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MeidasTouch

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MeidasTouch
MediasTouch logo.jpg
FoundedMarch 2020; 1 year ago (2020-03)
FoundersBen Meiselas
Brett Meiselas
Jordan Meiselas[1]
TypePolitical action committee
PurposeSupport Democrats as well as Joe Biden, the President of the United States and progressive causes in America
Websitemeidastouch.com

MeidasTouch is a liberal American political action committee formed in March 2020 with the purpose to stop the reelection of Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election.[2][3][4][5] The SuperPAC has aligned with the Democratic Party in the 2020 United States presidential election, the 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia, and the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia.[6][7][8]

History

The committee was founded in March 2020 by three brothers from Long Island, while in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10]

One of the founders, Ben Meiselas, is an attorney who served former NFL player Colin Kaepernick.[11][12][13]

The group name and slogan come from their mother and father, combining their father's last name, Meiselas, and their mother's middle name, Golden,[10] while alluding to the mythological Greek king Midas known for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold.

Controversy

Rolling Stone magazine did an in depth look into Meidas Touch and their activities, called "The Trouble with Meidas Touch". Among other findings, Rolling Stone noted their campaign fundraising was "nonsensical and a more effective tool for fundraising than for helping Democrats win elections" and that "MeidasTouch’s grandiose self-promotion doesn’t match reality".


Timeline

2020 U.S. Presidential Election

On April 22, 2020, the committee released their first video, titled "Are You Better Off?", which criticized Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States;[14] The committee shared the video in a Twitter reply to George Conway, which was then retweeted by him.[10]

On June 6, 2020 another video was released, called "Bye Ivanka"; it took parts out of her commencement speech and focused on her relation with China and criticized Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis.[15] Her speech was going to be given at Wichita State University Tech, but it got canceled due to student and teacher pressure.[16][17]

On June 17, 2020, another video was released, "Gop Cowards", which accused Republican senators of being cowards. Near the end of the video, followers are urged to vote 11 Republican legislators out.[18]

On June 23, the committee released a video called "Trump Kills US".[19] The video focuses on Trump's comment at his Tulsa rally which urged doctors to "slow the testing down".[20] MeidasTouch called it "Mass murder on a national scale".[21]

On July 8, a new video was released called "Creepy Trump". It compiled Kellyanne Conway's comments on Joe Biden and put it together with Trump statements.[22] The ad uses clips of Conway's comments and remarks Trump has presented about women, and was played on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.[23]

On July 14, another video was released called "#ByeDonJr". It takes Donald Trump Jr.'s comments on Fox News about Biden and applies them against Trump. The video also further criticizes the older Trump's handling of the pandemic.[24][25]

The group continued its activities after the November 3 elections. On November 27, it claimed credit for making #DiaperDon the top Twitter trending topic in the US, via a tweet that mocked (as summarized by The Independent) a "press briefing ... which saw [Donald Trump] furiously assail a reporter from behind a surprisingly small desk", and provoked Trump into calling for the immediate abolishing of Section 230 "for purposes of National Security".[26]

2020–2021 Georgia Senate Elections

The SuperPAC targeted Republican candidates in the 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia and the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia with several televised attack ads, billboards, direct mailings and door-to-door canvassing efforts.[6][7][8]

Most notably, MeidasTouch aired an advertisement called 'The Grinches of Georgia.' CNN said of the ads, ″Humor is the chosen route for Democrat-backed Meidas Touch. Their television ads show Perdue and Loeffler with green faces and Grinch-like features. A nursery rhyme narration includes the verse, "Their stockings were stuffed from the stocks that were sold, when they heard Covid was coming, before we were told.″[27] The Hill credits MeidasTouch as framing the Republican candidates Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue as 'Looting Loeffler' and 'Chicken Perdue,' respectively. "The ad takes aim at the senators — dubbed “Looting Loeffler and Chicken Perdue” — and highlights the controversies surrounding their stock purchases," The Hill said.[28] The 'Grinches' ad campaign also included matching billboards and mailers.[29]

References

  1. ^ "About Us". MeidasTouch. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "Supercut Exposes The Ugly Truth Of Trump's Rhetoric On Protests". HuffPost Canada. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. ^ "PAC releases scathing video against Ivanka Trump using her dropped commencement speech". The Independent. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Langlois, Shawn. "Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and other GOP officials slammed as 'cowards' in new viral clip". MarketWatch. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Katz, AJ (June 7, 2021). "Fox News Decides Not to Air Ad Submitted by Liberal PAC MeidasTouch". Ad Week.
  6. ^ a b Joyner, Chris (December 18, 2020). "Georgia's Senate runoffs: Special interest PACs flood the zone". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  7. ^ a b Williams, Jordan (December 5, 2020). "Liberal group running Grinch-themed ads targeting Loeffler, Perdue". The Hill.
  8. ^ a b Cullins, Ashley (November 27, 2020). "Brothers Behind MeidasTouch SuperPAC Talk "Audacious" Post-Trump Plans". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ^ Johnson, Ted (June 12, 2020). "The Race To Go Viral: Three Brothers' Anti-Donald Trump Videos Draw Millions Of Views". Deadline. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "The Story Behind MeidasTouch, Whose Ads Are Roasting Trump". www.adweek.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Aswad, Jem (April 10, 2019). "Attorney Ben Meiselas on Repping Colin Kaepernick, Interning for Diddy and Hillary Clinton". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kap works out at new site without NFL's blessing". ESPN.com. November 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "Colin Kaepernick workout moved to new location without NFL affiliation". ABC7 San Francisco. November 17, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?". MeidasTouch. April 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (June 8, 2020). "Supercut Mixes Ivanka Trump's Clueless Speech With Attacks On Protesters". HuffPost. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  16. ^ Rogers, Katie (June 7, 2020). "Ivanka Trump Blames 'Cancel Culture' for Pulled Speech. College Says It Took a Stand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  17. ^ Kristen Holmes; Jason Hoffman; Veronica Stracqualursi. "University cancels Ivanka Trump's commencement address over backlash to President Trump's response to George Floyd's death". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  18. ^ Moran, Lee (June 17, 2020). "GOP Cowardice On Trump Takes Center Stage In Scathing New Supercut". HuffPost. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  19. ^ Mazza, Ed (June 24, 2020). "'Mass Murder': Trump's Coronavirus Confession Is Already Being Used In Attack Ads". HuffPost. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  20. ^ "'Slow the testing down, please': Trump tells Tulsa audience he recommended fewer coronavirus tests". MarketWatch. Associated Press. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  21. ^ "New advert calls Trump's comments on testing 'mass murder'". The Independent. June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Mazza, Ed (July 9, 2020). "Kellyanne Conway's 'Creepy' Comments Get Turned Against Trump In Biting New Ad". HuffPost. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  23. ^ Klar, Rebecca (July 14, 2020). "Democratic super PAC to launch 'Creepy Trump' TV ad". TheHill. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "Brutal new attack ad turns Donald Trump Jr's comments against the president". The Independent. July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  25. ^ Mazza, Ed (July 15, 2020). "'Bye Don Jr': New Attack Ad Turns Trump Son's Words Against The President". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  26. ^ Embury-Dennis, Tom (November 27, 2020). "Trump declares Twitter national security threat after #DiaperDon trends following meltdown". The Independent. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  27. ^ CNN, Kim Berryman and Kyung Lah. "Pop-up super PACs flood Georgia runoff: 'It's about the big message'". CNN.
  28. ^ Williams, Jordan (December 5, 2020). "Liberal group running Grinch-themed ads targeting Loeffler, Perdue". TheHill.
  29. ^ "Georgians get Scrooged by campaign ads". ajc.

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