brian rogers
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</font></div><div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Republican opposition research group is launching an effort to track environmental organizations — and it’s being led by Brian Rogers, a former McCain spokesman who once worked for one.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rogers is now the executive director of America Rising Squared, the 501(c)(4) branch of the <a href="https://www.americarisingpac.org/about/" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"America Rising political action committee","mpid":1,"plid":"https://www.americarisingpac.org/about/"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">America Rising political action committee</a>. The group announced on Friday that it would be deploying “trackers” to follow billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer, environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben and “other key players in the Environmentalist Left.” Trackers are most often deployed in political contests, with campaigns sending a dedicated staffer to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tracking-the-trackers-what-its-like-to-have-the-most-mind-numbing-job-in-a-campaign/2014/10/14/a2ed9d46-50a0-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html" rel="nofollow" target="blank" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"follow opponents with a video camera","mpid":2,"plid":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tracking-the-trackers-what-its-like-to-have-the-most-mind-numbing-job-in-a-campaign/2014/10/14/a2ed9d46-50a0-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">follow opponents with a video camera</a> in hopes they say something compromising.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Politico <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/america-rising-targets-steyer-222617" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"broke the news early Friday","mpid":3,"plid":"http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/america-rising-targets-steyer-222617"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">broke the news early Friday</a> on America Rising Squared’s plans. The group said in a press release that its effort will include “in-depth research, national video tracking network, communications operations, along with a targeted digital ad campaign north of six figures.” The group also <a href="http://corenews.org/about/" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"recently launched a website","mpid":4,"plid":"http://corenews.org/about/"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">recently launched a website</a>.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America Rising Squared is targeting high-profile environmentalists like Steyer, who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tom-steyer-nextgen-climate-millennials_us_571e352fe4b0d912d5ff21d3" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"announced plans last week","mpid":5,"plid":"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tom-steyer-nextgen-climate-millennials_us_571e352fe4b0d912d5ff21d3"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">announced plans last week</a> to spend $25 million on get-out-the-vote efforts to educate young people about climate change and energy policies, and spent <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/05/steyer-climate-election_n_6104858.html" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"more than $74 million","mpid":6,"plid":"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/05/steyer-climate-election_n_6104858.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">more than $74 million</a> on races in 2014.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Tom Steyer made a fortune investing in oil and coal, and now he’s dumping an unprecedented amount of money into political causes which promise to increase the value of his latest investments in ‘green energy,’” Rogers said in a statement. “America Rising Squared will hold Steyer and the Environmentalist Left accountable for their epic hypocrisy and extreme positions which threaten America’s future prosperity.” </font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rogers is best known as the long-time spokesman for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He was also McCain’s spokesman during the senator’s 2008 presidential campaign, during which Rogers made headlines for arguing that Obama, too, lived in “<a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/08/mccain-spokesmans-retort-obama.html" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"a frickin’ mansion","mpid":7,"plid":"http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/08/mccain-spokesmans-retort-obama.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">a frickin’ mansion</a>“ and was an “<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/22/AR2008082202958.html" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"arugula-eating, pointy-headed professor type.","mpid":8,"plid":"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/22/AR2008082202958.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">arugula-eating, pointy-headed professor type.</a>“</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Rogers was also, for a short time, the research director for former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection. Upon taking that job in May 2009, <a href="http://grist.org/article/2009-05-11-former-mccain-spokesperson/" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"he said he would be","mpid":9,"plid":"http://grist.org/article/2009-05-11-former-mccain-spokesperson/"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">he said he would be</a> “working on the Repower America campaign to pass comprehensive energy and climate change legislation.” (The announcement <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/11/michael-goldfarb-mccain-s_n_201867.html" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"prompted one of his former McCain campaign colleagues","mpid":10,"plid":"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/11/michael-goldfarb-mccain-s_n_201867.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">prompted one of his former McCain campaign colleagues</a> to joke that “everybody knew Rogers was a tree-hugger.”</font><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large; background-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); text-align: center;">X</span></p></div><div class="content-list-component embed-asset bn-content-list-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 40px auto; padding: 0px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial; width: 705px;"><div class="vdb_player" data-src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58cff690d85a100b9992bc39/vid=552a5c30e4b0280be0a346e7/56000e19e4b0e4e194b84b31.js" vdb_params="m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3DSPONSORSHIP_NAME&m.fwsitesection=us.politics&m.onLoad=getVidiblePlayer&m.playertype=html" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 705px;"><div id="vdb_d3554c22-83ca-44bd-b968-c8093f16c6dd" style="box-sizing: content-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 396.563px; position: relative; width: 705px; height: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 705px; height: 396.563px; top: 0px; left: 0px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 705px; height: 396.563px; position: absolute; right: 0px; left: auto; bottom: 0px; top: auto;"><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 705px; height: 396.563px; z-index: 1; transition: opacity 0.4s ease; opacity: 1;" /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Rogers’ move to join Gore’s group raised some eyebrows at the time, it wasn’t totally crazy. After all, McCain had proposed climate change legislation several times as a senator, and was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/us/politics/12cnd-mccain.html" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"among the leading Republicans","mpid":11,"plid":"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/us/politics/12cnd-mccain.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">among the leading Republicans</a> on this issue (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/07/16/16greenwire-has-john-mccain-gone-cool-on-global-warming-le-59832.html?pagewanted=all" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"until the 2008 election","mpid":12,"plid":"http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/07/16/16greenwire-has-john-mccain-gone-cool-on-global-warming-le-59832.html?pagewanted=all"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">until the 2008 election</a>, that is). This was also around the time it seemed there might actually have been an opportunity for bipartisan collaboration on climate change, when the Alliance for Climate Protection ran ads featuring former House speakers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n-wB154" rel="nofollow" target="blank" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi","mpid":13,"plid":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n-wB154"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi</a>and ministers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhmpsUMdTH8" rel="nofollow" target="blank" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson","mpid":14,"plid":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhmpsUMdTH8"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson</a> sitting together on a couch.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rogers’ job with Gore’s group didn’t last long, in any case; he was <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/03/16/20100316palin-mccain-at-mesa-dobson.html" rel="nofollow" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"back with McCain’s office","mpid":15,"plid":"http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/03/16/20100316palin-mccain-at-mesa-dobson.html"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" class="bn-clickable" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgb(13, 190, 152) 0px -2px 0px inset;">back with McCain’s office</a> in less than a year.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One former colleague from Rogers’ days with the Alliance for Climate Protection said she was “stunned” to hear about his position with America Rising Squared.</font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some targets of the new America Rising Squared campaign said they were not aware of Rogers’ past work in the environmental movement. </font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’m of course flattered that our work has exposed the fossil fuel industry enough that they feel the need for this kind of personal attack,” McKibben said in a statement Friday. “But as usual, the real news is the lengths they will go to avoid talking about the greatest issue of our time, their ongoing wreckage of the planet’s climate, and in the process, so many of its people.” </font></p></div><div class="content-list-component bn-content-list-text text" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"citation"}}" data-beacon-parsed="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; width: 705px; max-width: 720px; min-width: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.75rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rogers declined to comment on the new job and his past work. </font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brian Rogers is Executive Director of America Rising Squared (<span class="caps">AR2</span>). Prior to joining <span class="caps">AR2</span>, Rogers served as Communications Director to <span class="caps">U.S.</span> Senator John McCain (R-<span class="caps">AZ</span>), and previously served as Deputy Communications Director and Research Director for McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and held senior communications and opposition research roles on multiple statewide campaigns across the country, at the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. [<a href="http://www.arsquared.org/ar2-about-us/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="caps">ARS</span>quared</a>] - <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/america-rising-llc-pac-america-rising-squared-definers-public-affairs#s30" style="text-decoration-line: none;">[30]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Rogers is best known as the long-time spokesman for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He was also McCain’s spokesman during the senator’s 2008 presidential campaign, during which Rogers made headlines for arguing that Obama, too, lived in “a frickin’ mansion“ and was an “arugula-eating, pointy-headed professor type….But Rogers was also, for a short time, the research director for former <b>Vice President Al Gore’s</b>Alliance for Climate Protection. Upon taking that job in May 2009, he said he would be “working on the Repower America campaign to pass comprehensive energy and climate change legislation.” [<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/america-rising-squared-brian-rogers_us_5727a97de4b0f309baf18848" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Huffington Post</a>] - <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/america-rising-llc-pac-america-rising-squared-definers-public-affairs#s11" style="text-decoration-line: none;">[11]</a></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></div></div>