their thoughtful

response to other writing.” His team was working to target the Satel

story “to land in social media feeds of people who have searched for

opioid issues and potentially even people who have read specific stories

online,” he added.
Loeser said in an interview that he didn’t end up working with AEI to promote the story. He said Purdue is no longer a client.
</div><div><a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/09/19/purdue-pharma-bp-deepwater-pr/">https://theintercept.com/2019/09/19/purdue-pharma-bp-deepwater-pr/</a>
prerez lee f
<div data-reactid="230" style="box-sizing: border-box;">PURDUE PHARMA, the pharmaceutical firm that manufactures OxyContin and allegedly helped fuel widespread addiction to painkillers, has turned to some of the same corporate spin doctors hired by BP after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.The relationship was revealed in a legal document disclosed on September 15 when Purdue filed for bankruptcy protection. The filing, designed to settle thousands of lawsuits over its role in the opioid epidemic, revealed creditors seeking payments from the Connecticut-based pharmaceutical giant.Bankruptcy documents have offered a window into corporate dark money in recent years. Coal company filings, reported on by The Intercept, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/08/25/coal-giant-bankruptcy-reveals-secret-ties-republican-dark-money-groups/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">have revealed ties</a> to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/05/16/coal-industry-climate-change-denial-cloud-peak-energy/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">nonprofits and operatives</a> who have harassed climate scientists and spread doubt about climate change. In the case of Purdue, bankruptcy filings show the company has worked with Purple Strategies and Dezenhall Resources, two controversial crisis communications firms. The drugmaker owes the firms almost $300,000, according to a list of creditors the company included in its Chapter 11 <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6421375-Purdue-Pharma-bankruptcy-filing.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">bankruptcy petition</a>.Josephine Martin, a spokesperson for Purdue Pharma, declined to comment.Purple Strategies was hired by BP shortly after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The oil spill — the worst in U.S. history — killed 11 crew members and released nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, over the course of 87 days. In the following months, Purple Strategies carefully tracked public opinion and crafted strategies to limit the fallout for the company from the disaster. At one point, BP was spending an estimated <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Broadcast/bp-buys-search-engine-phrases-redirecting-users/story?id=10835618&page=3" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">$10,000 per day</a> to dominate Google search results with positive content. One staffer at Purple Strategies allegedly <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chemrisk-bp-and-purple-st_b_4095131" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">falsely introduced</a> himself to a reporter as working with ChemRisk, a scientific consulting firm that published questionable research downplaying health risks from the spill.Dezenhall Resources helped oil giant ExxonMobil <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170521152257/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-04-16/the-pit-bull-of-public-relations" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">launch a variety of attacks</a> on its critics at Greenpeace in the early 2000s. The public relations department at one point reportedly staged a counterprotest to an environmental rally on Capitol Hill, complete with demonstrators carrying signs that read “Capitalism Rocks” and “Stop Global Whining.” Dezenhall later <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2006/04/07/exposing-exxons-pit-bull/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">allegedly</a> helped create a nonprofit that lobbed accusations of financial impropriety at Greenpeace, efforts that led to an IRS audit of the environmental advocacy group.The Washington, D.C.-based company was <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2006/04/07/exposing-exxons-pit-bull/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">retained</a> by <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/michael-jacksons-dc-story-024518" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Michael Jackson’s legal team</a> before child molestation allegations against the singer went public, as well as by attorneys representing Jeffrey Skilling, the former Enron chief executive who served 12 years in prison for one of the most brazen cases of financial fraud in U.S. history.DURING THE PAST DECADE, Purdue Pharma has attempted to shape the political and regulatory environment through <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/state-politics/pro-painkiller-echo-chamber-shaped-policy-amid-drug-epidemic/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">undisclosed payments</a> to patient advocacy groups, legal nonprofits, and lobbying organizations.In 2015, as the Obama administration worked to develop national prescribing standards that discouraged the use of addictive opioid painkillers, Purdue used third-party groups to undermine the effort. As <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/12/23/oxycontin-cdc-politics/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">The Intercept reported</a>, several Purdue-funded groups, including the Pain Care Forum and Power of Pain Foundation, mobilized opposition to the proposed guidelines.Purdue also took steps to shield its owners, the Sackler family, from facing personal liability. The company previously <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/02/23/purdue-pharma-oxycontin-opioid-crisis/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">donated to the Washington Legal Foundation</a>, a conservative litigation group, as part of an effort to weaken a legal standard used to prosecute corporate executives when their products cause widespread public health problems.</div><div data-reactid="240" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Purple Strategies has become a go-to firm for corporations seeking public relations and crisis communications consulting, <a href="https://www.purplestrategies.com/job-receptionist/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">working</a> with Fortune 500 companies like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. The company has also worked with trade associations and nonprofits like <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/former-democratic-strategists-now-boost-gop/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</a>, or PhRMA, which lobbies for drugmakers; <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362087641/201713199349313856/IRS990" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">America’s Health Insurance Plans</a>, the nation’s top health insurance lobby; the <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/530045720/201533169349304028/IRS990" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a>; liberal think tank <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300126510/201710389349300716/IRS990" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Center for American Progress</a>; and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272429741/201743219349300524/IRS990" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Center Forward</a>, a conservative Democratic nonprofit <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/05/11/health-care-lobbyists-luxury-retreat/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">led mostly by lobbyists</a>.The firm employs high-profile Democratic and Republican campaign operatives. Alex Castellanos, a veteran GOP strategist and founding partner at Purple Strategies, has continued to serve as a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6419186-National-Media-Inc-Annual-Report-0419.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">vice president</a> at National Media Inc., a Republican ad-buying company that shares offices with the bipartisan consulting firm. Mark Squier, another founding partner at Purple Strategies, previously served as a senior strategist to Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and advised the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.National Media affiliates have worked with the <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2018/12/trump-nra-campaign-coordination/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">National Rifle Association</a> and <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/11/pro-trump-dark-money-group-tax-return/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">America First Policies</a>, a dark-money organization created to build support for President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. America First Policies <a href="https://splinternews.com/how-big-pharma-invests-in-the-status-quo-1830492012" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">received</a> $2.5 million in 2017 from PhRMA, which <a href="https://www.phrma.org/about/members" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">lists</a> Purdue on its membership page.This story was reported in partnership between MapLight and The Intercept.</div></div><div>
tim g jumping the gun with clever word play:

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin s<a href="http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/jan/20/griffin-joins-consulting-firm-20150120/?f=news-arkansas" target="_blank">hared first with Michael Wickline of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette</a>

yesterday the expected news that he'd cash in on his congressional

service as so many others have done and go to work for a high-powered

political outfit whose subsidiaries include a lobbying firm.

Griffin came equipped with a legal opinion that no state law prevented

Griffin from going to work, at an unspecified rate, for a consulting

firm. Of course. (CORRECTION: I wrote in error originally that there

perhaps was a way for a lieutenant governor to lobby in the state. There

is a specific statutory prohibition on that, though it's unclear if it

applies only to state lobbying, rather than federal lobbying.)

Federal law prohibits a congressman from immediately becoming a lobbyist, though in time,<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/top.php?display=Z" target="_blank"> the roll is long of those who do.</a> In the meantime, he's doing what the likes of Mike Ross, Tim Hutchinson, Blanche Lincoln and

many others have done. Take a "strategic communications" or

"governmental affairs" or "consulting" job. If the work doesn't

technically fit the definition of lobbying, be sure that the aim is the

same. It's to take congressional time, experience and contacts and put

them to work to advance the interests of major corporate clients who can

better support the Griffin family than taxpayers.

Griffin has always been a political creature. He holds a law degree, but

his time in actual nuts-and-bolts legal work has been scant. He spent

most of his early working years as a political hit man for the

Republican Party, including the Rove White House. He's done "consulting"

work previously, including on behalf of major polluters hoping to

exploit Alaskan natural resources.

The lipstick put on this pig of a consulting gig by a friendly legal

opinion doesn't make it any more or less than what it is — selling his

congressional service to the influence-peddling industry.

Take a gander<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/top.php?display=Z" target="_blank"> at the long list of others </a>who've gone down this path.

Griffin said his "consulting" work won't conflict with his public job.

No, because there's nothing to do in the job. It does give his corporate

clients a man with a phone and office right inside the Capitol dome,

however. Convenient. He must use his cell phone to handle calls, though,

not a state phone line. And maybe step out in the hall.

His paymaster is Purple Strategies of Alexandria, Va. He's

described in the D-G as "an Arkansas-based senior adviser for

communications and growth strategies for business clients." He said he's

going to help big clients like BP and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

"solve complex problems" and "grow and compete." The firm was founded by

a Republican and a Democratic strategist to pull clients from both ends

of the political spectrum. Griffin falls on the end of founder Alex Castellanos, who was media man for George W. Bush when Griffin worked in Bush's war room.

Nominally, House members must wait a year to become full-fledged lobbyists and senators two years. But <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/25/former-lawmakers-lobbying-jobs/2011325/" target="_blank">dozens have slid seamlessly into jobs tha</a>t, to the naked eye, seem remarkably similar. USA Today wrote in 2013, the last time it tallied the "revolving door" syndrome:

Sixteen lawmakers who left Congress recently have landed posts with

groups that seek to influence policy — despite rules aimed at slowing

the revolving door between Capitol Hill and lobbying firms, a USA TODAY

analysis shows.

Former House members are barred from lobbying their former colleagues

for a year; and former senators, for two years. There are no

restrictions, however, on providing behind-the-scenes advice to

corporations and others seeking to shape federal legislation. 

</blockquote>

Griffin said if any conflicts arise he'll consult the Ethics Commission

and his lawyer and recuse if necessary. If he'd just vow not to come to

work at all, everything would be copacetic. The state got by without

Mark Darr for a year, none the worse for the wear.

Griffin should let a reporter spend a week with him on his consulting

job to get a better idea of specifically what it entails. Nothing to

hide, right?

Same challenge for former Rep. John Burris, who's also hit the Capitol revolving door to become a "consultant." Please don't call him a lobbyist. That wouldn't be legal.

UPDATE: I asked Griffin's office for a copy of the legal opinion

he received. I got this response from his chief of staff, Annamarie

Atwood:

The opinion was not done in Lieutenant Governor Griffin’s official capacity, but I will pass along this request to him.

</blockquote>

I hope he provides it, in the interest of transparency, since it has a

direct bearing on his taxpayer-financed job. In the past, Griffin has

rarely responded to questions from press critics.

UPDATE II: I take it all back. Griffin promptly responded to my request for a copy of his attorney's ethical advice.

                <a class="pdflink" href="http://posting.arktimes.com/media/pdf/purple_strategies_memo__sunday_final_draft_.pdf" target="_blank">Here's that memo from Jane Duke.</a></span><br />==<br /><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;abc white house repoter geoff morrell qwent to dod to be spokes for brobt gates (pal of bob barnett) offered leadership gig and H&K, run by Dan Bartlett (also job offer from Podesta tony gp) ended up at BP in time for oil spill; recruited by purple strat guy dick kiel (WH rept bloomberg)</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">alex cast cnn this town 253</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">===</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">huffpo</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Attorney Stephen O'Rourke, representing the US Department of Justice (DOJ) called it "cherry picking," when asserting that BP has relied upon isolated data to<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/bp-trial-focus-shifts-oil-spilled-20494709?singlePage=true" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">&nbsp;suggest a minimal amount of oil escaped</a>&nbsp;during the 2010 deep water drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As the second phase of the BP trial wraps up another week, a scientific battle is waging over how much crude actually spilled into the gulf during the 87 day gusher. The determination of these findings by the court will define exactly how much the oil giant owes in Clean Water Act fines, which can range from $1,100 to $4,300 per barrel.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Attorneys for BP say their scientists estimate 2.45 million barrels spilled out of their broken well-head, while the DOJ, relying on a combination of four experts, estimates 4.2 million barrels of crude spewed into the warm Gulf waters during and after the deadly blowout. That's a whopping discrepancy of roughly 1.7 million barrels, or as much as $7.31 billion.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As O'Rourke alluded, BP does not exactly have a reputation for coming clean on the facts surrounding the disaster. Early on, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/bp-oil-spill-flow-estimates_n_1558993.html" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">oil giant told the public</a>&nbsp;that the leak was an estimated 5,000 barrels per day, yet according the company's own internal emails BP knew that up to 100,000 barrels per day were flowing unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">BP has consistently used their "science" to&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.nwf.org/2013/08/fudging-the-numbers-bps-history-of-lying-about-the-spill/" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">low-ball the amount of the spill</a>&nbsp;and minimize its impacts on Gulf Coast residents and ecosystems.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Additionally, contracted clean-up workers who continue to struggle daily with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.whistleblower.org/program-areas/public-health/corexit" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">serious health concerns</a>&nbsp;brought on by their exposure to BP's toxic crude and the oil dispersant Corexit, have often hit a wall of BP's "independent" data.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For more than three years they, along with many coastal residents sickened by the disaster, have desperately sought the independent, unbiased science that could answer their questions regarding what they were exposed to and to provide for effective treatment. In response to their pleas, BP contracted highly paid public relations firms touting industry-friendly scientists to cloud the truth.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In September of 2011, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ChemRisk, the for-profit scientific consulting firm now part of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cardnochemrisk.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=247" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">Cardno Chemrisk</a>, released an "independent" study concluding that off-shore workers who cleaned up BP's oil between April and October 2010 were not exposed to harmful levels of certain airborne chemical compounds</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. These volatile organic compounds, which included cancer causing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene or xylene, are collectively referred to as BTEX.</span></p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The study, published in the July 28, 2011 issue of&nbsp;<em style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible;">Environmental Science and Technology</em>, was announced on September 2 with a carefully worded press release misleadingly titled,<a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-by-leading-scientific-consulting-firm-finds-no-evidence-of-health-dangers-for-gulf-coast-cleanup-workers-129139328.html" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">Study by Leading Scientific Consulting Firm Finds No Evidence of Health Dangers for Gulf Coast Cleanup Workers.</a></p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Yet, according to Dr. Wilma Subra, a prominent gulf coast chemist and 1999 MacArthur "Genius Award" Fellow, ChemRisk's analysis of exposure levels is most notable for what it does not include.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"They took a very narrow look at the data," she explains. "If they had broadened their look, it's very likely they would have found that semi-volatiles were present in the air."</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), which were not analyzed in this study, are very different from BTEX chemicals, as they include polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and a host of other chemicals that are also present in crude oil.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Subra suspects SVOCs and PAHs are responsible for many of the significant health effects experienced by gulf coast residents and clean-up workers.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Equally concerning in this study is the murky use of the term "independent." Although previously&nbsp;<a href="http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/09/02/study-offshore-crews-not-exposed-to-harmful-air-during-gulf-cleanup/" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">published media reports</a>&nbsp;clearly state that ChemRisk was not paid by BP, the samples for the study were collected and&nbsp;<a href="http://usresponse.bp.com/go/doc/2911/963787/Health-monitoring" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">provided by BP</a>, leaving Subra to question just how "independent" the findings can be.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"This is a typical thing they put out on behalf of industry," she states.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As it turns out, ChemRisk has a long, and on at least one occasion fraudulent, history of defending big polluters, using questionable ethics to help their clients avoid legal responsibility for their actions.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One well-known example is the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.familiesagainstcancer.org/?id=319" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">case</a>&nbsp;that became the basis for the movie Erin Brockovich, where the polluter and defendant Pacific Gas and Electric (PG & E) was found to have paid ChemRisk to discredit research done by Chinese scientist Dr. Jian Dong Zhang.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In an earlier study, Zhang had found strong links between chromium-6, which was found in Hinkley, California's drinking water, and cancer. ChemRisk obtained Dr. Zhang's data, and without his knowledge, intentionally manipulated the findings to contradict his own earlier studies.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The erroneous data was then submitted to the<em style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible;">&nbsp;Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine</em>&nbsp;(JOEM) as though it had been re-worked by Dr. Zhang personally.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Led to believe it was legitimate, the JOEM initially published the findings, but was later forced to issue&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ewg.org/news/news-releases/2006/06/02/joem-retracts-fradulent-chromium-article" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">a retraction</a>, because at the time of submission no disclosure was made regarding ChemRisk's contribution of intellectual work and finances to the study, (click<a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:UShwtZHGNDQJ:water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/upload/Chromium6inDrinkingWater.pdf+chromium+6+cancer+epa&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh9UB10mzrpcCsQY4fTLaMY8m9vIZoRCsMMwnyReuS0x-JdlxQ5bKpozxLbSLlPzeNnQS60iFLLjXAlQn4NBliilW_l2_p8NSKi49KRfKwKpygwZqa7xQ6K1pEYH15rLIJotpG9&sig=AHIEtbQu0oQbjjyNvjCJwDm_q2BvV90sYQ&pli=1" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">here</a>&nbsp;for more information on what is now known about the very harmful effects of chromium-6.)</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">While conducting research for this article, we contacted ChemRisk for an interview with one of the authors of the study on clean-up workers' health after the BP disaster. The interview was allowed to proceed only in the presence of another individual who was presented as an additional Chemrisk scientist.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The individual, who identified himself as "<font color="#ff0000">Dick Keil, with Chemrisk,"</font> steered the conversation, including the introducing of the Chemrisk scientist, followed by a refusal to allow the discussion to be recorded.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During the interview, it became clear that Keil was keeping a tight reign on both our line of interview questions, as well as the scientist's responses.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Problem: Dick Keil is not a scientist.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As our research has uncovered, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Dick (Richard) Keil is a former Bloomberg writer who was a member of the traveling White House press pool during George W. Bush's presidency. He has also worked with the office of Former US Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Paul Brinkley, who until last year headed the US Defense Department's Task Force for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.metalsnews.com/Metals+News/MetalsNews/Al+Alper/MNNEWS326310/Afghanistans+mineral+wealth+to+be+revealed+jointly+by+AGS+USGS+and+TFBSO+at+PDAC+2011.htm" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">Business Stability Operations in Afghanistan</a>.</span></p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Additionally, and at the time of the interview, Keil was employed by Purple Strategies, a Washington DC based&nbsp;<a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/03/for-new-ad-campaign-bp-looks-outside-madison-avenue/" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">public relations firm hired by BP</a>&nbsp;in June of 2010</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Keil, an experienced and extraordinarily well-connected media veteran, was paid by Purple Strategies on behalf of BP to ensure that the only information reported to the public was that which would minimize BP's financial responsibility.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Further<a href="http://www.purplestrategies.com/" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">&nbsp;research</a>&nbsp;linked Purple Strategies to the distribution of the press release announcing the results of the "independent" study.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A ChemRisk representative has denied that Purple Strategies has ever worked for ChemRisk itself, a call to Purple Strategies was not returned, and BP has refused to comment on this information.</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Although </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Dick Keil has since moved on to a position as Senior Media Relations Advisor with Exxon</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Mobil in Dallas,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.politico.com/playbook/0713/playbook11110.html%20BP's%20data-for-profit" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"science" and "truth-for-hire"</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;public relations firms have continued to work non-stop to maneuver BP into the best possible light and legal position in order to protect it's bottom line.</span></p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Meanwhile, and while the BP trial continues in New Orleans, Gulf Coast residents are left wondering if BP will ever be held responsible for the damage done to their fisheries, ecosystems and livelihoods, wait to see if their bodies will ever recover from an assault of BP's oil and dispersants, and wonder if anyone will ever - in the&nbsp;<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/06/bp-turns-to-political-shop-for-50-million-ad-buy-to-convince-you-the-company-will-get-this-done-and/" target="_hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; overflow: visible; color: rgb(57, 152, 0); outline: 0px;">words of Purple Strategies' spin writers</a>, found in the mouth of former BP President Tony Hayward - "make it right."</p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Karen Savage contributed to this article.</p><div style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Georgia, Century, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 21px;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cherri-foytlin/chemrisk-bp-and-purple-st_b_4095131.html?view=print</span></font></p><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; overflow: visible;">Follow Cherri Foytlin</b></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">==</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">wikifluff</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Purple Strategies</b>&nbsp;is an American&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations" title="Public relations" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">communications</a>&nbsp;firm headquartered in&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia" title="Alexandria, Virginia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Alexandria, Virginia</a>&nbsp;and founded in 2008. The name Purple Strategies reflects the company's<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan" title="Bipartisan" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">bipartisan</a>&nbsp;blend of strategists from both "blue" and "red" political backgrounds. Purple Strategies also operates two subsidiaries, a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management" title="Reputation management" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">reputation management</a>&nbsp;firm Citizen2, and a government affairs and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying" title="Lobbying" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">lobbying</a>&nbsp;group called Purple Advocacy.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; font-size: 13px; display: table; zoom: 1; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="color: black; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; font-size: 13px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;">Contents</h2>&nbsp;<span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#" class="internal" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">hide</a>]&nbsp;</span></div><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#Company_overview" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Company overview</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#Subsidiaries" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Subsidiaries</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#History" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">2</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">History</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#Early_clients_and_projects" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Early clients and projects</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#Recent_expansion_and_notable_work" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Recent expansion and notable work</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">3</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">4</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Company_overview">Company overview</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Strategies&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Company overview" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Strategies is a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan" title="Bipartisan" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">bipartisan</a>&nbsp;communications firm that offers services in&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_communication" title="Strategic communication" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">strategic communication</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying" title="Lobbying" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">public affairs</a>, issue advocacy,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_poll" title="Opinion poll" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">public opinion research</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising" title="Advertising" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">advertising</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_relations" title="Media relations" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">media relations</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media" title="New media" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">new media</a>&nbsp;for corporations, trade associations and non-profit organizations.<sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup>&nbsp;Past and current clients include&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP" title="BP" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">BP</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-O.27Leary_3-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-O.27Leary-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a></sup>&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines" title="United Airlines" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">United Airlines</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup>&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR" title="NASCAR" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">NASCAR</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Rogers_4-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Rogers-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup>the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Chamber_of_Commerce" title="United States Chamber of Commerce" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">United States Chamber of Commerce</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_Research_and_Manufacturers_of_America" title="Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</a>&nbsp;(PhRMA).<sup id="cite_ref-Franke-Ruta_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Franke-Ruta-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Strategies' principal partners include Republican political strategists&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Castellanos" title="Alex Castellanos" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Alex Castellanos</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Haynes_(consultant)" title="Bruce Haynes (consultant)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Bruce Haynes</a>, and Democratic strategists&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)" title="Steve McMahon (consultant)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Steve McMahon</a>, John Donovan and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Squier" title="Mark Squier" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Mark Squier</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup>&nbsp;The company is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia with additional locations in Chicago, Houston, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Allen2012_6-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen2012-6" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[6]</a></sup></p><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Subsidiaries">Subsidiaries</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Strategies&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Subsidiaries" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Strategies operates Citizen2, a media company based in Chicago and the Washington, D.C. area specializing in&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management" title="Reputation management" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">reputation management</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_management" title="Brand management" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">branding</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Morrison2012_7-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Morrison2012-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup>&nbsp;Citizen2 developed the "National Hiring Day" campaign for&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s" title="McDonald's" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">McDonald's</a>&nbsp;in 2012, in partnership with the public relations firm&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golin_Harris_International" title="Golin Harris International" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Golin Harris International</a>. The print, radio and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" title="Social media" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">social media</a>&nbsp;campaign sought to add 50,000 employees to McDonald's workforce and featured profiles of real McDonald's employees.<sup id="cite_ref-Morrison2012_7-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Morrison2012-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Morrison2011_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Morrison2011-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[8]</a></sup>&nbsp;In 2013, Citizen2 was hired by&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola" title="Coca-Cola" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Coca-Cola</a>&nbsp;to help the company join the national discussion about soft drinks' role in high rates of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States" title="Obesity in the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">obesity in the United States</a>. Citizen2 helped Coca-Cola create a television commercial highlighting the company's efforts to address obesity. The ad ran in the U.S. and Europe.<sup id="cite_ref-Zmuda_9-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Zmuda-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Reynolds_10-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Reynolds-10" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[10]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Advocacy is also a subsidiary of Purple Strategies, and specializes in government affairs, including&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying" title="Lobbying" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">lobbying</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Allison_11-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allison-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Strategies&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: History" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Purple Strategies was founded in 2008 by Alex Castellanos and Steve McMahon.<sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup>&nbsp;Republican consultant and strategist Castellanos merged his&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_communication" title="Strategic communication" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">strategic communications</a>&nbsp;company, National Media Public Affairs, with McMahon's Democratic firm Issue & Image, to create the bipartisan organization.<sup id="cite_ref-Lee_12-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Lee-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup>&nbsp;Bruce Haynes became the managing partner at Purple Strategies.<sup id="cite_ref-Clifford_13-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Clifford-13" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[13]</a></sup>&nbsp;Haynes has explained that the merger was the result of the founding partners routinely meeting each other when pitching to clients. The partners decided they should combine efforts, blending the "blue" and "red" consultancies, to create a "purple" company.<sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup></p><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_clients_and_projects">Early clients and projects</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Strategies&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Early clients and projects" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The firm's first major client was the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Chamber_of_Commerce" title="United States Chamber of Commerce" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">United States Chamber of Commerce</a>; in partnership with the communications firm&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Opinsky#Powell_Tate" title="Howard Opinsky" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Powell Tate</a>, Purple Strategies developed the Chamber of Commerce's "Campaign for Free Enterprise" in 2009.<sup id="cite_ref-Lee_12-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Lee-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">[12]</a></sup>&nbsp;This was the largest campaign initiated by the Chamber of Commerce to date, and used advertising, digital outreach and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots" title="Grassroots" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">grassroots campaigning</a>&nbsp;to promote&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_enterprise" title="Free enterprise" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">free enterprise</a>&nbsp;in the United States.<sup id="cite_ref-Lee_12-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Lee-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Snyder_14-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Snyder-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">[14]</a></sup></span></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2010, Purple Strategies was hired by&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP" title="BP" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">BP</a>&nbsp;following the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill" title="Deepwater Horizon oil spill" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Deepwater Horizon oil spill</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Jensen_15-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Jensen-15" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[15]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Purple Strategies developed online, television, print and radio ads highlighting BP's cleanup efforts in the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico" title="Gulf of Mexico" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Gulf of Mexico</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, featuring a range of BP employees.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Pepper_16-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Pepper-16" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[16]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Franke-Ruta_5-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Franke-Ruta-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;In late 2010, and throughout 2011 and 2012, Purple Strategies created additional television ads for BP featuring local business owners, detailing the progress made following the oil spill and promoting tourism in the Gulf of Mexico.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Parekh_17-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Parekh-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[17]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-CSPDaily_18-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-CSPDaily-18" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[18]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Also in 2010, cable provider&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Warner_Cable" title="Time Warner Cable" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Time Warner Cable</a>&nbsp;hired Purple Strategies to develop a response to a rate increase planned by&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation" title="News Corporation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">News Corporation</a>, the parent company of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Broadcasting_Company" title="Fox Broadcasting Company" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Fox Network</a>, for Time Warner Cable's rights to offer the Fox broadcast channel in media markets across the country, including New York City. The resulting interactive campaign, titled "Roll Over or Get Tough", asked Time Warner Cable customers to help decide how the company should respond to the proposed increase. The campaign generated over 800,000 responses and drew media attention for the way that Time Warner Cable handled the dispute.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins_19-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Collins-19" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[19]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Clifford_13-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Clifford-13" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[13]</a></sup></p><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Recent_expansion_and_notable_work">Recent expansion and notable work</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Strategies&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Recent expansion and notable work" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2011, Purple Strategies hired political strategist Rob Collins and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan_(political_consultant)" title="Jim Jordan (political consultant)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Jim Jordan</a>&nbsp;and expanded the firm's services by establishing a wholly owned subsidiary company, Purple Advocacy, to focus on government relations including lobbying and advocacy work.<sup id="cite_ref-Allen_1-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allen-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Allison_11-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Allison-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[11]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The following year, Purple Strategies hired Chicago Mayor&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel" title="Rahm Emanuel" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Rahm Emanuel</a>'s former communications director, Chris Mather, and expanded operations, opening an office in Chicago.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[20]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_2-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Sweet-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Harris_21-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Harris-21" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[21]</a></sup>&nbsp;Following the company's expansion in Chicago, Purple Strategies was hired by&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University" title="Northwestern University" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Northwestern University</a>&nbsp;in 2012 to assist with public relations around a planned construction project that had met with opposition from preservation groups.<sup id="cite_ref-Harris_21-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Harris-21" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[21]</a></sup>&nbsp;A Purple Strategies-conducted poll of Chicagoans found that 72 percent approved of the university's plans,<sup id="cite_ref-Cubbage_22-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Cubbage-22" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[22]</a></sup>&nbsp;which were later approved by the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Chicago_Landmarks" title="Commission on Chicago Landmarks" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Commission on Chicago Landmarks</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Geiger_23-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Geiger-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[23]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Throughout the 2012 election cycle, Purple Strategies' research division Purple Insights, led by managing partner Doug Usher, conducted polling related to the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election" title="United States presidential election" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">United States presidential election</a>, and regularly released the "Purple Poll", a survey of swing states.<sup id="cite_ref-Burns_24-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Burns-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[24]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[25]</a></sup>&nbsp;Following the election, Purple Strategies placed 5th out of 28 organizations on&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordham_University" title="Fordham University" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Fordham University</a>'s list of most accurate polls.<sup id="cite_ref-Judkis_26-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Judkis-26" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[26]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Mukherjee_27-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Mukherjee-27" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[27]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Late in 2012, Purple Strategies expanded into Pennsylvania, hiring former Pennsylvania House of Representatives member&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Santoni" title="Dante Santoni" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Dante Santoni</a>&nbsp;and opening an office in Harrisburg.<sup id="cite_ref-Young_28-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Young-28" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[28]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In March 2013, Purple Strategies acquired the polling firm Momentum Analysis, which is known for its research on "Walmart moms".<sup id="cite_ref-Miller_29-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Miller-29" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[29]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Brown_30-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies#cite_note-Brown-30" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[30]</a></sup>&nbsp;Momentum Analysis' founder Margie Omero joined Purple Strategies as a managing director of the company's research division, Purple Insights, continuing her research on female consumers</p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">==</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Steve McMahon</b>&nbsp;is an American lawyer and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_consultant" title="Media consultant" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">media consultant</a>&nbsp;who has worked on political campaigns for Democratic candidates including&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy" title="Ted Kennedy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Ted Kennedy</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean" title="Howard Dean" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Howard Dean</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt" title="Dick Gephardt" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Dick Gephardt</a>, in addition to his work with elected officials. He is a founding partner of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies" title="Purple Strategies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Purple Strategies</a>, a bipartisan communications firm located in Alexandria, Virginia, and McMahon Squier and Associates, a media consulting firm.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; font-size: 13px; display: table; zoom: 1; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="color: black; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; font-size: 13px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;">Contents</h2>&nbsp;<span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#" class="internal" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">hide</a>]&nbsp;</span></div><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#Career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Career</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#Early_career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Early career</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#McMahon_Squier_and_Associates" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">McMahon Squier and Associates</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#Purple_Strategies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">1.3</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Purple Strategies</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#Other_activities" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">2</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">Other activities</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber">3</span>&nbsp;<span class="toctext">References</span></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Career">Career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McMahon_(consultant)&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h2><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_career">Early career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McMahon_(consultant)&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Steve McMahon trained as an attorney<sup id="cite_ref-PurpleBio_1-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-PurpleBio-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup>&nbsp;and helped with Senator&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy" title="Ted Kennedy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Ted Kennedy</a>'s 1980 presidential campaign<sup id="cite_ref-Leibovich_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Leibovich-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Beltway_3-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Beltway-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a></sup>&nbsp;before starting his professional career as an assistant press secretary in Kennedy's Senate office. He later became a deputy director of Kennedy's&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">political action committee</a>, the Fund for a Democratic Majority.<sup id="cite_ref-TipSheet_4-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-TipSheet-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup>&nbsp;In 1987, he transitioned into&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_consultant" title="Media consultant" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">media consulting</a>&nbsp;when he was hired as a vice president at Doak, Shrum and Associates, an&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_County,_Virginia" title="Arlington County, Virginia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Arlington, Virginia</a>-based media consulting firm. While at the firm his notable work included consulting for&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gephardt" title="Dick Gephardt" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Dick Gephardt</a>'s 1988 presidential campaign and other political campaigns.<sup id="cite_ref-TipSheet_4-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-TipSheet-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Newlin_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Newlin-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NationalJournal_6-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-NationalJournal-6" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[6]</a></sup></p><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="McMahon_Squier_and_Associates">McMahon Squier and Associates</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McMahon_(consultant)&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: McMahon Squier and Associates" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 1991, McMahon co-founded the media consulting firm Trippi McMahon and Squier with&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Squier" title="Mark Squier" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Mark Squier</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Trippi" title="Joe Trippi" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Joe Trippi</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-TipSheet_4-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-TipSheet-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup>&nbsp;McMahon's early work for the firm included a role as media strategist for&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_California" title="Governor of California" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">California governor</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown" title="Jerry Brown" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Jerry Brown</a>'s 1992 presidential campaign.<sup id="cite_ref-Rutenberg_7-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Rutenberg-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[7]</a></sup>&nbsp;Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, McMahon and his partners worked on all five of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean" title="Howard Dean" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Howard Dean</a>'s gubernatorial campaigns.<sup id="cite_ref-TipSheet_4-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-TipSheet-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup>&nbsp;McMahon was also a strategist and consultant for Dean's&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean_presidential_campaign,_2004" title="Howard Dean presidential campaign, 2004" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">2004 campaign for the US presidency</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Schaller_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Schaller-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[8]</a></sup>&nbsp;Following Dean's departure from the race, McMahon's firm served as the lead advertising partner for the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Fund" title="Media Fund" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Media Fund</a>, which produced ads in support of then-Senator&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">John Kerry</a>'s presidential campaign.<sup id="cite_ref-Kurtz_9-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Kurtz-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Kinnard_10-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Kinnard-10" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[10]</a></sup>&nbsp;After the 2004 presidential election, McMahon worked on Dean's successful 2005 campaign for chairman of the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee" title="Democratic National Committee" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Democratic National Committee</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Schaller_8-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Schaller-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[8]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Kurtz_9-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Kurtz-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Adams_11-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Adams-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[11]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In addition to leading Trippi McMahon and Squier, in 1999 McMahon and his partners also established a second company, Issue & Image, which focused on advocacy advertising.<sup id="cite_ref-Bulletin_12-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Bulletin-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-OLeary_13-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-OLeary-13" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[13]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During the 2008 election cycle, McMahon produced advertisements for the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee" title="Democratic National Committee" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Democratic National Committee</a>&nbsp;in support of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Barack Obama</a>'s presidential campaign. He also worked as a senior media consultant for the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Democratic_National_Convention" title="2008 Democratic National Convention" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">2008 Democratic National Convention</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Lee_14-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Lee-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-PurpleBio_1-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-PurpleBio-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup>&nbsp;which was co-produced by his partner Mark Squier.<sup id="cite_ref-Donnis_15-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Donnis-15" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[15]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">McMahon's firm went through several name changes in the mid to late 2000s, including following the departure of Joe Trippi in 2004.<sup id="cite_ref-CongressDaily_16-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-CongressDaily-16" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[16]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Newlin_5-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Newlin-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup>&nbsp;From 2009 onwards, the firm has been called McMahon Squier and Associates.<sup id="cite_ref-Cilizza_17-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Cilizza-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[17]</a></sup></p><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Purple_Strategies">Purple Strategies</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McMahon_(consultant)&action=edit&section=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Purple Strategies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2008, McMahon merged Issue & Image, the advocacy advertising firm established in 1999, with Republican&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Castellanos" title="Alex Castellanos" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Alex Castellanos</a>' firm National Media Public Affairs, to form the communications firm&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Strategies" title="Purple Strategies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Purple Strategies</a>. McMahon and Castellanos had often met each other while pitching to clients and decided to form Purple Strategies as a bipartisan consultancy, blending their "blue" and "red" political backgrounds.<sup id="cite_ref-Carnevale_18-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Carnevale-18" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[18]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fang_19-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Fang-19" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[19]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Allen_20-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Allen-20" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[20]</a></sup>&nbsp;Other founding partners of the Alexandria, Virginia-based firm include&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Haynes_(consultant)" title="Bruce Haynes (consultant)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Bruce Haynes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Squier" title="Mark Squier" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Mark Squier</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Carnevale_18-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Carnevale-18" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[18]</a></sup>&nbsp;At Purple Strategies, McMahon has worked with&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP" title="BP" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">BP</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhRMA" title="PhRMA" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">PhRMA</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Chamber_of_Commerce" title="United States Chamber of Commerce" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">United States Chamber of Commerce</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Franke-Ruta_21-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Franke-Ruta-21" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[21]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fox_22-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Fox-22" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[22]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Lee_14-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Lee-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a></sup>Other clients of the firm include&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Warner_Cable" title="Time Warner Cable" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Time Warner Cable</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola" title="Coca-Cola" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Coca-Cola</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s" title="McDonald's" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">McDonald's</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Dealbook_23-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Dealbook-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[23]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sweet_24-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Sweet-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[24]</a></sup></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Other_activities">Other activities</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McMahon_(consultant)&action=edit&section=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Other activities" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In addition to his role as a consultant, McMahon is a regular guest commentator on television and has appeared on&nbsp;<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today_(U.S._TV_program)" title="Today (U.S. TV program)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Today</a></i>,&nbsp;<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Morning_America" title="Good Morning America" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Good Morning America</a></i>,&nbsp;<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_the_Press" title="Meet the Press" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Meet the Press</a></i>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSNBC" title="MSNBC" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">MSNBC</a>'s&nbsp;<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardball_with_Chris_Matthews" title="Hardball with Chris Matthews" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Hardball with Chris Matthews</a></i>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Mitchell" title="Andrea Mitchell" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Andrea Mitchell Reports</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-Cilizza_17-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-Cilizza-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[17]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-PurpleBio_1-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-PurpleBio-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-BPC_25-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon_(consultant)#cite_note-BPC-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[25]</a></sup></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">==</p></div></div></div></div>