Floyd Brown
Encyclopedia
Floyd Gregory Brown is an American author, speaker and media commentator. He is president of Excellentia Inc., a consulting company specializing in non-profit organizational strategy, development and marketing
. Brown has also worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research
for political campaigns. Brown is noteworthy for his introduction of the "Willie Horton
" television ad during the Bush-Dukakis presidential race.
, Brown grew up in the Pacific Northwest
in a family of Democrats with 100-year-old roots in the area. When he was in the fourth grade, his 22-year-old aunt, recently married and graduated from nursing school, was robbed and murdered. He graduated from Olympia High School
in Olympia, Washington
in 1979, and from the University of Washington
. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics. He was appointed to, but chose to leave, the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Brown credits meeting Ronald Reagan
at a Masonic Temple
in 1976 for sparking his interest in public service when he was fifteen years old. He is married to Mary Beth Brown, author of Condi: The Life of a Steel Magnolia, and they have 3 children.
In 1992, Brown was quoted in the Washington Times:
. Several Brown-organized campaigns have been studied for their effectiveness; these include the effort to secure the confirmation of Judge Clarence Thomas
, and the independent campaigns against Michael Dukakis
and Bill Clinton
. The anti-Dukakis effort produced the famous “Willie Horton
” commercial. Brown and Citizens United worked on behalf of the nomination of Clarence Thomas
to the Supreme Court. At the time, Brown articulated the bitterness of mainstream conservatives of is United when told the New York Times, "What people don't understand is how bitter conservatives are about Bork," referring to Robert Bork
, a previous conservative judge nominated by Reagan but unconfirmed to the court by Congress. In a 2007 CNN documentary, Broken Government: Campaign Killers, journalist Campbell Brown
, who is not related to Floyd Brown, interviewed him briefly on the subject of the Willie Horton ad, but not about a racy ad with a toll-free number that listeners could call to hear a recording of Gennifer Flowers
, a woman who had been the subject of inquiries into President Bill Clinton. Campbell Brown attributed the Flowers ad to David Bossie
rather than Floyd Brown, prompting Citizens United to threaten a lawsuit, and to distinguish between its activities, and those of Floyd Brown, the "true" author of the Flowers ad.
Republican Party
He is active in the Republican Party and was a delegate to both the 2000 and 1996 National conventions. In 1996 he served on the Republican National Convention Platform Committee. He has been an advisor and consultant to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush
, Bob Dole
and Steve Forbes
for President campaigns. He was Midwest Regional Director of the Dole for President campaign in 1988, managing campaigns in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Federal Election Commission Complaint
In 1992, Brown headed up the Presidential Victory Committee, which backed the candidacy of George H.W. Bush. In March of that year the Bush campaign sought to halt the committees efforts to raise money. Bobby Burchfield, acting as Bush campaign counsel, wrote to Brown, "Your group has neither asked for nor received permission to solicit funds using the name of George Bush. The president strongly disapporoves of this misleading use of his name and reputation."
CBS Evening News reported that Floyd Brown harassed the family of Susan Coleman, a former law student of Bush's opponent Bill Clinton
. Coleman had committed suicide, and Brown was attempting to investigate a rumor that she had had an affair with Clinton. David Bossie
reportedly stalked the family of a suicide victim while working for Brown. In April, 1992, 30 news organizations received "an anonymous and untraceable letter" by fax "claiming Clinton had had an affair with a former law student who committed suicide 15 years ago." Floyd Brown attempted to investigate any connection between Clinton and the 1977 suicide of this, "emotionally distraught young woman, seven-months pregnant," Susan Coleman.
In an audiotaped phone conversation with Coleman's sister, the following exchange took place:
The Bush-Quayle campaign eventually filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission
against Brown, seeking to distance itself from his tactics, and calling Brown and his associates "the lowest forms of life".
Whitewater Controversy and Clinton Impeachment
Brown figured prominently in two ways in the Whitewater controversy of the Clinton presidential administration. Brown was investigating Clinton. Brown was contacted by David Hale, a municipal judge facing indictment for fraud, then functioning as a paid informant for the FBI. Under the auspices of Citizens United, Brown issued letters to 100,000 donors to Citizens United
, asking for money and saying that he had proof that President Bill Clinton had engaged "in a massive cover-up and conspiracy to obstruct justice" in the investigations surrounding the Whitewater controversy. At the same time that Brown was investigating the Clintons, he was using the tax-exempt status of Citizens United to acquire funds, urging his donors to fill out an "emergency impeachment" survey, utilized a push-poll technique. Brown's fundraising literature said, "Our top investigator, David Bossie, is on the inside directing the probe as Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth on the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee."
Obama Attacks in 2008 Presidential Race
In the spring of 2008, working for The National Campaign Fund, Floyd Brown launched what he called "the most internet-intensive effort for an ad debut ever" to disseminate via what he claimed was three to five million emails to conservatives to imply that Barack Obama
had been "soft" on crime as a state senator in Illinois before his presidential candidacy. The initiative was funded by a political action committee calling itself the "National Campaign Fund," which had $14,027 in the bank at the end of March, 2008. Other Brown-established groups to raise funds in this effort include a 527 group
Citizens for a Safe and Prosperous America. Brown also uses a 501(c)4 non-profit to raise funds for the Policy Issues Institute. Brown made appearances to promote his ad and his company on a news network, Fox News, In response to the attack ad, Newsweek
published a report on the ad, saying it was the attempt of "a conservative ad man striving to regain his Willie Horton notoriety: and directed readers to factcheck.org to get information on Obama's voting record. The report includes a swipe at MSNBC's Chris Matthews for airing the ad continuously, pointing to Brown's strategy of getting "free" air time for ads by making them controversial.
Brown's fundraising strength is diminished by the hesitance of large donors to leave themselves vulnerable to the legal difficulties encountered by donors to swiftboat ad efforts in the 2004 election cycle, and to new laws which curtail some of the more offensive content of political ads by 527 groups. As some of the contributors to the "swiftboat" ads in 2004 faced stiff fines from the FEC, Brown has refrained from operating out of 527 groups and opted for the PAC platform and budgeting from small donors. Brown's stated goal is to release one new attack ad every two weeks, and recently released an advertisement asserting that Obama was registered as a Muslim student in Indonesia, and that he attended an Indonesian school that taught Islam as a child. The claim has been refuted by the Obama campaign.
As of March 2008, Brown had raised $50,000, and spent $5,000.00 on actual ad buys, also posting the ad on YouTube and other public platforms
In August 2008 Brown teamed up with writer and entrepreneur Jerome Corsi
to promote Corsi's book Obama Nation via viral web campaigns and emailings.
. YAF is the largest right-wing campus organization in the U.S. It operates the Reagan Ranch, also known as Rancho del Cielo
, and conducts conferences, seminars, internships and disseminates educational materials nationwide. As executive director Brown oversaw the preservation of the historic Reagan Ranch and the building of the 20 million dollar Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara, California.
's environmental work, with David Bossie. Brown also authored Say the Right Thing, a collection of conservative sayings.
Brown has written extensively for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle
, the Washington Times, National Review
, and Human Events
. As a commentator, he has appeared on numerous network and cable TV shows including: CNN’s Crossfire, the CBS Evening News, ABC’s Primetime, NBC’s Today Show, FOX News, MSNBC and more. From 1995 until 2000 he hosted his own talk radio show on Seattle’s KVI 570 AM.
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. Brown has also worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research
Opposition research
Opposition research is:# The term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, medical, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing...
for political campaigns. Brown is noteworthy for his introduction of the "Willie Horton
Willie Horton
William R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
" television ad during the Bush-Dukakis presidential race.
Early life
The son of a sawmill worker, and the grandson of a member of the Industrial Workers of the WorldIndustrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, Brown grew up in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in a family of Democrats with 100-year-old roots in the area. When he was in the fourth grade, his 22-year-old aunt, recently married and graduated from nursing school, was robbed and murdered. He graduated from Olympia High School
Olympia High School (Washington)
"'Olympia High School'" is ranked by the Newsweek article "Our Schools and Their Dilemma" as top 5% of all high schools nationally, due to the significant number of students taking AP Tests, as well as notable music, drama, and sports programs....
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
in 1979, and from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics. He was appointed to, but chose to leave, the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Brown credits meeting Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
at a Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
in 1976 for sparking his interest in public service when he was fifteen years old. He is married to Mary Beth Brown, author of Condi: The Life of a Steel Magnolia, and they have 3 children.
In 1992, Brown was quoted in the Washington Times:
- I have a sense of what connects with people like me. We're not culturally Republicans. We're not libertarians. We're not neo-conservatives or former liberals. We're just old-fashioned, blue-collar social conservatives. These are people who couldn't care less about politics, want to be left alone by government, but if their country calls for them to fight abroad, will. You win elections by cultivating people like me.
Political Activism
In 1988 Brown co-founded Citizens UnitedCitizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
. Several Brown-organized campaigns have been studied for their effectiveness; these include the effort to secure the confirmation of Judge Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
, and the independent campaigns against Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. The anti-Dukakis effort produced the famous “Willie Horton
Willie Horton
William R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
” commercial. Brown and Citizens United worked on behalf of the nomination of Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
to the Supreme Court. At the time, Brown articulated the bitterness of mainstream conservatives of is United when told the New York Times, "What people don't understand is how bitter conservatives are about Bork," referring to Robert Bork
Robert Bork
Robert Heron Bork is an American legal scholar who has advocated the judicial philosophy of originalism. Bork formerly served as Solicitor General, Acting Attorney General, and judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...
, a previous conservative judge nominated by Reagan but unconfirmed to the court by Congress. In a 2007 CNN documentary, Broken Government: Campaign Killers, journalist Campbell Brown
Campbell Brown
Campbell Brown is an American television news reporter and anchor. She previously hosted an eponymous primetime show on CNN and was formerly co-anchor of NBC's Weekend Today...
, who is not related to Floyd Brown, interviewed him briefly on the subject of the Willie Horton ad, but not about a racy ad with a toll-free number that listeners could call to hear a recording of Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers is a model and actress who allegedly had a sexual relationship with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Prior to Bill Clinton's presidency, she also posed nude for Penthouse magazine and was an actress in two films and one TV show...
, a woman who had been the subject of inquiries into President Bill Clinton. Campbell Brown attributed the Flowers ad to David Bossie
David Bossie
David N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy organization Citizens United.-Early life:...
rather than Floyd Brown, prompting Citizens United to threaten a lawsuit, and to distinguish between its activities, and those of Floyd Brown, the "true" author of the Flowers ad.
Republican Party
He is active in the Republican Party and was a delegate to both the 2000 and 1996 National conventions. In 1996 he served on the Republican National Convention Platform Committee. He has been an advisor and consultant to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
and Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr. is an American editor, publisher, and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996...
for President campaigns. He was Midwest Regional Director of the Dole for President campaign in 1988, managing campaigns in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Federal Election Commission Complaint
In 1992, Brown headed up the Presidential Victory Committee, which backed the candidacy of George H.W. Bush. In March of that year the Bush campaign sought to halt the committees efforts to raise money. Bobby Burchfield, acting as Bush campaign counsel, wrote to Brown, "Your group has neither asked for nor received permission to solicit funds using the name of George Bush. The president strongly disapporoves of this misleading use of his name and reputation."
CBS Evening News reported that Floyd Brown harassed the family of Susan Coleman, a former law student of Bush's opponent Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Coleman had committed suicide, and Brown was attempting to investigate a rumor that she had had an affair with Clinton. David Bossie
David Bossie
David N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy organization Citizens United.-Early life:...
reportedly stalked the family of a suicide victim while working for Brown. In April, 1992, 30 news organizations received "an anonymous and untraceable letter" by fax "claiming Clinton had had an affair with a former law student who committed suicide 15 years ago." Floyd Brown attempted to investigate any connection between Clinton and the 1977 suicide of this, "emotionally distraught young woman, seven-months pregnant," Susan Coleman.
In an audiotaped phone conversation with Coleman's sister, the following exchange took place:
Brown: Was she depressed? See, you won't even answer if she was depressed.
Coleman's Sister: Because I—
Brown: Was she suicidal?
Coleman's Sister: Just leave my family alone.
Brown: You're making it so difficult for me to leave your family out of it.
The Bush-Quayle campaign eventually filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
against Brown, seeking to distance itself from his tactics, and calling Brown and his associates "the lowest forms of life".
Whitewater Controversy and Clinton Impeachment
Brown figured prominently in two ways in the Whitewater controversy of the Clinton presidential administration. Brown was investigating Clinton. Brown was contacted by David Hale, a municipal judge facing indictment for fraud, then functioning as a paid informant for the FBI. Under the auspices of Citizens United, Brown issued letters to 100,000 donors to Citizens United
Citizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
, asking for money and saying that he had proof that President Bill Clinton had engaged "in a massive cover-up and conspiracy to obstruct justice" in the investigations surrounding the Whitewater controversy. At the same time that Brown was investigating the Clintons, he was using the tax-exempt status of Citizens United to acquire funds, urging his donors to fill out an "emergency impeachment" survey, utilized a push-poll technique. Brown's fundraising literature said, "Our top investigator, David Bossie, is on the inside directing the probe as Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth on the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee."
Obama Attacks in 2008 Presidential Race
In the spring of 2008, working for The National Campaign Fund, Floyd Brown launched what he called "the most internet-intensive effort for an ad debut ever" to disseminate via what he claimed was three to five million emails to conservatives to imply that Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
had been "soft" on crime as a state senator in Illinois before his presidential candidacy. The initiative was funded by a political action committee calling itself the "National Campaign Fund," which had $14,027 in the bank at the end of March, 2008. Other Brown-established groups to raise funds in this effort include a 527 group
527 group
A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of American tax-exempt organization named after "Section 527" of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code...
Citizens for a Safe and Prosperous America. Brown also uses a 501(c)4 non-profit to raise funds for the Policy Issues Institute. Brown made appearances to promote his ad and his company on a news network, Fox News, In response to the attack ad, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
published a report on the ad, saying it was the attempt of "a conservative ad man striving to regain his Willie Horton notoriety: and directed readers to factcheck.org to get information on Obama's voting record. The report includes a swipe at MSNBC's Chris Matthews for airing the ad continuously, pointing to Brown's strategy of getting "free" air time for ads by making them controversial.
Brown's fundraising strength is diminished by the hesitance of large donors to leave themselves vulnerable to the legal difficulties encountered by donors to swiftboat ad efforts in the 2004 election cycle, and to new laws which curtail some of the more offensive content of political ads by 527 groups. As some of the contributors to the "swiftboat" ads in 2004 faced stiff fines from the FEC, Brown has refrained from operating out of 527 groups and opted for the PAC platform and budgeting from small donors. Brown's stated goal is to release one new attack ad every two weeks, and recently released an advertisement asserting that Obama was registered as a Muslim student in Indonesia, and that he attended an Indonesian school that taught Islam as a child. The claim has been refuted by the Obama campaign.
As of March 2008, Brown had raised $50,000, and spent $5,000.00 on actual ad buys, also posting the ad on YouTube and other public platforms
In August 2008 Brown teamed up with writer and entrepreneur Jerome Corsi
Jerome Corsi
Jerome Robert Corsi is an American author, political commentator and conspiracy theorist best known for his two New York Times bestselling books: The Obama Nation and Unfit for Command...
to promote Corsi's book Obama Nation via viral web campaigns and emailings.
National Campaign Fund and Other PACs
Brown was a co-founder in 2007, with Bruce E. Hawkins, James V. Lacey, Tim Kelley, and Michael Reagan, of the National Campaign Fund in support of GOP presidential candidates Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and in opposition to Democratic presidential candidate New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.- An affiliated 527 called Citizens for a Safe and Prosperous America was also formed in late 2007.
- ExposeObama.com is an anti-Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
website created by Brown and his National Campaign Fund. The website purports to show that the Democratic nominee has inconsistent positions regarding abortion, taxes and other issues, in addition to being soft on crime and on what the site calls "Islamo FascismIslamofascismThe term Islamofascism is a neologism which draws an analogy between the ideological characteristics of specific Islamist movements from the turn of the 21st century on, and a broad range of European fascist movements of the early 20th century, neofascist movements, or totalitarianism.-Origins of...
". The website has been criticized in media accounts for "mudslinging" and misrepresenting Obama's positions. In response to the attack ads, NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
published a report on the ads, saying it was the attempt of "a conservative ad man striving to regain his Willie Horton notoriety" and directed readers to factcheck.org to get information on Obama's voting record. The report includes a swipe at MSNBC's Chris MatthewsChris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
for airing the ad continuously, pointing to Brown's strategy of getting "free" air time for ads by making them controversial.
- In January 2009, Jim Lacy, Brown's associate in the National Campaign Fund, issued a press release from the "Legacy Political Action Committee" unveiling its new web campaign to unseat Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Also listed in the team of consultants were "experienced opposition researcher Jim Sills, and William Saracino, a political consultant. The campaign against Reid was launched based on polling provided by NSON Opinion Research, owned by Ronald T. Nielson.
Reagan's Ranch
From 2001 until 2006 Brown served as the executive director of the West Coast office of Young America's FoundationYoung America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.-History:...
. YAF is the largest right-wing campus organization in the U.S. It operates the Reagan Ranch, also known as Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo, or "Sky's or Heaven's Ranch," is a ranch located on the top of the Santa Ynez Mountain range northwest of Santa Barbara, California...
, and conducts conferences, seminars, internships and disseminates educational materials nationwide. As executive director Brown oversaw the preservation of the historic Reagan Ranch and the building of the 20 million dollar Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara, California.
Author and Political Commentator
Brown is the author of Slick Willie: Why America Cannot Trust Bill Clinton, published in 1992. Brown often claims publicly that the book reached "best-selling" status and sold 200,000 copies, but the New York Times determined that the sales figures were only 50,000. Brown co-authored Prince Albert: The Life and Lies of Al Gore, a book about Al GoreAl Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's environmental work, with David Bossie. Brown also authored Say the Right Thing, a collection of conservative sayings.
Brown has written extensively for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, the Washington Times, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, and Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
. As a commentator, he has appeared on numerous network and cable TV shows including: CNN’s Crossfire, the CBS Evening News, ABC’s Primetime, NBC’s Today Show, FOX News, MSNBC and more. From 1995 until 2000 he hosted his own talk radio show on Seattle’s KVI 570 AM.
Real Estate Investor and Financial Consultant
- Floyd Brown is a paid consultant for The Oxford Club, a "membership only" organization that reports it has a membership of 65,000 in "over" 110 countries.The mission of the organization is to assist members to "create a financial legacy for their families that is shielded from excessive taxation, seizure, fraud, and inflation." The Oxford Club sponsors conferences and travel for investors, and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. touts its "special alerts" to prompt members to pick certain stocks to buy, and to consult its "Investment University" series for advice from Brown and other consultants, to learn "what universities cannot teach you." The Oxford club compares its exclusivity with that of Skull and Bones at Yale, and charges an annual membership fee of $79.00. In return, members are promised "insider information." In promotional materials, The Oxford Club lists its accomplishments as helping various members to earn 234% return on investment in a Chinese metal producer, 171% per cent on a commercial property trust, 107% on "the soon-to-be-leader in Chinese life insurance, and 394% on a major pharmaceutical research firm.
- Floyd Brown is a contributor to the Jutia Group, founded by Stephen Oakes, a contrarian financial analyst who "can raid equities on any time frame." The Jutia Group uses "technical indicators" to "leap ahead of institutional buyers and sellers to capture huge profits."
- On April 1, 2008, Brown appeared on Fox News Channel's Neil CavutoNeil CavutoNeil Patrick Cavuto is an American television anchor and commentator on the Fox Business Network and host of three television programs, Your World with Neil Cavuto and Cavuto on Business, both on the Fox News Channel and Cavuto on sister channel Fox Business Network.Cavuto also tapes a nightly...
business program, described only as "real estate investor," in a segment titled "New Foreclosure Bailout: Do Homeowners Really Need it?" and stated, "We agree in the fact that the government made this mess. They clearly helped foster it. I think Alan Greenspan kept rates too low after the 2001 recession and that caused way too much liquidity to flow into the markets…" - In May 2008, Brown recommended investment in the Dodge and Cox Stock Fund, a mutual fund that had recently offered a rare opening to new investors. Dodge and Cox held shares in AIG, among others.
- In July 2008, Brown spoke at an Oxford Club conference in Squaw Valley, California, and recommended that participants purchase Lehman Brothers stock, which, "after it tosses all its bad stuff and takes a hit, should be 'a steal,'". In addition, Brown recommended Citigroup, as well as media stocks such as Belo, Gannett, Time Warner.
Quotes By Floyd Brown
- My family were radicals who were willing to die for their beliefs. I guess I must have gotten some of my grandfather's blood, because I'm willing to do what I have to."
- "When we're through, people are going to think that Willie HortonWillie HortonWilliam R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
is Michael Dukakis's nephew."
- "What people don't understand is how bitter conservatives are about Bork."
- "If people killed themselves over an editorial, this town (Washington, D.C.) would be a ghost town."
- "President Reagan understood the American people and would never have asked them to join an unending war with no clear objectives and end point."
- "It is absolutely critical that Obama's negatives go up with Republicans."
- My suggestion is that you take your time accumulating shares while investing in these oil companies over the next three months. From there, just watch them head higher. I guarantee you'll feel better about pulling up to the pump and paying a higher price for gas this summer." January 17, 2008.
- "Those liberals, they start to foam at the mouth when they hear my name."
- "Would you go to jail over a political ad?" to NPR, August 2008
Quotes About Floyd Brown
- Time (magazine)Time (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
: “Brown has stature among devoted conservatives that almost matches his physical heft (6 ft. 6 in. and 240 lbs.)”
- Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
magazine: "He has given conservatism a rank smell for two decades --and if there is a racist odor to the coming general election campaign, it is likely to emanate from his vicinity." (April 25, 2008)
- Mary MatalinMary MatalinMary Joe Matalin is an American political consultant, well known for her work with the Republican Party. She was an assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney until 2003. Matalin has been chief editor of Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint...
: "I'm not a big fan of Floyd Brown...He gave us the Willie Horton ads that the Republican Party has had to eat for two election cycles now."
- USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
: "[Brown has] established himself as one of the nation's dirtiest political strategists."
- George StephanopoulosGeorge StephanopoulosGeorge Robert Stephanopoulos is an American television journalist and a former political advisor.Stephanopoulos is most well known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News – the news division of the broadcast television network ABC – and a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news...
: "Floyd Brown is a slimy thug for hire."
See also
- Willie HortonWillie HortonWilliam R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
- Arkansas ProjectArkansas ProjectThe Arkansas Project was a series of investigations that were initiated with the intent of damaging and ending the presidency of Bill Clinton...
- opposition researchOpposition researchOpposition research is:# The term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, medical, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing...
- political consultingPolitical consultingPolitical consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
- Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- Lee AtwaterLee AtwaterHarvey LeRoy "Lee" Atwater was an American political consultant and strategist to the Republican Party. He was an advisor of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and Chairman of the Republican National Committee.-Childhood and early life:...
- Roger AilesRoger AilesRoger Eugene Ailes is president of Fox News Channel, chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W...
- David BossieDavid BossieDavid N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy organization Citizens United.-Early life:...
- Barbara ComstockBarbara ComstockBarbara J. Comstock is an American politician, currently a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. She first won election to her seat in 2009, defeating Democratic incumbent Margaret Vanderhye...
- Vince FosterVince FosterVincent Walker Foster, Jr. was a Deputy White House Counsel during the first few months of President Bill Clinton's administration, and also a law partner and friend of Hillary Rodham Clinton...
- David HaleDavid Hale (Whitewater)David Hale is a former Arkansas municipal judge, a former Arkansas banker, and a self proclaimed Bill Clinton political supporter—though he never made substantial contributions to any of his campaigns. He alleged the charges that resulted in the Whitewater scandal trials. He worked with Jim...
- Scott HowellScott HowellHerbert Weston Scott Howell III is an American conservative political consultant, whose recent clients include Meg Whitman and Rudy Giuliani.-Personal:Married in 1994 to Julie L. Feaster). They reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and have two children....
- James D. JohnsonJames D. JohnsonJames Douglas Johnson, known as Justice Jim Johnson , was a former associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, a two-time candidate for governor of Arkansas in 1956 and 1966, and in 1968 an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S...
- Cliff Kincaid
- Harold Simmons
- plausible deniabilityPlausible deniabilityPlausible deniability is, at root, credible ability to deny a fact or allegation, or to deny previous knowledge of a fact. The term most often refers to the denial of blame in chains of command, where upper rungs quarantine the blame to the lower rungs, and the lower rungs are often inaccessible,...
- Richard Mellon ScaifeRichard Mellon ScaifeRichard Mellon Scaife is an American newspaper publisher and billionaire. Scaife owns and publishes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. With $1.2 billion, Scaife, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, is No...
- Whitewater controversyWhitewater controversyThe Whitewater controversy was an American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s and 1980s.A New York...
External links & Video Footage Archive
- FloydReports.com
- ExposeObama.com
- Dirty Tricks (1992 Dan Rather report on CBS Evening News)
- appearance on Fox News's Bill O'Reilly show
- A Propaganda Primer, David Martin, April 26, 2000 (critical assessment of Floyd Brown's "muckraking")