Jump to full article: Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram, 2010-01-19
Author: Dan Morain
Intro: For the better part of three decades, Fred Karger practiced the dark arts of public affairs consultancy, often on the side of corporations and conservative movements.
That makes him an unlikely warrior in the struggle for gay marriage and an especially improbable champion of full disclosure in politics. . . .
now he is leading with his heart, employing the skills he gained as a Republican and corporate operative to seriously mess with foes of same-sex marriage. . . .
in 1988, Dolphin and Karger gathered victims of Willie Horton . . .
All through the 1990s, Karger was one of the main, albeit unseen, operatives in California for Philip Morris, U.S.A. Like a character out of "Thank You for Smoking," the satirical book and movie about a tobacco industry shill, Karger to this day calls the world's largest cigarette maker a great and generous client. It helped pay for his Laguna Beach home with its ocean view
Karger became expert at shaping "coalitions" and "grassroots movements." Astroturf, it's called.
. . .
Karger's efforts are directly relevant to the Proposition 8 lawsuit pending before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. in Sacramento. . . .
In the Sacramento case, Bopp is challenging California's law requiring public disclosure of the identities of donors who give to initiative campaigns. . . .
One was Proposition 188 of 1994, an initiative that would have overturned California's landmark legislation banning smoking in restaurants and public buildings.
It led in early polls, probably because its consultants claimed it would restrict smoking in certain public buildings. Its goal, in fact, was the opposite. Support withered after news reporters, myself included, documented that Philip Morris was the main funder.
As for the consultant on the campaign - well, it was Karger's Dolphin Group. That was then,
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