In the News

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with John Hlinko for a media or book interview, please contact john.hlinko@grassroots.com or call 202-744-6525.

Selected Media Coverage

"If the Internet is the darling narrative of the 2004 campaign, Hlinko and Margulies may turn out to be this year’s darlings of the Net." -- The Power of Two, Newsweek.

"John Hlinko, a Democratic organizer, has a slightly different goal for the dating site he helps operate, www.actforlove.org. Mr. Hlinko wants to use romance to enlist foot soldiers for progressive causes." Online Matchmakers Give Dating a Partisan Tilt, NY Times

"The website, actforlove.org, is the latest master stroke by political animal/Internet buzzmeister John Hlinko. That name may not be familiar to you, but Hlinko is one of those guys who have figured out how to actually get some use out of the Internet, whether by tapping into heretofore unidentified fundraising pools, getting a political message out to people who typically ignore political messages, or poking a pointed stick in the Establishment's eye, as he did with his anti-drug war effort, justsayblow.com." Sexual Politics, Newsweek

"Hlinko climbs up on a chair, clinks a pen against his Corona bottle and promises that the evening will be 'an extravaganza felt by all. It will be fun, wacky, wild and exciting.' He promises a toast to Wesley at 8:04 p.m. -- 'that's 20:04 in military time, 2004, get it?' -- and an auction of dinner for two, which consists of MREs, a Draft Wesley mug and a dessert of Clark bars." -- Gen. Clark's Backers, Brewing up a Draft, Washington Post

"Brothers-in-law John Hlinko and Josh Margulies have a veritable comedy routine worked out. On stage Monday night at Stetson's, a longtime Democratic hangout in Washington's gritty U Street neighborhood, the two pass the spotlight back and forth, exhorting the crowd to cheers and -- alternately -- groans." -- Analysis: Is Enthusiasm Enough for Clark?, UPI

"And at this computer-organized meet-up, one of 36 across the country the same night, Internet-savvy attendees came to try to rally behind a candidate who is not even in the race, General Wesley Clark... John Hlinko, DraftWesleyClark.com co-founder, says that kind of story is duplicated over and over." Plugged in Politics, The NewsHour (PBS)

"A new course was charted through the never-never land of San Francisco politics yesterday when a lawyer who once got 0.3 percent of the mayoral vote and a friend whose business card describes him as a ``comedy writer/model American'' were hauled into court over a ballot argument satirizing the 49ers' stadium-mall plan." Ballot Satirists Hauled Into Court, San Francisco Chronicle

"'Just Say Blow' is only the latest in a history of activist hijinks for John Hlinko...Since Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had once said that Americans care as much about campaign finance reform as they do about static cling, Hlinko showed up in the Senator's office with 30,000 petitions calling for campaign finance reform and 100 sheets of Bounce, and wearing a static cling suit -- that's a suit with socks, underwear and bras taped all over it." Students for a Drug-Free White House to Bush: Fess up!, Salon

Selected Coverage in Books

"[Wesley Clark's] potential candidacy took on a life of its own with with the launch of a grassroots movement called DraftWesleyClark.com. The organization was founded by John Hlinko, a thirty-six year old dotcom marketing director and political consultant... This group represented a new segment of society that new the power of the Internet and had the time and the money to put it to work for them. Their pioneering work during the 2004 campaign was nothing less than revolutionary, and changed the way Americans participate in politics." Wesley K. Clark, A Biography, by Antonia Felix

"Hlinko helped wage a well-publicized satirical campaign against a multi-million dollar bond proposal to finance construction of a new [footbal] stadium in downtown stadium in downtown San Francisco."  Getting Your 15 Minutes of Fame and More, by Edward Segal

"...Clark enlisted John Hlinko, of DraftWesleyClark.com, to continue the online campaign as the new director of Internet Strategy, and the campaign took off with great fanfare by raising $3.5 million, or about $250,000 per day, in the first two weeks."  Wesley K. Clark, A Biography, by Antonia Felix

"Jon Zilber and John Hlinko, of Alexander Ogilvy... are experts in the electronic distribution of PR-developed news. They say warnings about viruses seem to spread much faster than the viruses themselves."  Power Public Relations, by Leonard Saffir

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with John Hlinko for a media or book interview, please contact john.hlinko@grassroots.com or call 202-744-6525.