HHS ad blitz sputters as celebrities back away

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Politico

They made a list of more than 30 celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Billy Joel to appear in their ad campaign to "inspire hope" about coronavirus, but they ended up with only Dennis Quaid, CeCe Winans and Hasidic singer Shulem Lemmer.

The health department’s $300 million-plus, taxpayer-funded vehicle to boost confidence in President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic is sputtering. Celebrities are refusing to participate, and staff are arraying against it. Some complain of the unstated aim of helping Trump’s re-election. Others point to an ill-prepared video team and a 22-year-old political appointee who has repeatedly asserted control despite having no public health expertise, according to six people with close knowledge of the campaign and documents related to its operations.

They made a list of more than 30 celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Billy Joel to appear in their ad campaign to "inspire hope" about coronavirus, but they ended up with only Dennis Quaid, CeCe Winans and Hasidic singer Shulem Lemmer.

The health department’s $300 million-plus, taxpayer-funded vehicle to boost confidence in President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic is sputtering. Celebrities are refusing to participate, and staff are arraying against it. Some complain of the unstated aim of helping Trump’s re-election. Others point to an ill-prepared video team and a 22-year-old political appointee who has repeatedly asserted control despite having no public health expertise, according to six people with close knowledge of the campaign and documents related to its operations.



Read more: Link to source

[Olafjoy]

1. That is an interesting trio of people

[OneBlueSky]

2. Well, thank God for small favors . . .

I for one was distressed to read a few days ago that Garth Brooks was part of this debacle . . . so glad that's untrue . . . I too have friends in low places . . .

[BigmanPigman]

3. Mike Capuot's failure.

"Interviews with participants and others in the Health and Human Services Department paint a picture of a chaotic effort, scrambling to meet an unofficial Election Day deadline, floundering in the wake of the medical leave of its architect, Michael Caputo, and running up against increasing resistance among career staff."

He sure took his medical leave in the nick of time. No thoughts and prayers for him from me. I hope his hospital bed is in a Covid ward...that would be Karma.

[msongs]

4. politico needs to hire some good editors instead of repeating paragraphs twice nt

[Roy Rolling]

5. Morons

Last edited Wed Sep 30, 2020, 10:34 AM - Edit history (1)

Dennis Quaid trashed what’s left of his career by kissing ass. I’d be curious to see the budget on that $300 million media campaign.

That’s s an enormous amount of money. Trump 2017 inauguration enormous.

[wishstar]

6. The contract was awarded to Caputo's Russian-born business partner and fellow propagandist

[Hekate]

7. $300 million would buy a lot of PPE, don't you think?

[Iliyah]

10. Yep . .

with COVID-19 on the rise.

[crickets]

13. That's the first thought I have every time I hear about this nonsense propaganda move.

With that kind of money spent properly, maybe hospital workers would not have had to scavenge garbage bags to wear as PPE. Maybe enough proper masks could have been manufactured for hospital staff and the American citizenry.

If money were going to be spent on an ad blitz, maybe all Americans could have been educated about how important it is to wear masks to protect ourselves and each other, instead of allowing donnie to turn a simple life saving tactic into a political third rail, and on and on.

Also, Taylor Swift is on the list of people they wanted to participate? Get real. She would have nothing to with this.

[jb5150]

8. You mean they couldn't even get Victoria Jackson?

That wacko must have bills to pay.

[scarletwoman]

9. Link?

[TomVilmer]

11. Not seeing any A-listers...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/doonesbury/strip/archive/2013/4/13

[Roy Rolling]

15. "Great name for a band"

I’d be spraying coffee out my nose if I drank coffee.😂😂

[Dave Starsky]

12. I really doubt they were going after Taylor Swift.

She can't stand the orange turd and is a COVID realist.

[tanyev]

14. If they couldn't get any A listers for Trump's inauguration,

why the Sam Hill did they think they could get them for a BS coronavirus propaganda campaign?

[JudyM]

16. Locking

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