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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFunders Behind New Anti-Obama Ad Blitz Stay Hidden
The ads in question have a distinctly oily aura, which is unsurprising, perhaps since the group sponsoring them has been funded in the past by major fossil-fuel companies. The group defines itself as a non-partisan nonprofit, but exemplifies the growing role that secret money is playing in the 2012 Presidential campaign. Technically, the ads have been produced and aired by the Washington-based American Energy Alliance, a 501c-4 social-welfare organization under the Internal Revenue Services tax code, whose activities, under the law, have to be largely non-political. This group shares office space and personnel with a sister organization, the Institute for Energy Research, a 501c-3, whose tax status is typically reserved for charities. Its activities have to be strictly non-partisan and non-political. Both groups hide the identities of their funders. All that Benjamin Cole, director of communications for both groups would say is that the ads are funded by individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Cole claims these ads aren't election related at all. Yeah, right.
So who is behind the advertising campaign to push the line that Obama is to blame? Bill Burton, senior strategist at the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA believes that it comes from a familiar source. The Koch brothers and other oil barons are using profits from high gas prices to fund false political attacks benefitting Governor Romney, he says.
Read the rest of Jane Mayer's post at The New Yorker blog.
All courtesy the ReTHUGlican SCOTUS/Citizens United and the Koch brothers, et al.
tpsbmam
(3,927 posts)No interest in more Koch brothers funding? No more interest in more Citizens United fallout? No interest in these swing state ads against our candidate? Boy, gonna have to find places to post this stuff other than DU. Or maybe change my name to kpete2 to get some notice.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Very important topic. I don't have time to read and comment right now, but will later.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)I don't know what else to say. This is the fight of our lives, and we're surrounded by malevolent forces who have - literally - almost all the money in the world to do whatever the hell they want.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)They have, in a sense, legalized a political Mafia. And to think that Congress just passed a bill to allow the Oil Criminals to continue to receive Corporate Welfare even though no one in the world needs it less. So we get to pay for these disgusting ads. There MUST be something that can be done about this. Either that or we simply formally hand the country over to the Oil Cartels and the Koch Brothers and stop pretending they are not runniing it anyhow.