Influencers: The New, More Dangerous Lobbyists No One Elected

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influencers, the new and more diabolical lobbyist. Yeah, you know, it’s funny is that the Wall Street Journal for whatever reason, maybe they think they’re using the watchdog on Wall Street show my show as prep for some of them stories. I mean, things that we’ve covered here on the program extensively, well after the fact are now all of a sudden popping up in the journal. That’s a good thing. I could care less. Neither here nor there. I’ve got my issues with lobbyists and I’ve had for a long time and I’m to give you my reasons. We’ve gotten to a point in time and I understand the Constitution allows for people to petition the government. But what has taken place is we’ve got an entire crop of characters in Washington DC that will they own government? They do. It’s how money and politics we talk about this and all be all. I actually, this years ago,

was suggested to manage money for, this is way back when, this is the state of Florida. And again, we present our track record, what we’re capable of doing. That didn’t matter. What mattered was we were told we had to hire a lobbyist, make sure we’re paying off the right people. I actually appeared on Fox News and it was a funny panel. It was myself.

Jake Steinfeld, the guy from body by Jake, I don’t even know why he was on there. He just kind of just sat there the entire time. And a big Washington DC lobbyists and I proceeded to rip that DC lobbyist a new one. And yeah, sir, our Constitution says we can do this petition of people might give me a break. Okay, you know exactly who you’re representing. You’re not representing the little guy. But anyway, we’re at a point in time, point in time right now because of social media.

Basically, you got all these fake personalities out there left right putting out opinions and what I have been trying to get across and warn people about is They’re paid to have an opinion They’re paid to say certain things It’s power in the same way in the same way. Let’s say Kylie Jenner or Some you know one of the Kardashian. Well, she’s a Kardashian whatever it may be

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gets paid to put out a tweet, when she’s using a certain type of makeup or wearing a certain product. Product placement. All right, no harm, no foul. I get that. I remember in one of the Daniel Craig James Bond movies showed him conspicuously drinking a Heineken. I’m like, Heineken paid for that. Anyway, that’s all well and That’s not gonna hurt.

really anybody. But when you have influencers being paid to push a certain agenda in an ideology and you don’t know about it, like you know, okay, you gotta be an idiot, okay, not to know that Kylie Jenner is using a certain mascara and her TikTok or Instagram, whatever it may be that she’s getting a nice check for that. Most people have no idea.

no idea whatsoever that these people online are paid to say a certain thing. I, again, I’ve equated it to prostitution here on the program. I got a greater deal of respect for prostitutes. Okay, they do less harm to society than these political influencers do. And I, sorry, you’re not gonna change my mind on that. What’s interesting is that, you know, when I signed contracts for in radio,

presentations that I make. They’d actually have to sign off on stuff you won’t accept what is called payola. This goes back to the days where radio show hosts were paid money to play certain music on air to get attention so they could buy records. Yeah, you can throw that out the window now. You see it everywhere, quite frankly. You’ll see it, and actually it disgusts me. You see a lot on.

Fox and MSNBC’s website. You’ll see a story, but in very, very fine print, it’ll say paid advertisement. You’re watching Fox and Friends in the morning, you know when they have those little things out on the patio there, when they’ve got some barbecue or some event. You know that’s a commercial, right? You know, they didn’t say, hey, you know what, let’s bring this business in. Let’s bring this business in because,

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You know, we like it. No, no, no, no, they’re paying. I’m sure it was on Fox Businesses a couple of years ago and my jaw dropped. It was like small business month and I was on it they were bringing a small business on. Then I found out after the fact that they wanted a portion of the sales that they generated based upon that appearance. I kid you not. But anyway, again, take that and put that aside.

paid online influencers with you rules. So story today in the Wall Street Journal. And you got to take a look at the numbers here. You know, quite frankly, Israel, Israel made plans over the past year to spend $900,000 on an influencer campaign with the USR one industry, solar industry, this industry that both sides of the coin, paying people to have an opinion.

You know, that’s funny, actually. It was a comic. I saw a bit of a routine and she sounded a little bit quite like I sound when I talk about critical thinking and the importance of it. And, you know, for whatever reason, it may be, you know, I’m biased because I’m a member of Gen X. See, you know, we Gen Xers, we do this weird thing.

For the most part, this weird thing where we listen to both sides, both sides of an argument and think about it, contemplate and reflect. It’s called critical thinking. You have to start subscribing to certain influences. You gotta understand that, again, they’re paid to say a certain thing. And what good is that to you?

Do your own homework. I say that all the time on my program. I put out all sorts of information. Check what I’m saying. I encourage it. And I’m here to tell you, I’ve never taken a dime. Never, get offers. Sure. Sure, to have an opinion or to push an agenda. don’t. Ads are listening to.

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during this podcast, before, after, wherever they embed them, you think I have anything to do with that? Nothing. Nothing, I have nothing to do with that, okay? I’ll tell you if I’m endorsing something or pushing something. I’ll be honest about it. And quite frankly, you know, that’s the difference. Is this online influencers are more diabolical than regular lobbyists? Kinda. Kinda because your reason being is you can look up.

Open secrets. There’s places out there where you can see Who’s collecting the money where the money is coming from with these people you can’t? Could be me calling me crazy. Don’t you think it might be a good idea that if you are going to accept any dollar from any Lobbying group any group out there where you’re gonna push this out onto social media because it is media Okay

Shouldn’t you have to disclose that?

Don’t you think that would be great if these people had to disclose who was buttering their bread? I do. Watchdog on wallstreet.com.