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Shortly after Barack Obama and a Congressional Democrats swept to power promising a new era of hope and change, a citizens protest movement emerged threatening to derail their agenda. The Tea Party was widely hailed as a exercise in grassroots democracy. But others saw it as a classic example of "astroturfing," a public relations charade designed to mimic a populist revolt. Curious to find out for himself, Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham decided to travel into the heart of the movement. The result is this astonishing look at how moneyed elites have been exploiting legitimate voter outrage to advance their own narrow interests. Oldham takes us inside town hall meetings where angry voters parrot insurance industry PR; finds "citizen groups" working to debunk climate change that are funded by big oil companies; and peels back a movement's down-home image to discover a coordinated network of right-wing shadow groups funded by the likes of billionaire ideologue Charles and David Koch. At once a record of our political moment, and a stunning case study in the power of public relations.
(Previously known as
AstroTurf Wars.)
Duration: 54 min
ISBN: 1-932869-53-0
Date Produced: 2011
Subtitles: English
Discussion Guide
TranscriptFilmmaker InfoCamera, Director, Editor, Producer: Taki Oldham
Voiceover Recording Engineer: Davide Carbone
Additional Editing: Bergen O'Brian
Additional Graphics: Daniel Nicholas
Screenings
The Nation cruise | December 11-18, 2011
7-Day Streaming Rental ($50):
"Taki Oldham's documentary is journalism at its best. I wish every American could see it before the election. I just watched it and am even more concerned about the future of our democracy than ever before."
- Wendell Potter | Author of Deadly Spin: An Insurance Industry Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans
"Brilliant."
- George Monbiot | The Guardian
"Essential viewing."
- David Suzuki | Author & Environmentalist
"...Vital viewing at a critical time for the United States of Empire. Regardless of your political leanings, Oldham thoughtfully details how modern political propaganda works in our culture, and ought to be required viewing..."
- Rob Williams | Vermont Commons
"The Billionaires' Tea Party shows us the dangers of astroturfing, the need to keep our eyes open and to carefully examine what we are being shoveled by self-interest groups, politicians, the media and even our friends and family, stressing the importance for critical thinking, rather than a herd mentality."
- Lisa Derrick, Firegoglake
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