Seth Persily’s private war on Nathan Deal’s reputation
Seth Woodard Persily didn’t like what he saw in Nathan Deal’s TV ads this summer.
So the Atlanta lawyer and public relations specialist has declared a private war on the Republican nominee for governor. Persily is out to sabotage Deal’s reputation on the Internet.
There is reason to believe that he is succeeding in his effort to make sure that every time Google sees the words “Nathan Deal,” the world-changing search engine offers up the word “ethics.”
Left to right: Nathan Woodard-Persily, Caitlin Woodard Persily, Brittany Woodard Persily, and Seth Woodard Persily, all of Atlanta.
It may be the first campaign of its kind, one that opens an entire new field of worry for political candidates.
Perhaps more important, it is a low-cost area of activism open to any small group of people with access to a computer, a keyboard and time. Persily insists he is acting as a private citizen, not on behalf of the rival campaigns of Democrat Roy Barnes or of Libertarian John Monds.
The first thing you need to know about Persily is that he is the gay father of two, joined in a Piedmont Park marriage ceremony two years ago to his partner Nathan.
Persily also sits on the board of directors of YouthPride of Atlanta, an organization dedicated to providing a social venue for gay and lesbian teens, and to the prevention of teen suicide.
On Aug. 5, near the end of his bitter primary runoff against former secretary of state Karen Handel, Deal launched a TV spot alleging that Handel at one time supported domestic partnership benefits for gay couples.
The same ad pointed to Handel’s support, while on the Fulton County Commission, for funding directed to YouthPride. Deal condemned YouthPride as “a group that promotes homosexuality among teenagers as young as 13.”
So Persily had two reasons to be angry.
The second thing you need to know about Persily is that he is the executive vice president of Penn Multimedia, a 2-year-old Atlanta firm that specializes in the relatively new field of reputation management — especially on the Internet.
So when Persily gets angry, he has options.
Usually, he uses his powers for good. Say a company has been forced to issue a recall on a faulty widget — a move that produces a certain amount of bad press and a viral YouTube video.
Making a difference on Google is always the prime target.
“We flood the Internet with positive results so that video or bad review or that column is no longer in the top 10 [search] results,” Persily said. “Well over 90 percent of people will never go to the second page of Google. If you can control what’s on that first page of Google, it doesn’t really matter what people are saying about you anywhere else — because no one will ever see it.”
Going after Deal was something new for Persily.
“I’ve never tried to harm someone’s reputation. This is a first for us,” he said. “We’ve always been in the business of cleaning people’s reputations up.”
What Persily has targeted is not the hyperlinked search results you get after punching the words “Nathan Deal” into Google. Given the search engine’s secret algorithms, manipulation of those results is nearly impossible.
Persily has attempted something slightly more subtle.
When you type any search term into Google, the search engine immediately suggests a number of additional words. Whenever “Nathan Deal” is now typed into a Google search panel, the first suggested word is “ethics.” Second is “vs. Karen Handel.” And third is “bio.”
Anyone who accepts Google’s first suggestion will be offered page after page of articles about an investigation conducted by the Office of Congressional Ethics into allegations that, as a congressman, Deal pressured state officials to protect a private salvage business in which he was a partner.
Persily makes no claim that he created the Google connection. Only that he has encouraged it — to make sure that “ethics” stays No. 1.
He and a dozen Georgia volunteers have employed two tactics. Across the Internet, they have posted dozens of articles, dozens of times, in dozens of places, that include the words “ethics” and “Nathan Deal.”
The articles don’t have to be about Deal. They don’t even have to be read. They just have to include the name of the north Georgia congressman, and the word “ethics.”
Secondly, during spare moments through the day, whether at home or in the office, Persily and his allies go to Google and type “Nathan Deal ethics” time and time again.
This is more than a case of smoke and mirrors.
“It’s conceivable. I wouldn’t be very surprised if something like this worked,” said Guy Lebanon, assistant professor at Georgia Tech with a specialty in machine learning and knowledge management.
The key to manipulating a Google search suggestion, Lebanon said, would be the widespread distribution of Deal-ethics articles across the Web, and to make sure that “Nathan-Deal-ethics” searches arose from many disparate locations rather than a single source.
The Deal campaign said it was aware of Persily’s activities, understood the importance of reputation management, and was adopting counter-measures —saturating the Internet with positive articles about the Republican nominee for governor.
“As the frontrunner, we have to expect liberals to attack us. And they have to expect to be attacked in return,” said Brian Robinson, spokesman for the Deal campaign.
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132 comments Add your comment
GOP for Barnes
September 15th, 2010
10:11 pm
I will be voting almost a straight Republican ticket in November… except for Governor.
Common Sense
September 15th, 2010
10:14 pm
Deal? Unbelievable……..only in GA – well OK South Carolina too – could a bankrupt, no ethics politican be elected Governor.His extremely poor business acumen epitomize what helped create the Great Recession. Should have listened to Karen Handel but the “good old boys” ruled the day……
Loran, Whatayagot?
September 15th, 2010
10:21 pm
This may be one of the biggest hissyfits I’ve ever seen. Maybe even like a drive-by slapping. Don’t criticize the gay lifestyle or disparige (sp?) it in any way. If they choose to legitimize their lifestyle, it must be legitimate and to not agree with it makes you some kind of bigot. Ah…… never mind anymore comments. These are buried so deep that only I might read them/
schroeder
September 15th, 2010
11:09 pm
gays kick arse
Burroughston Broch
September 15th, 2010
11:15 pm
@ Substantive Issue.
What has Deal actually done to you and your family and your friend’s families, other than publicly disagree with you and your lifestyle? What has Barnes done for you and your family and your friend’s families, other than promise to pander to you? Gay rights is a very small issue for most of the electorate, particularly outside metro Atlanta. However, it seems to be the only issue for gays. That’s very short sighted, in my opinion. Strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
Me
September 15th, 2010
11:19 pm
How does a father with 2 young children have time for such folly? He’s obviously got some growing up to do.
What a Deal
September 15th, 2010
11:21 pm
Let’s assume Deal’s daughter and son-in-law were would-be entrepreneurs who couldn’t get daddy to cosign a loan. Would they ever have even gotten the chance to fail miserably at their harebrained business? Would Deal have had any sympathy for them in the event they filed bankruptcy, like so many other “irresponsible parasites” now seeking government assistance? I think not.
If you’re born on third base and still can’t make it home, you’re truly idiotic.
takawira
September 15th, 2010
11:26 pm
Near bankrupt,ethically challenged,crockpot,sleazy,financially irresponsible… DEALER DEAL,failed business man?
TAKE YOUR PICK FOLKS!
Governor??
Unless you didnt pass highy school.
Think!
September 15th, 2010
11:29 pm
Deal hasn’t just “publicly disagreed;” he is actively working to disenfranchise and strip the rights from people based on their sexual orientation.
I am NOT gay, however, this affects me in that it harms “US” as a people…not to mention friends happen to be gay.
He’s a CROOK. He slithered out of Congress before they could indict him. Feel our pain? PLEASE.
No Deal
September 15th, 2010
11:46 pm
So Deal “bailed-out” his daughter and son-in-law by securing a loan for money he did not have and won’t be able to repay. Anyone else see the hypocrisy in this? I guess he felt his kids were “entitled” to the bank’s federally insured money.
Michael
September 16th, 2010
12:16 am
@Matt D. I’ve been saying Governor Dumb*ss for the last 20 yrs in Ga. Now, get along and go chase a gay Mexican who’s trying to build a mosque, your country needs you.
Fred Flinstone
September 16th, 2010
1:21 am
Hey Gummy: I see that “catlady” and her cousins are boycotting Maureen’s blog and have near ’bout shut it down. But, I see that you have been busy all day on ole Jimbo’s blog here. I give you credit…you can dominate a blog with that cousin-dialogue stuff. I’ve a good photo or two of you at the picket line. You want me to show you?
Barney
September 16th, 2010
1:27 am
@ Fred: You are so right about Catlady and her cousins dominating the blogs (especially Mom3Thugs). She needs to change her same tired topics too. Catlady says the same thing all the time. I want to hear more from “BABY SAY,” but he says that he won’t get on Jimbo’s blog as long as Catlady and Her Cousins are dominating. We love you PBM!
Gay rights matters
September 16th, 2010
1:39 am
If someone attacked your family the way Deal attacked gay families in his commercials, wouldn’t you fight back too? Good job Persily!
Burroughston Broch
September 16th, 2010
2:11 am
@ Think!,
How is Deal “actively working to disenfranchise and strip the rights from people based on their sexual orientation?” Do you have first hand knowledge and, if so, precisely what is it?
@ Gay rights matters,
How is Deal “attacking your family in his commercials?” What damage is being inflicted on you? Or is he saying that he doesn’t approve of your lifestyle?
Most of the gays I know who are obsessed with gay rights are paranoid as well, and take offense at every one who doesn’t advocate the gay rights agenda. With them, there seems to be no middle ground – you are either 100% behind them and are vocal and assertive about it, or you are the enemy.
In my experience,
catlady
September 16th, 2010
7:01 am
Kind of reminds me of Richard Nixon’s claims about how many pro phone calls and telegraphs he had received on the Vietnam War, or his manipulation of data about enemy deaths. Except this is TRUE.
catlady
September 16th, 2010
7:09 am
Atlanta mom: Family matter?! When have you tried and succeeded in getting millions in loans for your children, using your house as collateral, when it is not worth even one million? When your income is (supposedly) $150,000 and the house and other property is already mortgaged? When you successfully can pull off those loans yourself, let me know. THEN it might be a “family matter.” Right now there is something quite fishy in him being able to get those loans!
Willis
September 16th, 2010
7:56 am
Robin Hood was the guy who stole from banks in order to help the poor. Nathan Deal is the politician who stole from banks (and taxpayers) in order to help himself. A big difference.
Lest we forget – Georgia elected Lester Maddox because he stood firm with his pickax. So it’s likely that Nathan Deal will be elected Governor at which time he can begin to work his way out of the holes he’s dug for himself, at taxpayer expense, of course.
Deal mess up
September 16th, 2010
8:13 am
Deal need to step down running for governor it would show in the polls, Deal is a crook. I wondering if he going to ask President Obama for a bailout on his loan.
Willis
September 16th, 2010
8:16 am
Deal’s outdoor sporting business? I’m sure he would have found a way to get some fat contracts with the State of Georgia especially with his Buddy Sunny promoting fishing in the state. More taxpayer money going to a corrupt politician.
Matt D.
September 16th, 2010
8:26 am
Willis said, “Lest we forget – Georgia elected Lester Maddox because he stood firm with his pickax”.
Technically, that is incorrect. Callaway won the election but did not have the 51% which was required by law at that time. The Georgia State Legislature then, by law, elected Lester Maddox. Governor Maddox was the only governor that I am aware of who left office with less wealth than when he entered office. Maddox never has or will get the credit he deserves for his honesty and integrity. It is never mentioned by any of the liberal news outlets that he hired more black people for state jobs when he was governor than any other governor has – before or since.
AJ
September 16th, 2010
8:28 am
@No where near! – First, what you’re trying to say is that it’s LIBEL, not SLANDER. Understand what you type before you type it. Though it’s really neither as it’s true. Truth is the best defense to both libel and slander. Second, I don’t think Seth would care if his name came up if you typed “homo”. I’m sure he’s proud to be who he is. While not the most PC way to say it, Seth is a proud homo.
Deal staf----uh, Patriotic Hardworking Non-Swishy Georgian
September 16th, 2010
8:29 am
Deal is being framed by CREW, ACORN, and other unAmerican acronyms! Teh gayz are responsible for that sporting goods store going broke! If they wouldn’t have been seducing all those right-minded burly, smelly, drunk hunters in state parks, those He-men would have bought more $5000 shotguns and shot communist-liberal deer!!!!11!!!
Hal Smith
September 16th, 2010
8:36 am
Good for you, Seth (and Nathan!). Politicians have to be shown there is payback when they start using wedge politics against minority groups – and the Republicans are the best at this game! Your children are so cute. Thank you for giving them home and family. Keep up the good work! I’ll do my part to be sure “ethics” is the number one choice for Deal. Thank you.
Matt D.
September 16th, 2010
8:48 am
AJ said, ” I don’t think Seth would care if his name came up if you typed “homo”. ”
Free advertising!
Willis
September 16th, 2010
8:48 am
Matt D. So technically my comment is incorrect but Maddox was governor and it was his stance against black people that enabled him to be governor. Is that technically incorrect?
John K
September 16th, 2010
8:51 am
Good for Seth. Deal made his bed and now he gets to lay in it.
As for anyone knocking Seth’s job, I thought Republicans were pro-business?
Matt D.
September 16th, 2010
9:01 am
Willis, I don’t believe so. Governor had no problem with black folks. He did, however, have a problem with the federal government. His contention was that the federal government had no right to tell him how to run his business. His problem never was with integration, but rather with the intrusion of the feds.
I know it is difficult for me to put into words and probably hard for some to understand. If you ASK me to do something and it is a reasonable request, I’ll gladly accomodate. If you try to FORCE me to do something, I will resist with all the strength I can muster.
Kevin
September 16th, 2010
9:09 am
Nathan Deal is worse than the devil – pure evil. Good for you Seth – what a beautiful family too.
Buzz G
September 16th, 2010
9:16 am
It is nice that the AJC exposed Seth; who he is and what he is up to. In so far as the AJC has bought into the gay political agenda, this has been a pleasant surprise. It is not usual to see the AJC showing such respect for its readership. If they did this more, maybe they would sell more papers.
Double Zero Eight
September 16th, 2010
9:19 am
Nathan was throwing stones at Handel while living in a glass house.
His glass house has been shattered. He will willingly accept every hand out or bail out that is offered.
H. Westmoreland
September 16th, 2010
9:32 am
I don’t really like Deal…but what this guy does for a living (a glorified spammer who tries to artificially change genuine search results) is WRONG! Activism is fine as long as you play by the rules…and he is the one spouting off about ethics? How about how unethical it is to use Black Hat SEO techniques????
David
September 16th, 2010
9:41 am
Matt D. is completely correct about Lester Maddox.
Double Zero Eight
September 16th, 2010
9:50 am
While I was not a fan of Maddox, it should also be noted that he appointed more minorities to positions of authority than any of his predecessors, including the liberal Carl Sanders.
findog
September 16th, 2010
9:54 am
Matt D. and Willis,
I don’t understand bringing the late governor know for his ability to ride a bicycle backwards into this string on technology manipulation of search results. As for the sexual orientation of the individual I seam to remember that last month the man who ran the last successful republican campaign for president is of the same persuasion.
What I find hard to understand is the republican candidate for governor in Georgia stating that he will not file for bankruptcy protection and he will pay off his debts. I think the GOP used to decry this as that fuzzy new math.
Appearance wise the problem is that the current republican governor got, “special treatment,” from banks for business loans that he never had to publicly declare, or explain, and the party in powers current nominee has similar financial dealings that the average Georgian with similar earning potential could not abtain…
catlady
September 16th, 2010
9:54 am
Deal him out!
Bryan Roth
September 16th, 2010
9:56 am
Nathan Deal Ethics! Nathan Deal Ethics! Go get ‘em Seth!
TRUTH
September 16th, 2010
9:59 am
Nathan Deal. the real steal.
Intown
September 16th, 2010
10:19 am
Frankly, I’m tired of Republican candidate commercials touting how “conservatve”, xenophobic, and homophobic their candidates are as if they were virtues. It’s about time that junk got thrown back in their faces. Deal is getting what he deserves. Hopefully, the end result will be that he loses.
Mr. D
September 16th, 2010
10:30 am
Am I the only one that Googled Nathan Deal? Yes there is one paid link at the top to an anti Deal site. All the others on the first page are voting record reporting, bio, news web sites, etc. How about the “Roybama” links on all the newspaper sites paid for by the RGA.
I also Googled Roy Barnes and guess what, there is an anti-barnes website listed within the top three results. Galloway, Are you just attempting to balance the negative coverage for both men? Way to play the gay card!
Matt D.
September 16th, 2010
10:32 am
The Heterosexual Pride parade will be held immediately after the conclusion of the White Miss America pageant. Prayer rugs are not permitted at either event.
The Centrist
September 16th, 2010
10:53 am
It is funny hearing how Maddox hired more African Americans to state government positions than any other governor before him. That’s like saying Vince Dooley and Bobby Dodd played more African American football players than any other coach before them. Heck, there weren’t any!!! Someone made Lester realize his intellectual shortcomings, and he surrounded himself with smart people who did the work. That allowed him to continue his rants about the despised Federal government, while they worked to implement positive policies to insure that the Feds would not cut off funds. They followed the footsteps of the progressive attitudes of leaders like Mills B. Lane (who hired the first African American bank officer at C&S in 1969) and Mayor Allen to attract business, industry, and professional athletic teams to move to Atlanta rather than the neighboring state cities. Those forward-thinkers knew that the “stuck on stupid” values like the “flaggers”, anti-intellectual, anti-cultural, and the anti-social thoughts of Lester and his like would not bring prosperity and modernization to Atlanta and as a result to the rest of the State.
Lillie B.
September 16th, 2010
11:05 am
Hey Jimbo: Enjoy it now but you have a mess on your hands. You have your own “Seth” on your blog. We tried to warn Maureen but she apparently did not want to heed the warning.
Andy
September 16th, 2010
11:07 am
Regardless of one’s politics, there is substantial evidence that Deal is crooked as a snake. While I personally don’t like any of our gubernatorial choices, a vote for Deal would be akin to casting a vote for Bernie Madoff after he lost all your hard earned savings.
Randolph Phillips
September 16th, 2010
11:07 am
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is in part a George Soros and SIEU liberal outfit. They initiated the complaint to the Democratic Congress , against conservative Nathan Deal, around the time he decided to run for Governor against Roy Barnes, it appears.
However, I wonder who owns Penn Multimedia? I ask because I have read perhaps the most frightening book of 2010, “The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado” which is about how a bunch of superrich tech kids got together and used their money, computer knowledge and connections, front groups (websites), and kindred Organizers, to kick the Republicans out of Colorado, turn it red, and offered “the Blueprint” for a nationwide takeover to important people at the 2008 Democratic convention in Denver. Jared Polis, then billionaire, now Democratic Congressman was the central figure.
Matt D.
September 16th, 2010
11:20 am
Andy, . . . and casting a vote for Barnes is affirming the dems in D.C. If I could have anyone I wanted for governor, the choice would be so easy. I’d take N.J. Governor Christie. That’s not a choice so I’ll vote Deal. My first choice was Handel but she committed the crime of not having a college degree. Now the state will have Governor Deal who does have a college degree.
sean
September 16th, 2010
11:59 am
Poor Nathan Deal… undone by the google.
In 25 years, one of the dictionary definitions of “googled” will reference a state of being, where one’s career is ambushed by one’s own foot-in-mouth stupidity, arrogance, racism, bigotry… what have you.
Marginalizing homophobes is a worthwhile endeavor; a noble cause; a valuable service; poetic justice.
Steve R
September 16th, 2010
12:01 pm
Seth a Democratic hack? Hardly. He’s just someone who decided that he is tired of being thrown under the bus by the GOP pandering to their lowest-common-denominator. Maybe if some of the social conservatives looked around they would see that between younger voters and the Tea Party movement, they are losing ground everywhere other than in their little religious circles.
Jake
September 16th, 2010
12:05 pm
Nathan Deal has no business dolling out commericals in regards to social ethics. He should be spending his time now applying for section-8 housing.
Jeremy B
September 16th, 2010
12:06 pm
Seth Persily is exercising his right to call attention to a political candidate’s record. Nathan Deal attacked the GLBT community in his primary contest with Karen Handel in which they fought to prove which one hated gay Georgians more. Deal severely misconstrued what YouthPride does and attacked his opponent’s prior (but long since forgotten) commitment to equality. Now, he wants Georgians to elect him governor. Mr. Persily is merely helping to educate folks about what kind of person they would be electing if they vote for Deal, and I am thankful.