By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold -
David Hogg is behaving as a demagogue willing to demonize his opponents. In a personal feud with Laura Ingraham of Fox News, he published a list of 12 companies which constitute her main sponsors, urging his supporters to write. That much is well documented. However, the dark web of professional supporters is hard to identify, as the same internet companies which filter conservative thought protect the activists as well. Nevertheless, David Hogg has become a darling of the liberal media and leads a flash mob on social media. He has raised a virtual army against anyone who opposes him. Might they be described as Brown Shirts?
Nevertheless, Hogg isn’t the organizer but merely a convenient spokesman (shill) for a small group of professional organizers who are funded by liberal action committees. They have collected a large group of potential supporters, whom through social media, are then urged to write a list of targets in support of a cause or to gather in a protest. Their messaging is relentless in order to urge people act on their behalf, much like you get bombarded with requests once you have contributed to a political candidate or party.
On Tuesday, April 17 Hogg called on investors to boycott BlackRock Inc. and The Vanguard Group, the nation’s two largest investment-management companies, over their holdings in gun companies.
“[BlackRock] and [Vanguard] are two of the biggest investors in gun manufacturers; if you use them, feel free to let them know,” Hogg said Tuesday in a series of tweets, with the hashtags #BoycottVanguard and #BoycottBlackRock.
When Hogg “calls” for a boycott of gun manufacturers, it is the shadowy group of professional organizers who get the message out. Within hours, companies receive thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of messages threatening a boycott if they don’t comply. The volume is overwhelming and often convincing. In the old days it took hundreds of volunteers to collect 10,000 signatures on a petition. Now it takes a few clicks on a keyboard.
David Hogg and other activists from the #NeverAgain movement also helped to lead Town Hall for Our Lives project, which consisted of a series of forums across the country seeking to get lawmakers to push for stronger gun-control measures. The Never Again movement is a radical organization that describes itself as a “progressive grassroots network of local groups” seeking to “resist the Trump agenda. More than 100 town halls were scheduled during the time Congress was on recess through April 8 (April 9th for the House). It was Hogg's hope that activists would hold politicians accountable for accepting money from the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby, though he encouraged all constituents to attend — not just advocates of gun control, but those who have opinions about school safety or mental health policy.
Hogg and his supporters wish to silence Ingraham, as well as Sean Hannity.
When Laura Ingraham called out Parkland high school shooting survivor David Hogg in March for whining about college applications, liberals became unhinged.
After whining about four declination letters from schools, Ingraham called him out, more or less giving him a wake-up call about life, stating his situation was “totally predictable given acceptance rates.”
Hogg followed by going to social media to pressure Ingraham’s advertisers to pull their ads from her show. A company which might get a few hundred emails, which suddenly multiplies in condemnation, are often tricked into believing that they are facing a movement. Following are the top 12 of Laura Ingraham targeted advertisers:
1. @sleepnumber
2. @ATT
3. Nutrish
4. @Allstate & @esurance
5. @Bayer
6. @RocketMortgage Mortgage
7. @LibertyMutual
8. @Arbys
9. @TripAdvisor
10. @Nestle
11. @hulu
12. @Wayfair
Today’s progressive world being what it is, several liberal groups jumped on the bandwagon to put pressure on advertisers. Within days, advertisers had their ads pulled from her show. Because conservatives turned out in mass to support Ingraham, after a scheduled vacation, Ingraham returned to a significant rating increase and has seemingly become a conservative hero. Here viewership since the Hogg incident has reportedly gone up by 20 percent.
Not unexpectedly, siblings David Hogg and Lauren Hogg have now signed a deal on April 18, 2018 with Random House for a book to be published in June. Their book, #NeverAgain, is described as “a statement of generational purpose, and a moving portrait of the birth of a new movement.” The book will explore their efforts taking on some of the most powerful forces in Washington and beyond and will detail their commitment to new legislation aiming to prevent future tragedies.
What will it take to expose this dark group of conspirators? It is far more of a threat to our republic than pointy hoods and gun-toting bikers.
