New From The Koch Brothers

Koch Brothers Vs Sen. Kay Hagan

From the Koch Brothers astroturf group Americans For Prosperity: "Best friends Barack Obama and Kay Hagan support the same things, and often say the same things. So you'd think Senator Hagan would be here to greet the President when he arrives in her state. Instead? She's hiding out in DC."

Koch Brothers Vs Obamacare

"Americans For Prosperity" is an astroturf group invented by the multi-billionaire Koch Brothers.

"WTF, Koch Brothers?"

(Tipped by JMG reader Elroy)

MICHIGAN: Union Supporters Tear Down Koch Brothers Tent At Capitol Building

Via Breitbart:

A group of pro-union, progressive protesters leveled a large tent with people inside during Tuesday's demonstrations outside the Michigan Capitol building in Lansing against right to work legislation. The protesters shouted "scab" and "Walmart tent" as they advanced. The tent, one of many at the demonstration, had been put up by the pro-right to work group Americans For Prosperity. Breitbart News' footage shows the mob demolishes the tent in less than two minutes. The large structure appeared to be approximately 40’ x 40’ in size and was put up on the front lawn of the Michigan capital. The tent had been used by AFP to house members who were reportedly threatened at last week’s demonstration.

AFP stands for Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers' astroturf anti-labor group that masquerades as a "grassroots" organization.

RELATED: This afternoon Michigan's GOP-dominated House approved its "right to work" bill which outlaws requiring union membership for employment. The bill is expected to displace thousands of automotive workers who will be replaced by lower-paid employees.

Koch Brothers Group Slams "Naughty" Republicans For "Treason" On Tax Reform

The wingnut Koch Brothers astroturf group Americans For Prosperity today launched a new "Merry Taxmas" website which slams top Republicans for "treason" over their dealings with the Obama administration regarding the fiscal cliff.  Soon to be former Sen. Jim DeMint tops the "nice" side of the site, which includes disparaging e-cards for followers to send to their traitorous reps. Infighting is hilarious, y'all.

UPDATE: Obviously, the naughty list includes some Dems.

Dick Armey Gets $8M Golden Parachute To Leave Astroturfers FreedomWorks

As the right wing continues to eat each other alive over the 2012 elections, Dick Armey has bailed out on FreedomWorks, the Koch Brothers' astroturfing outfit that booted the Tea Party into national prominence three years ago. And what a payout he's getting to go away.

A confidential contract obtained by The Associated Press shows that Armey agreed in September to resign from his role as chairman of Washington-based FreedomWorks in exchange for $8 million in consulting fees paid in annual $400,000 installments. Dated Sept. 24, the contract specifies that Armey would resign his position at both FreedomWorks and its sister organization, the FreedomWorks Foundation, by the end of November.  According to the contract, Armey's consulting fees will be paid by Richard J. Stephenson, a prominent fundraiser and founder and chairman of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a national cancer treatment network. Stephenson is on the board of directors of FreedomWorks. Armey's departure comes as a new sign of acrimony in conservative and Republican ranks as the party's bruised leadership struggles with its November electoral losses and uncertainty over how to recast its principles and issues to compete with an ascendant Democratic party.

Armey helped found FreedomWorks in 2004. 

GOProud's Matt "I Don't Like Gay People" Hissey Joins Koch Bros Astroturf Group

GOProud member Matt Hissey has joined the staff of Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers' astroturf group whose ads are routinely fact-checked as "Pants On Fire." If Hissey's name is familiar to you, it's probably from this 2011 JMG post:

"I don't really like gay people," sniffs GOProud member Matt Hissey. "Stereotypical gay people frustrate me," he adds with a dramatic toss of his frosted blond hair before launching into an attack on nellie men who need to be more "normal and straight-acting."

Hissey appears twice in the below clip, if you can bear it. Below that is the AFP's latest attack ad on Tammy Baldwin.

Astroturf Email Of The Day

This just hit my inbox:

Dear Fellow Patriot, We need you to take action today to stop the EPA and President Obama from destroying our great nation. Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. are waging a war on affordable energy, and President Obama himself declared he would bankrupt the coal industry. The President has followed through on his promise; this is unacceptable. We must stand together and stop the flood of regulations that are sending gas prices through the roof and driving up your monthly electric bills. - American Energy Alliance.

From their about page: "The AEA is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies." Actually, no. The AEA is funded by the oil-soaked robber barons, the Koch brothers. And the CEO of AEA'a parent group is a former Enron executive. Bolding is motherfucking mine.

Satan Loves Gay Marriage

David Koch, who has donated millions to the man who has pledged to support an amendment to place a same-sex marriage ban in the U.S. Constitution, says he personally endorses marriage equality.

The 1980 vice presidential nominee for the socially liberal – but fiscally conservative – Libertarian Party, Koch told POLITICO “I believe in gay marriage” when asked about the GOP’s stance on gay rights. Romney opposes gay marriage, as do most Republicans, and when that was pointed out to Koch, he said “Well, I disagree with that.” Koch said he thinks the U.S. military should withdraw from the Middle East and said the government should consider defense spending cuts, as well as possible tax increases to get its fiscal house in order – a stance anathema to many in the Republican Party. “I think it’s essential to be able to achieve spending reductions and maybe it’s going to require some tax increases,” he said. “We got to come close to balancing the budget, otherwise we’re in a terrible deep problem.”

Hurray?

Koch Bros Launch $25M Anti-Obama Ad

Via press release:

Americans for Prosperity, the nation’s premier advocate for economic freedom with over 2 million members nationwide, today announced a nationwide ad buy that could top $6.7 million to expressly advocate the defeat of President Barack Obama. See below for details on an important press call today. “These are unprecedented times, and AFP has made an unprecedented decision. Simply put, the stakes are too high, and this election is too important,” said Tim Phillips, AFP President. “President Obama’s economic policies have been a detriment to our nation’s economy, and the American people can’t afford another four years.” The television ad will air starting tomorrow for one week in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Big Soda Vs Bloomberg, CTD

The "grassroots" group New Yorkers For Beverage Choices is firing up their anti-Bloomberg campaign in advance of tomorrow's "Big Gulp Hearing" by the Department of Health. Gothamist is smirking over the authentic New York City accents in the below radio ad. This week cinema employees are wearing t-shirts bearing the snarky slogan, "I picked out my soda all by myself!"

Environmentalists Want America To Fail

This bit of crackpottery is from some astroturf group out of Florida. I haven't been able to figure out who's really behind it yet, but I'm betting on Big Sugar or somebody similar.

Citizens United Vs Occupy Wall Street

Citizens United, the astroturf group that turned corporations into people, has promised a coming "unmasking" of the Occupy movement, which according to the teaser trailer is populated by drug addicts, rapists, and communists.

ALEC Support Falling Apart

The shadowy American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which provides marching orders to GOP-dominated state legislatures, has been shedding backers ever since it was revealed that ALEC is largely behind the current rash of voter suppression legislation. Spurring the exodus is news that it was ALEC that framed Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.

Yesterday it was the Gates Foundation that bailed.

A foundation spokesman told Roll Call that it does not plan to make future grants to the conservative nonprofit, which has come under fire from progressive activists for its support of voter identification laws and other contentious measures. The foundation, run by the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. and his wife, contributed more than $375,000 to ALEC in the past two years and was the target of an online petition launched today by the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee that garnered more than 23,000 signatures in a matter of hours. t’s the latest in a string of victories for groups bent on persuading corporations and foundations to cut ties with ALEC, which helps corporations advance their public-policy agenda in state legislatures. Last week, Kraft Foods Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Intuit Inc. each said they would withdraw support. The announcements came after months of behind-the-scenes pressure from another liberal group, Color of Change, an African-American advocacy group.

Coal Companies Will Say Anything

The Sierra Club responds to those asinine "clean coal" ads.

TODAY: Teabagger Rally At SCOTUS

Koch Brothers astroturf group Americans For Prosperity are sponsoring today's massive teabagger rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court, which yesterday began considering the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Tea Partiers plan to keep the heat up on the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow at a 1 p.m. Capitol Hill rally as the court enters its second day of deliberations on the constitutionality of Obamacare. The #Hands Off My Health Care rally sponsored by Americans for Prosperity will be the latest in a series of Tea Party-connected rallies over the past few days aimed at pressuring the court to overturn the law. Speakers will include House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.; Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

Among the cosponsors of this rally to deprive the poor of health care are several major anti-gay hate groups.

Herman Cain: I Am The Koch Brothers' Brother From Another Mother

NEW ORLEANS: Anti-Gay Hate Groups Infest Annual Astroturfing Convention

This week in New Orleans, hundreds of conservative lawmakers from around the country gathered for the annual American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) convention, where lobbyists from the nation's largest corporations issue their marching orders on which big business-friendly bills they expect to see passed. Think Progress reports that this year's event featured the distribution of vicious and lie-filled anti-gay propaganda from Christianist hate groups.

Among the materials handed out to every attendee were anti-LGBT pamphlets from the Family Research Council, including the “Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality” and the “Top Ten Harms Of Same-Sex ‘Marriage’”. The supposed myths included “people are born gay,” “sexual orientation can never change,” “homosexual conduct is not harmful to one’s physical health,” and “homosexuals are no more likely to molest children than heterosexuals.” In its second pamphlet, the FRC told conference-goers that expanding marriage to include same-sex couples will somehow mean “fewer people would marry,” “fewer people would remain monogamous,” and polygamy will soon result.

Think Progress notes that convention rent-a-cops assaulted two of their reporters and illegally confiscated their cameras.

NOM Is Astroturfing Facebook

According to NOM defector Louis Marinelli, NOM is paying people to plant anti-equality comments on Facebook pages.

As social media manager for the National Organization for Marriage, Louis J. Marinelli, the then 24-year-old behind the "Protect Marriage: One Man, One Woman" page, was asked to put together a "SWAT team" of people to comment in favor of NOM's content and opinions. "There was a system where we would track what they did and they would accumulate points.... We were working on a program where they would redeem those points for prizes," said Marinelli. The group also planned to create media teams in key 2012 election states who would be asked to take online actions as well as attend events or write letters to editors, according to Marinelli. When he resigned on April 7, he said about 15 people were on the online astroturf team.

The author of the above-linked story says that NOM has refused multiple requests to comment on the issue.