News for today's 2018

Why billionaires want to hide their campaign contributions

9:09 AM Tukiyooo 0

The influence of billionaire dark money groups has dramatically expanded to every level of government ever since the Supreme Court ruling on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission" rel="nofollow">Citizens United</a>. The high court decision allowed outside organizations like corporations and trade associations to spend unlimited money on political campaigns.<br /><br />Dark money groups are nonprofits allowed to fund campaigns without disclosing donors to anybody. In the last election cycle, they spent over $400 million.  The Americans for Prosperity super PAC, the <strike><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bombshell-kochs-sold-oil-equipment-to.html" rel="nofollow">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch brothers political slush fund,  <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000024046&cycle=2012" rel="nofollow">directly spent at least $36 million in the 2012 election alone</a>. The group <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/10/Kochs-illegal-campaign-finance-network-exposed.html" rel="nofollow">contributed money to other dark money organizations</a> that poured money into elections as well.<br /><br />Billionaires hide donations in these shady organizations so voters don't know where the funding comes from.  Fact is, when workers learn where the shady campaign money comes from -- and what it's actually pushing into law -- the billionaires lose.<br /><br />The Koch brothers' fund poured over $15 million into advertising for a 2012 anti-worker California referendum.  But, because workers were aware of how devastating the measure was, millions of workers came out to crush the measure at the polls -- <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/10/Kochs-illegal-campaign-finance-network-exposed.html">including over 25,000 Teamsters voting for the first time</a>.<br /><br />Even in campaigns as small as city council elections, the Koch influence is real.  In Coralville, Iowa, a town with fewer than 20,000 people, Koch volunteers have been blanketing the town in flyers.  But <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/us/politics/koch-group-has-ambitions-in-small-races.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp" rel="nofollow">local workers are having none of it</a>. Reports the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/us/politics/koch-group-has-ambitions-in-small-races.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp&">New York Times</a>,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div itemprop="articleBody">Americans for Prosperity seems to be winning few adherents here, or at  least anyone willing to admit so publicly. Thumbing through a survey at Kathyl Jogerst’s door on a  rainy afternoon last week, John Sevier, a 22-year-old volunteer with  Americans for Prosperity, started a question to her by saying the City  Council had moved $5 million out of the school district budget. </div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div itemprop="articleBody">        </div><div itemprop="articleBody">Ms. Jogerst, 61, cut him off.  “No, they didn’t,” she said. “I know the agenda with your group.”        </div></blockquote>It is important to know the truth about where this group <a href="http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2013/05/13/top-hard-money-donors/" rel="nofollow">and others like it </a>come from.  After all, once people are aware of the truth, no amount of billionaire cash can change their minds.

campaign finance Citizens United Kochs Why billionaires want to hide their campaign contributions

The influence of billionaire dark money groups has dramatically expanded to every level of government ever since the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United. The high court decision allowed outside organizations like corporations and trade associatio…

Koch brothers' illegal campaign finance network exposed, fined

12:53 PM Tukiyooo 0

California <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> and allies used the power of their numbers last year to defeat Proposition 32, an anti-worker proposal secretly funded by the<strike> <a href="http://benedict%20arnold/" rel="nofollow">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch Brothers and other anti-worker billionaires.  Now, California officials are demanding the billionaires' Proposition 32 slush funds pay back all of the money from donors that they refused to identify.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOdfGJkiyR2d2UexVRnxwZQTdfuW8y1-sHwInFUF1frpWwsMSAdIlMUT8w7PMS_68LhyphenhyphenXtti-wCTL4RUSQJ2i_4dvoc0OtxnVnJdfyNl9NQHqkWp35V5Zffmmx8Za-1ln1I9d9JY1RWa5/s1600/vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teamsters efforts helped save political speech in California." border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOdfGJkiyR2d2UexVRnxwZQTdfuW8y1-sHwInFUF1frpWwsMSAdIlMUT8w7PMS_68LhyphenhyphenXtti-wCTL4RUSQJ2i_4dvoc0OtxnVnJdfyNl9NQHqkWp35V5Zffmmx8Za-1ln1I9d9JY1RWa5/s320/vote.jpg" title="Go vote!  Teamsters efforts helped save political speech in California." width="212" /></a>Proposition 32 was written to eliminate union political activities, and workers opposed it across the state. Thanks to <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/10/calif-teamsters-out-in-force-against.html" rel="nofollow">Teamster efforts, over 25,000 Californians registered to vote</a> for the first time to defeat the measure.  Several thousand more mobilized to vote down the ballot question. Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa rallied workers to spread awareness about the devastation that the bill would cause. Hoffa said:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Proposition 32 is an attack on union workers by the same anti-union,  corporate special interests that have waged war against organized labor  across the country.  Everything  that Prop. 32 represents must be defeated here and now. If we allow this anti-worker measure to go  forward, it could spread across the country, further weakening our  middle class.</blockquote>California heeded his call. <br /><br />In November 2012, 56 percent of voters rejected Proposition 32, despite almost <a href="http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/whos-funding-prop-32-prohibiting-contributions-through-payroll-deductions.html" rel="nofollow">$75 million dollars </a>worth of anti-union propaganda spread across the state.<br /><br />But where did the money come from?<br /><br />From the Koch network, according to a story today by Dan Morain in the<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5850222/dan-morain.html#mi_rss=Opinion" rel="nofollow"> Sacramento Bee</a>. Two Republican operatives cooked up Proposition 32, managed to get it on the ballot and then went looking for the money to broadcast their propaganda. There was plenty of it -- many millions, in fact. The only problem was, the greedy billionaires who contributed didn't want their identities known. And California law requires disclosure of political donations.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPu_m3OVz8-p9ys-rIpFAjk7Xsy7Xy7dBzoTAOgkU5G0_Ssx20bGFMvxH8BhLFISieqgoQL8TFfcwJePgFbn4oXtzJ8UVQ4o7QmhVIaqhFmDYLOQsRwssT2WgiW-YZgywkHdxahdXvjx1/s1600/lobbyist+money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPu_m3OVz8-p9ys-rIpFAjk7Xsy7Xy7dBzoTAOgkU5G0_Ssx20bGFMvxH8BhLFISieqgoQL8TFfcwJePgFbn4oXtzJ8UVQ4o7QmhVIaqhFmDYLOQsRwssT2WgiW-YZgywkHdxahdXvjx1/s200/lobbyist+money.jpg" width="200" /></a>So the two operatives laundered the Koch network money through political funds in Iowa and Arizona called the Center to Protect Patient Rights and Americans for Responsible Leadership. Those two groups donated $15 million to two California groups set up to promote Proposition 32. The Sacramento Bee reported on the good news:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="color: black; font: 10pt sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;"><br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5850222/dan-morain.html#mi_rss=Opinion#storylink=cpy</div>California authorities levied $500,000 fines on the Center to Protect  Patient Rights and Americans for Responsible Leadership, both in  Arizona and both part of the Koch brothers’ network.</blockquote>California authorities also want the two California groups to give the state $15 million -- the amount they spent illegally. But as Morain concludes:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The groups probably will avoid paying by ceasing to exist and fading into the woodwork. Such is the way of campaign money in 2013.<div style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px;"><br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5850222/dan-morain.html#mi_rss=Opinion#storylink=cpy</div><div style="color: black; font: 10pt sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;"><br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5850222</div></blockquote>Despite the millions of dollars rich extremists were willing to throw at Proposition 32, workers were ultimately able to prevail because they stood united against big business.  When you go to the polls on the 5th, remember that you, with your Teamster brothers and sisters, conquer greedy CEOs and billionaires too.

campaign finance Koch brothers Proposition 32 Koch brothers' illegal campaign finance network exposed, fined

California Teamsters and allies used the power of their numbers last year to defeat Proposition 32, an anti-worker proposal secretly funded by the Benedict Arnold Koch Brothers and other anti-worker billionaires. Now, California officials are demand…

Colbert Report on high court case on campaign finance (it only hurts when we laugh)

11:55 AM Tukiyooo 0

campaign finance supreme court Colbert Report on high court case on campaign finance (it only hurts when we laugh)

Only Stephen Colbert could make you laugh at a segment on Supreme Court case on campaign finance. It's something working people need to be really, really worried about. If this very conservative Supreme Court rolls back limits on spending by milliona…

How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

11:03 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s1600/anderson+cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s200/anderson+cooper.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/26/mexicans-turn-to-social-media-to-report-on-drug-war/">drug war in Mexico</a>. Or the <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/04/30/the-failure-to-prosecute-corporate-crime-undermines-u-s-justice/">criminal bankers who don't go to prison</a>. Or the impoverishment of the working class. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">R.J. Eskow writes in "<a href="http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130709/where-the-hell-is-the-outrage">Where the Hell Is the Outrage</a>?"</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conditions continue to become objectively worse for the great majority of Americans. But these ongoing changes — in actual wages, in employment, in social mobility and wealth equity — have received very little media attention or meaningful political debate.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eskow explains why that's a bad thing: </span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s not that things aren’t changing. It’s that people don’t know they’re changing. And without that knowledge the public becomes a canary in a coalmine, only aware of its declining oxygen supply when it keels over and dies. </span> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s an almost classic state of alienation, in which people may be acutely aware of their own increasing difficulties (although sometimes they can be numb to that as well) but experience them in a state of isolation. That turns the anger inward, leading to crippling reactions like guilt and despair. And repeated individual failures — failures made increasingly likely in a skewed system — lead to a sense of learned helplessness. </span></blockquote>If mainstream media reporters don't miss a story, they may well get it wrong. Like the IRS "scandal," where supposedly "liberal" IRS employees investigated "conservative" Tea Party groups.<br /><br />Only, it didn't happen. (And, by the way, even if it did, there's plenty of evidence that radical billionaires like the <strike style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.89583396911621px;"><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bombshell-kochs-sold-oil-equipment-to.html" style="color: #336699;">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch brothers are (a) <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/right-wing-billionaires-behind-mitt-romney-20120524">not disclosing their political contributions</a> and (b) funneling money to phony Tea Party groups like <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriebennett/2012/03/31/tracking-koch-money-and-americans-for-prosperity/">Americans for Prosperity</a>.)<br /><br />Alex Seitz-Wald in <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/08/how_the_media_outrageously_blew_the_irs_scandal_a_full_accounting/">Salon</a> blows the whistle on how the mainstream media "outrageously blew the IRS scandal."<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...we know that in fact the IRS targeted lots of different kinds of groups, not just conservative ones; that the only organizations whose tax-exempt statuses were actually denied were progressive ones; that many of the targeted conservative groups legitimately crossed the line; that the IG’s report was limited to only Tea Party groups at congressional Republicans’ request; and that the White House was in no way involved in the targeting and didn’t even know about it until shortly before the public did. </blockquote>As a result of the media's misreporting, half of the American people wrongly thought the White House ordered the IRS to target Tea Party groups, Seitz-Wald writes.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have reporters corrected the record? </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We think you know the answer. </span>

campaign finance Koch tea party How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, drug war in Mexico. Or the criminal bankers who don't go to prison. Or the impoverishment of the working class. R.J. Eskow writes in "Where the Hell Is the…