Tad Devine, Bernie's former Chief Strategist, is in the news today because Robert Mueller is apparently planning on using some of his communications as exhibits in the Paul Manafort trial.
That reminded me of something that always gnawed at me about Devine...
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That reminded me of something that always gnawed at me about Devine...
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During the primaries, Devine reportedly influenced or controlled where the Sanders campaign spent its money on advertising...
...and for that, Devine got a fairly healthy cut of the money.
According to reports, his piece totaled over $10 mil.
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...and for that, Devine got a fairly healthy cut of the money.
According to reports, his piece totaled over $10 mil.
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Media commissions are nothing new or nefarious. Back in the old days, ad agencies used to make more money off media commissions than they made on doing the actual work of creating ads.
Nothing strange about a person getting a cut of the media spending they're overseeing...
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Nothing strange about a person getting a cut of the media spending they're overseeing...
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That practice is less common in advertising (since it amounts to millions paid regardless of the volume of work done)... but still, this is not unheard of...
What gnawed at me about Devine and Bernie's media spend were two things...
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What gnawed at me about Devine and Bernie's media spend were two things...
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1) The spending was funneled through two firms: Olde Towne Media and Devine Mulvey Longabough. Both were somewhat opaque. It was unclear who worked at each; what they were paid to do; and who profited from that work.
2) The Sanders Campaign made some 'odd' spending decisions.
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2) The Sanders Campaign made some 'odd' spending decisions.
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Among them, they chose to dramatically outspend Hillary in New York despite:
1) Clinton being a massive, popular favorite in the state
2) The insanely high media rates for advertising in NY
It was the most expensive advertising you could buy with the least likely benefit.
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1) Clinton being a massive, popular favorite in the state
2) The insanely high media rates for advertising in NY
It was the most expensive advertising you could buy with the least likely benefit.
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At the time, I thought it might have just been a media commissions grift...
Meaning, whoever planned that media was getting a piece of the action; knew the campaign could afford it; and chose to overspend there to rake in easy commissions on big-ticket spend.
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Meaning, whoever planned that media was getting a piece of the action; knew the campaign could afford it; and chose to overspend there to rake in easy commissions on big-ticket spend.
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With the sudden murkiness about Tad Devine's connections and the prior murkiness around his firm and Olde Towne Media though, it's a bit more... confusing.
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Advertising heavily in New York didn't help Sanders. He lost NY by 16 pts and 300k votes (a margin larger than around 15 of his primary wins combined).
The heavy rotation 'dirtied up' Clinton though... which wasn't bad for Trump.
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The heavy rotation 'dirtied up' Clinton though... which wasn't bad for Trump.
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It's entirely possible the Sanders Campaign just chose to try to compete in an uncompetitive, expensive state for their own reasons.
With the smoke around Devine though (and the questions around who profited from the largest primary spend of any candidate) it seems curious.
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With the smoke around Devine though (and the questions around who profited from the largest primary spend of any candidate) it seems curious.
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All this time, I've sort of assumed there was likely just some not-altogether-unusual- profiteering going on in the media arm of the Bernie Campaign.
After all, the only people who never lose are the consultants. They get paid either way.
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After all, the only people who never lose are the consultants. They get paid either way.
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I gotta admit though, given the closer-than-previously known ties between Devine <--> Manafort <--> Russian operatives, it does make me wonder if there were some ulterior motives on Devine's part in the campaign's messaging and choices of where to spend money.
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This isn't an accusation. It's a question... or set of questions.
If I were an investigative journalist, I would be curious to know if the campaign spent disproportionately in places where the impact might benefit whomever Hillary faced in the general more than Bernie.
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If I were an investigative journalist, I would be curious to know if the campaign spent disproportionately in places where the impact might benefit whomever Hillary faced in the general more than Bernie.
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I don't know that answer but it seems like an interesting exploratory question.
Spending in major metros like Detroit; Chicago; Columbus, OH; FL; and PA; might be worth looking at...
If I were someone looking to 'dirty up' a nominee, that's where I'd have done it.
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Spending in major metros like Detroit; Chicago; Columbus, OH; FL; and PA; might be worth looking at...
If I were someone looking to 'dirty up' a nominee, that's where I'd have done it.
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Even if the data bears out that there might have been deliberate "over-weighting" of those markets, that doesn't impugn Bernie necessarily... but it certainly turns up the heat on Tad Devine.
After all, he controlled those decisions and took a piece of the money.
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After all, he controlled those decisions and took a piece of the money.
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p.s. for people looking for receipts, here are a few.
1) Devine, Olde Towne Media and their curious spending on commissioned media
observer.com/2016/08/this-p…
1) Devine, Olde Towne Media and their curious spending on commissioned media
observer.com/2016/08/this-p…
The Sanders Campaign's spending in New York (despite being down around 20 points in the polls right up through the primary)
nbcnews.com/politics/first…
nbcnews.com/politics/first…
The NY primary results - which, unshockingly ran relatively true to the polls.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_…
