Progressive Policy Council. Who are they?

[drm604]

Today I received a mailing from an organization called "The Progressive Policy Council." It states

"The Progressive Policy Council is a not-for-profit organization seeking to educate the public and to advocate for progressive public policy solutions for contemporary social issues."

It gives their URL as http://www.progressivepolicycouncil.org and their address as PO Box 12029 Arlington, VA 22219 (I've noticed that many conservative front groups seem to be based in and around Arlington).

It lists issues on which Bob Casey and Rick Santorum supposedly agree, such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research and gun control.

It doesn't appear to support either candidate, it simply lists social issues on which each has a conservative viewpoint. It's purpose seems to be to give the impression that there's no real difference between the two candidates.

Anyone who knows anything about politics in this country knows that a mailing like this can only help Santorum. In fact, I can't see any other purpose for it.

Bob Casey is a conservative Democrat, but right now what counts is getting as many Democrats into Congress as possible. So why is an organization with the word "progressive" in its name and that claims to support progressive causes sending out a mailing that is obviously intended to suppress the progressive vote?

If you go to their website you get this:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access / on this server.

Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.progressivepolicycouncil.org Port 80

A whois for that domain shows the following:

Domain ID:D124323793-LROR
Domain Name:PROGRESSIVEPOLICYCOUNCIL.ORG
Created On:12-Jun-2006 13:07:46 UTC
Last Updated On:22-Oct-2006 16:45:20 UTC
Expiration Date:12-Jun-2007 13:07:46 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Register.com Inc. (R71-LROR)
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:7032312e96eba679
Registrant Name:Domain Discreet
Registrant Organization:ATTN: progressivepolicycouncil.org
Registrant Street1:P.O. Box 278
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Yarmouth
Registrant State/Province:NS
Registrant Postal Code:B5A 4B2
Registrant Country:CA
Registrant Phone:[phone]
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:70e968db0a1e672a013b036b5754595c AT domaindiscreet DOT com

Notice that the domain was only created in June of this year. The phone number is answered by an automated system which identifies it as belonging to register.com. The registrant name, address and email belong to domaindiscreet.com, a privacy service used to hide the true owner of a domain.

So we have an organization that calls itself "progressive" while apparently trying to help Rick Santorum and going out of its way to remain relatively hard to trace. I'm wondering if there isn't some illegal money supporting this.

I can't find ANY information on this organization online. Does anyone here know anything about them? Have any of you received similar mailings from them about this or any other race?

[loeb]

1. Philadelphia Jewish Voice

I also got a copy of the mailer.
See "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice http://www.pjvoice.com/v17/17115wolf.html for my analysis.

Yesterday, I received yet another political flier in the mail. This one attracted my attention it part because they quoted a local newspaper I support, but mostly because it criticized both candidates: quoting Santorum's conservative social policies from Santorum's website, and Casey's similar view from an interview in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice. I was curious. Most advertisement clearly suggest some course of action, but what did these people want me to do?

The flier claims to have been produced by the Progressive Policy Council "a not-for-profit organization seeking to educate the public and to advocate for progressive public policy solutions for contemporary issues." I wanted to find out more, but the web address they provide on the flier does not work. I then conducted a Google search and found absolutely no leads. The return address is a post office box in Arlington, Virginia, but the Virginia "Yellow Pages" provide no leads either.

Apparently, the Republican National Committee has concluded the only chance Santorum has is to suppress the Democratic vote. Thus, they have embarked on a program of targeted mailings to liberal voters painting Casey and Santorum with the same brush hoping that the recipients will then somehow be too discouraged to vote.

While many liberals may have preferred a different Democratic nominee, they also understand that there are several important differences between Casey and Santorum:

Most importantly, Casey would caucus for the Democrats which might give them the Senate majority they need to provide oversight, investigate allegations, and help shape the political agenda.
Casey would not sell out national security as Santorum has done allowing his friends at Halliburton to use a loophole to continue trading with Iran.
While US loan guarantees were reduced by $289,000,000 during Santorum's term in office as a sanction for construction of its security fence, Casey has shown his support for the only Democracy in the Middle-East by increasing the Pennsylvania Treasury Department's investment in Israeli bonds to nearly $50,000,000.
The supposed "Progressive Policy Council" that sent the flier attacking Casey and Santorum does not exist. Some "progressive" organization: the Republican National Committee!

One wonders if such duplicity violates any campaign finance laws.

[InsultComicDog]

2. Jason Torchinsky, GOP operative

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001901.php

[Penndems]

3. A right-wing extremist group attempting to derail Bob Casey:

http://www.keystonepolitics.com/Article4690.html

[InsultComicDog]

4. I've since received 2 more postcards from this fake group

In addition to the gay marriage one, I've received a gun control and an embryonic stem cell research postcard, with the same routine, about how they are the same.

[InsultComicDog]

6. I've now gotten a fourth

about Roe v. Wade

I think that's probably the full set...

[PaDem]

5. I just received their mailings today........

and signed on to DU to see if anyone knew anything about them. Sound like they are a right wing group masquerading as a progressive group.

[mrs panstreppon]

7. Progressive Policy Council Update

I posted an update on the Progressive Policy Council at the TPM Cafe:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/progressive-policy-council-tex.php

Turns out that three Repubican operatives were the officers and directors.