astroturf

astroturfing in action

Here is a clear case of astroturfing… I noticed the following ad on HuffingtonPost yesterday (01.28.08) promoting “draftbloomberg.com.” Draftbloomberg.com (formerly Unity08.com) has been setup to encourage people to petition Michael Bloomberg to run for president as an Independent. The ad states 5,237 signatures

Bloomberg Signatures (ad)

Meanwhile the web site only lists 3,719 signatures. Bloomberg’s broadcasting of support appears to be a little ahead of reality…

Bloomberg Signatures (actual)