The Group Behind The Group Behind That Sketchy Wisconsin Poll

[meegbear]

Yesterday we told you about the Franklin Center For Government and Public Integrity, the group behind the website behind that sketchy poll of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposals (BREAKING: Poll Shows 71% of Wisconsinites Think Walker's Budget Changes are 'Fair' -- meegbear). But the trail doesn't end there. Turns out, there is another group that's behind the Franklin Center: the conservative, Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance.

The groups share a conservative philosophy and opaque financing, and it turns out that the Alliance is behind another conservative group making its presence felt in Wisconsin these days: American Majority, the organization behind last Saturday's pro-Walker counter-rallies in Madison.

The Franklin Center, which received 501 (c)(3) charitable tax exemption status from the IRS in June 2009, says on its website that it "operates independently from any organization." But the center's president, Jason Stverak, told the Springfield State Journal-Register in 2009 that his group had received a "sponsorship grant" from the Alliance. And the Franklin Center has close personal ties to its parent group. Stverak, who bills himself as an "expert in non-profit journalism," previously worked as Regional Field Director for the Alliance. Another Franklin staffer, Elizabeth Hillgrove, once spent her Koch Summer Fellowship at the Alliance.

While the Franklin center says it aims to train journalists to become "thorough, unbiased and accurate" reporters, the Alliance is an organization that helps "individuals and organizations working to promote free-market principles and policies," according to its website. Its Chairman and CEO is Eric O'Keefe, a private investor from Wisconsin who has previously served on the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Club for Growth. According to his bio on the Alliance's website:

Under his leadership, the Sam Adams Alliance (SAM) has established some of the most active and respected organizations in the freedom movement. Most recently, SAM set up American Majority to train potential candidates and campaign organizers and the Franklin Center, which helps train and place investigative journalists in non-profit organizations.

While he appears to no longer work for the Alliance, IRS documents reviewed by TPM show that the group's president in 2008 was John Tsarpalas, a former Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.

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http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/the_group_behind_the_group_behind_that_sketchy_wis.php?ref=fpa

[HereSince1628]

1. One wonders just how many people it takes to run a puppet show

Britain got by for years with just one guy doing Punch and Judy.

Pulling strings and changing sets for the marionettes in Wisconsin seems to be a damned demanding task.

[Historic NY]

2. Hey IRS are you reading this....