G
Gandalf Grey
Guest
Watching Freedom's Watch: The Donors
By Dave Johnson
Created Feb 12 2008 - 6:44pm
By Dave Johnson and James Boyce
Since 2004, we have [1] been very involved in investigating, exposing, and
uncovering the roots and exposing the tactics and lies of the right-wing
smear machine. James was involved not only in John Kerry's campaign, but
also in the Truth and Trust Team, a group of Kerry friends and family who
attempted to fight back against the Swift Boat Veterans [2].
Dave, of course, followed [3] the campaign and those attacks closely, and
then worked with James and others, including our friend, Taylor Marsh [4],
on The Patriot Project in 2006. Created by John Kerry, David Thorne and
others, The Patriot Project helped veterans such as Joe Sestak, Patrick
Murphy and John Murtha defend themselves -- even looking into previous
attacks on John McCain [5]. We also were part of the team that exposed [6]
the Economic Freedom Fund, a group created with a $5,000,000 donation from
Bob Perry [7] that attacked moderate Democrats, primarily in red states.
Why do folks like Bob Perry give money like that? It's strictly business.
Take, for example, the global warming arena where we have shown folks how
the same tactics, the same strategies, the same people sometimes who created
this whole smear empire with the tobacco companies, are now doing the same
[8] with global warming.
ExxonMobil has given these groups $25 million over the years - often,
incredibly, as charitable donations. This past quarter, they had $11.7
billion in record [9] profits. That's a return on investment we all would
envy.
Now, we are looking forward not back.
And what we see is a front group on steroids, a massive death star of right
wing machinery, floating, ready and waiting.
Freedom's Watch, operating like the opposite of a grassroots-funded
progressive group like MoveOn.org, was founded by major donors like [10]
... Sheldon G. Adelson, the chairman and chief executive of the Las Vegas
Sands Corporation, who ranks sixth on the Forbes Magazine list of the
world's billionaires; Mel Sembler, a shopping center magnate based in St.
Petersburg, Fla., who served as the ambassador to Italy and Australia; John
M. Templeton Jr., the conservative philanthropist from Bryn Mawr, Pa.; and
Anthony H. Gioia, a former ambassador to Malta who heads an investment group
based in Buffalo, N.Y. All four men are long-time prolific donors who have
raised money on behalf of Republican and conservative causes.
as well as [11]
Richard Fox, one of the major building, development and real estate
management companies in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey and a
longtime GOP activist. He co-founded the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Gary Erlbaum, owner of Greentree Properties in Ardmore, Pa., who tried to
rally Orthodox Jewish support for last year's failed reelection bid of
conservative Christian Sen. Rick Santorum.
Freedom's Watch has direct connections with the Republican Party and is
staffed by Republican Party operatives like Ari Fleischer, former White
House Spokesperson; Bradley A. Blakeman, a former deputy assistant to George
W. Bush; Kevin E. Moley, a senior adviser to Dick Cheney during the 2000
campaign.
Check out their site [12] and their rhetoric. It is a major right wing group
and here's the scary part:
Freedom's Watch says it plans to raise over $250,000,000 to play in this
election [13]. But Freedom's Watch is a 501(c)(4) organization, which means
they can engage in political activity but not as their primary mission. They
are allowed to lobby on issues but not support candidates. Yet the group
appears to be primarily designed to influence elections in favor of
Republican candidates
But who is going enforce the laws? The FEC? The Justice Department? Perhaps
Senate Democrats can issue one of their strongly-worded statements of
disapproval.
So what do we do?
We watch them -- and we start exposing them now, every day, all day.
We are going to post these articles frequently and often.
We are going to launch a Newsladder where we would appreciate everyone
joining and linking up anything they see about this group.
We are going to launch in the coming days a new site,
www.watchingfreedomswatch.com [14] where, again, will write and expose this
group.
The issue isn't you - and what you know. If you are reading this you are a
blog-reader and already know more than most people about how these things
work. The issue is whether we can drive narratives and how much knowledge we
can give the average American about who these folks really are and what they
are up to.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Dave Johnson
Created Feb 12 2008 - 6:44pm
By Dave Johnson and James Boyce
Since 2004, we have [1] been very involved in investigating, exposing, and
uncovering the roots and exposing the tactics and lies of the right-wing
smear machine. James was involved not only in John Kerry's campaign, but
also in the Truth and Trust Team, a group of Kerry friends and family who
attempted to fight back against the Swift Boat Veterans [2].
Dave, of course, followed [3] the campaign and those attacks closely, and
then worked with James and others, including our friend, Taylor Marsh [4],
on The Patriot Project in 2006. Created by John Kerry, David Thorne and
others, The Patriot Project helped veterans such as Joe Sestak, Patrick
Murphy and John Murtha defend themselves -- even looking into previous
attacks on John McCain [5]. We also were part of the team that exposed [6]
the Economic Freedom Fund, a group created with a $5,000,000 donation from
Bob Perry [7] that attacked moderate Democrats, primarily in red states.
Why do folks like Bob Perry give money like that? It's strictly business.
Take, for example, the global warming arena where we have shown folks how
the same tactics, the same strategies, the same people sometimes who created
this whole smear empire with the tobacco companies, are now doing the same
[8] with global warming.
ExxonMobil has given these groups $25 million over the years - often,
incredibly, as charitable donations. This past quarter, they had $11.7
billion in record [9] profits. That's a return on investment we all would
envy.
Now, we are looking forward not back.
And what we see is a front group on steroids, a massive death star of right
wing machinery, floating, ready and waiting.
Freedom's Watch, operating like the opposite of a grassroots-funded
progressive group like MoveOn.org, was founded by major donors like [10]
... Sheldon G. Adelson, the chairman and chief executive of the Las Vegas
Sands Corporation, who ranks sixth on the Forbes Magazine list of the
world's billionaires; Mel Sembler, a shopping center magnate based in St.
Petersburg, Fla., who served as the ambassador to Italy and Australia; John
M. Templeton Jr., the conservative philanthropist from Bryn Mawr, Pa.; and
Anthony H. Gioia, a former ambassador to Malta who heads an investment group
based in Buffalo, N.Y. All four men are long-time prolific donors who have
raised money on behalf of Republican and conservative causes.
as well as [11]
Richard Fox, one of the major building, development and real estate
management companies in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey and a
longtime GOP activist. He co-founded the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Gary Erlbaum, owner of Greentree Properties in Ardmore, Pa., who tried to
rally Orthodox Jewish support for last year's failed reelection bid of
conservative Christian Sen. Rick Santorum.
Freedom's Watch has direct connections with the Republican Party and is
staffed by Republican Party operatives like Ari Fleischer, former White
House Spokesperson; Bradley A. Blakeman, a former deputy assistant to George
W. Bush; Kevin E. Moley, a senior adviser to Dick Cheney during the 2000
campaign.
Check out their site [12] and their rhetoric. It is a major right wing group
and here's the scary part:
Freedom's Watch says it plans to raise over $250,000,000 to play in this
election [13]. But Freedom's Watch is a 501(c)(4) organization, which means
they can engage in political activity but not as their primary mission. They
are allowed to lobby on issues but not support candidates. Yet the group
appears to be primarily designed to influence elections in favor of
Republican candidates
But who is going enforce the laws? The FEC? The Justice Department? Perhaps
Senate Democrats can issue one of their strongly-worded statements of
disapproval.
So what do we do?
We watch them -- and we start exposing them now, every day, all day.
We are going to post these articles frequently and often.
We are going to launch a Newsladder where we would appreciate everyone
joining and linking up anything they see about this group.
We are going to launch in the coming days a new site,
www.watchingfreedomswatch.com [14] where, again, will write and expose this
group.
The issue isn't you - and what you know. If you are reading this you are a
blog-reader and already know more than most people about how these things
work. The issue is whether we can drive narratives and how much knowledge we
can give the average American about who these folks really are and what they
are up to.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson