Without any Grassroots, This Austerity Group Withered

[TexasTowelie]

by Sarah Anderson

The austerity mania that plagued our political system for four years is finally subsiding. The latest sign is President Barack Obama’s decision to nix the Social Security cuts he had previously included in his budget proposal.

This was a body blow to the most powerful pro-austerity force in Washington — the Fix the Debt campaign. Starting in 2012, this fake grassroots — or “astroturf” — organization had deployed more than 100 CEOs to try to persuade the nation that our economic survival depended on expanding tax breaks for big corporations and slashing earned benefit programs.

Fix the Debt once boasted a budget of $40 million. Today, it’s shedding staff and going into hibernation, having failed to win any of their top priorities.

Their demise proves that deep pockets don’t always prevail in Washington. Through creative jujitsu, non-moneyed interests can turn extreme wealth and privilege into an extreme liability.

More at http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/02/26-8 .

[Egalitarian Thug]

1. $40M? "most powerful pro-austerity force in Washington"? Thanks for posting more turf.

They're still out there, they have more money than you can conceive of, and with all that they have both a captive audience and an agenda.