National Right-Wing Spin Machine Gears Up In Wisconsin

Submitted by Mary Bottari on

National Republican donors, apparatchiks and strategists are coming to the defense of embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

Shadowy "issue ad" groups that do not disclose their funders as well as heavy hitter political action committees are rushing to the aid of embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, whose poll number are dropping like a rock. The list of outside big money attacking Wisconsin state workers and teachers read like a "who's who" of the Republican donor and special interest group apparatus.

The Koch-Funded Group Americans for Prosperity: "Who Decides Wisconsin's Future?"

Americans for Prosperity is chaired by oil billionaire David Koch. It has two arms, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that received over $10 million in financial contributions in 2009 (a nearly 50% increase over the preceding year), and Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a 501(c)(4), that received over $16 million in financial contributions that year (a more than 100% increase over the year before). The tax forms for AFPF and AFP for their funding and expenses during last year, a mid-term election year, are not yet available. The groups do not disclose their donors. AFP opposes labor unions, health care reform, stimulus spending, and climate (cap-and-trade) legislation. The group launched a major ad campaign in Wisconsin shortly after news of the prank phone call between Governor Scott Walker and a fake David Koch made national news.

From the Americans for Prosperity website:

The $342,200 ad buy will run on network and cable channels across the state starting tomorrow and continuing through March 1st. It is part of Americans for Prosperity's Stand With Walker initiative, urging citizens to support the Governor's commonsense plan for budget reform."

Read the entire blog here.

The Republican Governors Association: "Stand with Scott Walker"

The Republican Governors Association (RGA), which "invested" $5 million in ads last year to help Walker win election, has launched ads urging people to "Stand with Scott Walker." It is funded by billionaires like David Koch, who wrote the RGA a $1 million check last summer, and other wealthy CEOs like Rupert Murdoch and numerous big corporations. It spent tens of millions of dollars on ads and other expenditures in the 2010 election year. The RGA's ad airing in Wisconsin now focuses on Walker's budget message and on attacking the Democratic Senators who broke the quorum on his bill.

Club for Growth and Club for Growth Wisconsin

Founded in 1999, the Club for Growth (CFG) is a 501(c)(4) "civic league" that seeks to promote public policies it describes as "fiscally conservative." It does not reveal its donors. In its 2009 tax filing, the group reported income of $3.9 million and expenses of $4.1 million. It reported that it was preparing to spend at least one million dollars on a TV ad campaign against the health care bill and that it gave almost a half million dollars to state and local groups fighting for its agenda. CFG Wisconsin (CFGW) was formed in 2004, and reported that in 2009 in received about a half million in funding (down from nearly 3.5 million during the presidential election year). Notably, one of Walker's main consultants in his race for governor, R.J. Johnson, also previously served as a paid consultant to CFG Wisconsin.

From website:

Club for Growth Wisconsin is leading the paid media and grassroots effort to support Governor Scott Walker's budget repair and biennial budget bills. The Obama administration and national unions are running television and radio ads attacking the Governor and conservative legislators. Club for Growth needs your help countering the millions they have promised to spend.

The Karl Rove-advised Economic Freedom Alliance: "We Have the Power"

A group calling itself the "Economic Freedom Alliance" (EFA) is also weighing in. EFA is based in Chicago. It is a 527 organization with an anti-labor focus that has paid Karl Rove as a consultant. From Open Secrets, EFA's top funder is the Illinois and Indiana Manufacturers Association.

The ad takes clips from a speech a lawyer for the National Education Association gave some years ago and attempts to smear all unions and undermine worker rights. CMD will post the actual video when it is available.

From the EFA website: "The Economic Freedom Alliance will not make contributions (directly or indirectly) to candidates for Federal office or make expenditures (directly or indirectly) in support of candidates for federal office."

The Republican National Committee: Stop Obama and His "Union Bosses" Today

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the main fundraising arm of the national Republican party. As a political party, it discloses major contributors which have included Koch Industries and a long list of big businesses.

RNC spokespeople announced Wednesday that it would begin airing an ad in Wisconsin that it says "showcases the efforts by Democrats and government unions to obstruct Republican reforms to tackle the debt at all levels of government and move the country forward."

"Families are struggling. State budgets have run dry. And the federal debt is skyrocketing," a narrator in the ad says. "But Obama and the union bosses are standing in the way of economic reform."

Dick Armey's FreedomWorks: "Some of the Most Protected Coddled Employees in the Country"

A similar message is being promoted by Dick Armey's FreedomWorks. The "FreedomWorks Foundation" is a 501(c)(3) that received funding totaling over $4 million in 2009 and spent almost $1.5 on "federal and state campaigns" as well as almost a half million on grassroots mobilization (executing large and media scale rallies and other events) as part of its Tea Party-related efforts. "FreedomWorks, Inc." is its 501(c)(4) arm and it received about $3.6 million in funds and spent almost a million on "grassroots mobilization," about a half million on "federal and state campaigns" and about a quarter of a million dollars on media outreach (television, radio, editorials, blogging, and social media efforts).

FreedomWorks has produced an Internet video and is making phone calls into the state. FreedomWorks' video focuses on the Democratic senators who left the state to block Walker's controversial bill. The video urges people to "Join The Fight."

The Dick Morris-affiliated League of American Voters: "Angry rhetoric, ugly threats, intimidation, even violence. That's not the Wisconsin way."

The "League of American Voters" (LAV) has radio ads up. Click here to listen to their radio ad. LAV is also funding robo-calls in the state. (LAV's 2009 tax filings are not on Guidestar; and financial contributions to LAV are not tax-deductible.)

From LAV's website:

Here's what the New York Times reported Saturday: "Some Republican leaders in other states have moderated their talk against state employee unions in recent days."

This is why the League of American Voters efforts are so critical.

...the League is making a telephone call to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens revealing that Gov. Walker's plan will dramatically improve education standards, by allowing incompetent teachers to be fired, giving good teachers merit pay and allowing parents the right to school choice.

Democracy
Politics
Wisconsin
News
Mary Bottari
Mary Bottari

Mary Bottari is a reporter for the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). She helped launch CMD's award-winning ALEC Exposed investigation and is a two-time recipient of the Sidney Prize for public interest journalism from the Sidney Hillman Foundation.

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Comments

PAW63 replied on

The Tea and Republican parties think that just because that won some seats in congress in November, they can get RE-elected with their arrogant, pompouse, bullying and non-compromising efforts to squash the middle class? Money can't buy you love.

freefall replied on

Isn't it funny that the highest court in the land has opened the door for the most disgusting reprehensible humans ever to inhabit this planet! Just look at it from their perspective, if your daddy left you the millions he managed to hoard by taking advantage of other members of his race who were uninfected with greed, wouldn't you want to conserve what you've got and make sure the gravy train keeps rolling? These people with their liars clubs are taking the lessons learned from the fascists who destroyed Germany in the last century, and with the help of technology and advanced propaganda techniques, applying them to the American public as part of the new world order campaign meant to move the working class back to the 19th century. These people are so incredibly greedy and short-sighted they don't even realize they are cutting their own throats. One thing for sure is there is no hope of salvation for their ilk. We must,as a society, rid ourselves of those among us whose greed is so enormous, whose self aggrandizement so insatiable, whose lack of compassion for their fellow man so non-existent, that they are convinced of their superiority and their God given right to dictate how others will live. You can't believe anything a republican says, period. But you better believe a conservative is looking to conserve what he's got and working hard to keep you from getting any. And chances are he is trying to take you for all you are worth! Only a fool would vote republican since they caused the financial disaster we are mired in! Only a fool would vote republican since they are the party who created the outrageous debt they claim to have solutions for. Only a fool would vote republican since their spin about government being the problem only applies if they are running it! They want to shrink government, but wait, in a democracy government is we the people so how do you shrink that? No they want to be the all powerful government that takes from the many and gives to the few. Upside down communism is what they have to offer and what fool would vote for that? First they sold us out to China, now they want us to be China, where people are forced to work for little or nothing, have no bargaining rights, no elections, and nothing but propaganda on T.V.. In China the government owns the media, just like here in the U.S.A. Thanks to the republicans and their God fearing victims who so foolishly support them. I guess it won't be long 'til armageddeon thanks to christians who refuse to see the real God. Republicans are the party of the devil, you better wake up!

Zinfilspec replied on

Both parties' politicians are the same, pandering to those whose money they rode in on! Both are moving us closer to that day when our Zionist masters take off their masks and tell us to line up so they can choose which of us will be slaves and which of us are useless eaters to be eliminated.

Anonymous replied on

Of course, you're not spewing any right wing spin? Why don't you deal rationally with the arguments being made here instead of spewing yourself? Go away, unless you have some actual good ideas to bring to the table.

LAPackerFan replied on

2 big lies right at the start. club for growth is telling people that the Obama Admnistration is running pro union ads, and league of american voters is telling people that Walker's proposal includes merit pay for teachers. Niether of these claims is true.

Anonymous replied on

Only 3 unions supported Obama, as compared to SEVEN corporate contributors who supported the GOP in HUGE amounts. Thank you, LAPackerFAn from a WIPackerFan, for helping to clear this up. The truth will prevail, and an ethical Madison Judge has started the ball rolling. Thank you Judge Sumi for being true to your office and not a party.