Rachel Maddow exposes "The Parasite" FreedomWorks. FreedomWorks is a conservative and libertarian non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States.
FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives. History[edit] FreedomWorks originated from a conservative political group funded by David H. The NRA Board of Directors: time for a little sunlight. Red money, blue money: The making of the 2012 campaign - War Room. The hidden infrastructure of the 2012 campaign has already been built.
A handful of so-called Super PACs, enabled to collect unlimited donations by the continued erosion of campaign finance regulations, are expected to rival the official campaign organizations in importance this election. In many cases, these groups are acting essentially as outside arms of the campaigns. These are America’s best-funded political factions, their war chests filled by some of the richest men (and almost all are men) in the country. More than 80 percent of giving to Super PACs so far has come from just 58 donors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics analysis of the latest data, which covers the first half of 2011.
The Republican groups have raised $17.6 million and the Democratic groups $7.6 million. Courthouse News Service. Tax-exempt status of Karl Rove's Crossroads challenged. California Health Insurers Hire Tobacco Lobbyists, Pay Top Lawmaker Tens Of Thousands In Direct Payments. By Lee Fang on September 8, 2011 at 12:42 pm "California Health Insurers Hire Tobacco Lobbyists, Pay Top Lawmaker Tens Of Thousands In Direct Payments" The California Health Plans coalition, representing the health insurance industry, led over 100 opponents of the rate review bill Last month, a popular reform to grant the California Insurance Commission the power to review and regulate proposed insurance rate hikes died a quick death in the state Senate.
Although the bill, Assemblyman Mike Feuer’s (D) AB 52, passed the Assembly and the Senate Health Committee, the legislation was pulled after intense pressure from lobbyists. The California health insurance companies, as well as other health care industries, made AB 52 a top priority for defeat. Eric Cantor Staffer Creating Leadership Super PAC. WASHINGTON -- The deputy chief of staff to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is leaving the congressman's office to start a leadership super PAC designed to help retain and expand the Republican majority in the House and enhance Cantor's standing within his caucus.
According to reports from Politico and National Journal, John Murray, Cantor's deputy chief of staff, is set to head a new super PAC that will focus on supporting candidates who fit within the “Young Guns” program run by Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and espoused in their 2010 book titled "Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders. " Cantor, McCarthy and Ryan started the “Young Guns” program before the 2008 elections in attempt to play offense and flip Democratic seats into the Republican column.
Karl Rove SuperPAC Video. With the 2012 elections looming, the media has dedicated much of its time these past few weeks to figuring out the ultimate Republican field to challenge President Obama.
Coming Soon: An Orrin Hatch Super PAC? Israel, Palestine spend millions on lobbying, PR campaigns. As the United Nations considers the Palestinian referendum for statehood, possibly as early as Friday, both parties are vying for an approval from the UN Security Council and for a U.S. vote.
Both Israel and Palestine have a long history of lobbying the U.S. and in the past year alone, the Palestinian Liberation Organization spent over one million on public relations. During the same time, Israel spent over $13 million on lobbying, public relations and related costs. Calif. Embezzlement Case Might Touch Many Campaigns. By Amanda Becker and Alex Knott Roll Call Staff Sept. 6, 2011, 4:55 p.m.
Updated: 10:31 p.m. A campaign treasurer who has handled the finances of top California Democrats will remain in custody until she next appears in a federal courtroom on Friday, following an initial brief appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jay C. Gandhi late Tuesday. BP back from political exile, giving big in 2012 - Dave Levinthal. BP has clawed its way back from political purgatory, finding itself right where it was before the Deepwater Horizon disaster: contributing significant cash to candidates happy to take it.
The embattled company’s political action committee is almost on pace to match what it donated at the federal level during the 2008 presidential election cycle, federal records show. Between March and August, BP’s PAC made more than $50,000 in federal-level campaign contributions, ranking it among the cycle’s more generous donors. Continue Reading. Would a PAC By Any Other Name Sound As Sweet? Thousands of political action committee committees thrive in the federal political landscape, and new ones are popping up every week.
Many corporations have political action committees, as do many labor unions and ideological groups. Not to be left out of the fun, politicians often operate their own PACs -- which are known as leadership PACs. And groups known as super PACs have materialized in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling last year. Yet based on the names of these groups alone, the average voter rarely has enough information to determine the agenda of a particular PAC -- especially leadership PACs and super PACS. For instance, last year, conservative political operatives created a super PAC known simply as American Crossroads -- a group that raised $28 million thanks, in part, to backing from Karl Rove, the former strategist for President George W. Citizens United affiliate opens checkbook, again, for GOP candidates in Virginia - Virginia Politics. Posted at 03:01 PM ET, 09/29/2011 Sep 29, 2011 07:01 PM EDT TheWashingtonPost A political organization affiliated with the conservative advocacy group Citizens United has poured another $18,000 into state House and Senate races in Virginia , hoping Republican wins will send a message to President Obama that Virginia won’t go his way in 2012.
The contributions by The Presidential Coalition, Citizens United’s tax-exempt, political fund-raising affiliate, bring its totals to $96,250 in Virginia during the 2011 election cycle — “with more to come,” according to a news release announcing the donations Thursday. Eric Cantor Super PACs Up, Sarah Palin Drops Out and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 7. Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics: CANTOR SUPER PAC: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will join the super PAC frenzy.
The new group will aim to increase Cantor's national profile and name recognition -- a possible move to position him as the slot of vice president for one of the Republican presidential hopefuls, the National Journal reported. The PAC will be run by Cantor's out-going chief of staff, John Murray, who will be leaving the staff imminently to start the group. Cantor has proven to be a very effective fund-raiser, both for his own campaign committee and his leadership PAC, which is called Every Republican is Crucial PAC. ERIC PAC was one of the biggest such PACs in terms of money raised. Donor to Lindsey Graham Indicted for Illegal Campaign Contributions, Fraud. A South Carolina pharmaceutical executive and major contributor to Sen.
Americans for Prosperity. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a group fronting special interests founded in 2004 by oil billionaire David Koch and Richard Fink (a member of the board of directors of Koch Industries). AFP has been accused of funding astroturf operations but also has been fueling the "Tea Party" efforts. [1] AFP's messages are in sync with those of other groups funded by the Koch Family Foundations and the Kochs' other special interest groups that work against progressive or Democratic initiatives and protections for workers and the environment.
Accordingly, AFP opposes labor unions, health care reform, stimulus spending, and cap-and-trade legislation, which is aimed at making industries pay for the air pollution that they create. AFP was also involved in the attacks on Obama’s "green jobs" czar, Van Jones, and has crusaded against international climate talks. Super Committee: Under the (Foreign) Influence?
By BEN FREEMAN, LYDIA DENNETT, and DAHNA BLACK Every year foreign governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars hiring lobbying and public relations firms to increase their influence in the United States. Lobbyists working on behalf of these foreign governments (foreign lobbyists) contact policymakers thousands of times annually, and the members of the “Super Committee” are no exception. Through lobbyists, foreign governments safeguard their interests in Washington. Trade deals were cash cow for K Street. A multimillion-dollar stimulus package for K Street is coming to a close. The expected passage of the trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea marks the end point of a long campaign that saw the respective governments spend freely on lobbyists, lawyers and public relations to help push the deals to the finish line. A review by The Hill of Justice Department records shows that the three countries’ Washington embassies, foreign ministries and trade agencies spent at least $15 million on lobbying, legal and PR work since the beginning of 2006 to press for passage of the free-trade agreements (FTA).
The sum includes at least $2.3 million spent by the countries so far in 2011. Lobbying Spending Database - NASCAR, 2011. Client Profile: Summary, 2011 A special interest's lobbying activity may go up or down over time, depending on how much attention the federal government is giving their issues. Elite Donors Do Double Duty: Presidential Super PACs Attract Wealthy Donors Who Have Maxed Out to Candidates. Outside groups spend $1.65 million on House races in Nevada, New York. Outside groups and national party committees spent $1.65 million on the special congressional elections in New York and Nevada, according to an analysis by iWatch News.
Moral Majority. The GOP's Genius Plan to Beat Obama in 2012. Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania are pushing a scheme that, if GOPers in other states follow their lead, could cause President Barack Obama to lose the 2012 election—not because of the vote count, but because of new rules. FreedomWorks. FreedomWorks was formed with the 2004 merger of Citizens for a Sound Economy, headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and Empower America, co-founded by supply-side pioneer Jack Kemp, to push for lower taxes— especially on investment and inheritance— smaller safety-net programs, and fewer regulations on business and industry. Profiles of Right Wing Organizations. Right Wing organizations come in all shapes and sizes, from think tanks to legal groups, local and national lobbying organizations, foundations and media forums.