6 Shady Right-Wing Groups Pouring Money Into Today's Wisconsin Recall

[a kennedy]

Today will see the recall elections of six Wisconsin state senators who supported Republican Governor Scott Walker's budget cuts, and specifically his attacks on the right of workers to bargain collectively.

The state has become a focal point for national politics, pitting Democrats—14 of whom fled the state in order to stall a vote on the union-busting bill—against Republicans, who with Tea Party support have been enacting Shock Doctrine-style slash and burn policies instead of delivering the promised jobs to the state's workers.

In a foretaste of what Election 2012 will look like, the recalls have shattered spending records on both sides. Mike McCabe from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign estimated $31 million had been spent already—nearly 10 times the $3.75 million spent on all the state races in 2010. But more importantly, they've seen a flood of so-called "dark money" from groups that don't have to disclose their donors thanks to the Citizens United ruling.

With all the interest from outside of the state, it's natural that political groups on a national scale have poured money and volunteers into the election. Progressive organizations like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America and women's groups like Emily's List are buying ads and recruiting volunteers to make phone calls for the Democratic challengers in the six recall districts.

But as McCabe noted, the difference is in the disclosure. While, as Greg Sargent at the Washington Post pointed out, this has rightly been labor's fight since the beginning, the sudden influx of conservative groups from all over the country means a lot of untraceable money. Here are six of the groups putting their money on the line in hopes of Republican victories.

1. Club for Growth
2. ALEC
3. Wisconsin Family Action
4. American Federation for Children
5. Faith Family Freedom
6. Americans for Prosperity

http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/151951/6_shady_right-wing_groups_pouring_money_into_today%27s_wisconsin_recall/?page=1

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Smirk. Sneer." - Republicon Occultists (R)

[E_Pluribus_Unitarian]

2. After what happened in South Carolina...

...re. the Alvin Greene Senate candidacy, I'll believe they are capable of anything. I'm thoroughly convinced (and it'll be hard for "the establishment" to convince me otherwise) that dirty tricks were behind this, for the dual purposes of destroying the legitimate Democratic Senate candidate and for diminishing the party itself.

[Sal Minella]

4. Same here. At the time, I felt that the Alvin Greene "election" was

a successful test run on how to manipulate voting machines and tabulations to achieve desired results. But since the test run was rigged to elect a Democrat, the RPTB were not questioned, and still are not questioned.

17-16 now, with the Dems not kicking up any fuss.
How convenient and neat and tidy.
And no one will ever know how many million$ were poured into Wisconsin by the Koch-heads.

[cutlassmama]

3. And yet food pantries are bare. Why aren't they donating to them?