Marsh Copsey & Associates

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Marsh Copsey & Associates (MCA; formerly Marsh, Copsey & Scott) is a Maryland-based "strategic communications firm" offering services in "political campaigns, issue advocacy [and] corporate re-branding." [1] The firm brags about its "extensive hands-on experience with every facet of a Republican political campaign," adding that "we have an excellent track record of working together with the best Republican consultants, pollsters and direct voter contact vendors in the nation." [2]

History

"In December 2004, IRI contracted with Tony Marsh and Lance Copsey of the media consulting firm Marsh, Copsey & Scott to set up a Baghdad Media Center on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Its stated purpose was to assist Iraqi political parties and candidates in the upcoming January elections," reported Muriel Kane in June 2006. [3]

In January 2004, MCA "registered the domain name crushkerry.com, which was used throughout the 2004 election for an anti-Kerry blog run by their senior account executive, Patrick Hynes. The site was heavily involved in promoting both the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and CBS Memos stories. It also encouraged readers to suggest other ways of discrediting John Kerry, and claimed to have inside sources of information on the Kerry campaign." [3]

"Until 2003, Tony Marsh and Lance Copsey had been associated with the firm of Russo Marsh & Rogers, which has since then become known for its sponsorship of a pro-Iraq War organization called Move America Forward. In 2004, MAF encouraged a campaign of intimidation to prevent theater owners from showing Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911. In 2005, it launched a "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan to demonstrate against Cindy Sheehan. It is currently running television ads calling for the censure of former President Jimmy Carter, in retaliation against calls to censure George W. Bush." [3]

"Marsh and Copsey’s association with these actions is made more troubling by the closeness of their firm's ties to the Republican Party. They list among their clients the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial and Congressional Committees, and many state Republican organizations." [3]

"Marsh Copsey's connection with IRI goes well beyond the Baghdad Media Center. IRI's annual report for 2003 lists both Tony Marsh and Lance Copsey among its volunteers for that year. After the 2005 Iraqi election, IRI's resident political director in Iraq became Marsh Copsey's director of international ventures." [3]

Foundation for the Promotion of Democracy

The Foundation for the Promotion of Democracy (FDP) has a mission of promoting "freedom and further the principles of democracy, secularism, human rights and civil society," in Iran, the Ukraine and Iraqi Kurdistan. [4] The FDP website was registered by MCA's Lance Copsey. [5] MCA lists FDP among its clients. [6]

International work

"MCA produced the first television commercials in the former Soviet Union," boasts its website. "We helped beat Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, the first Communist dictator ever to lose an election, and we created television ads for the campaign for independence of Ukraine, the first of the former Soviet Republics to achieve independence by means of a fair and free election." [1]

The firm says it was" the first advertising agency to create commercials in support of democracy building in Iraq shot entirely on location. ... In advertising produced during November, 2005, designed to encourage voter participation in the December parliamentary elections; MCA wrote, directed, shot, and edited four new commercials for broadcast in Kurdistan, Iraq." [1]

Clients

The firm's clients include: [6]

According to the Center for Public Integrity, MCA was paid $7,861,199 for work during the 2003-2004 election cycle on the following Congressional campaigns and committees: [7]

Staff

From the firm's website:[8]

Contact

Marsh Copsey & Associates
8201 Corporate Drive
Suite 15
Landover, MD 20785

Phone: 202.544.2900
Fax: 202.544.9103
Website: http://www.marshcopsey.com

SourceWatch resources

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Homepage," Marsh Copsey + Associates, accessed November 2007.
  2. "Services," Marsh Copsey + Associates, accessed November 2007.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Muriel Kane, "GOP organization linked to dirty politics, attempted coups, 'building democracy' for US," Raw Story, June 9, 2006.
  4. "About us," FPD website, accessed November 2007.
  5. "WHOIS domain search for ffpd.org," conducted November 2007.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Client list, Marsh Copsey + Associates, accessed November 2007.
  7. "Campaign consultants," Center for Public Integrity, accessed November 2007.
  8. "Our team, Marsh Copsey + Associates, accessed November 2007.

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