Democrats Urge Caucus To Confront Shadowy Independent Groups

With additional reporting by Lucia Graves

Democrats may be launching a new offensive against the secretive independent expenditure groups that are springing up daily, with attendees at Wednesday's House Democratic Caucus meeting encouraged to confront these organizations and shine a light on their practices.

Last week, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), accompanied by journalists from The Huffington Post and The Washington Post, went to the Capitol Hill headquarters of a group that has been airing attack ads against him and attempted to ask them to make its donors public. The man who answered the door, however, denied being associated with the group, even though subsequent research showed he was. DeFazio's encounter marked the first time a lawmaker has so pointedly confronted one of these groups, which, because of recent court rulings, are largely able to operate without public scrutiny.

"We've got to take it to them," he told The Huffington Post. "I'm an activist, always have been my whole life, and I'm going there to confront them and say, 'Who are you, and why are you so afraid to disclose where your money comes from?'"

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. John Larsen (D-Conn.) played video of DeFazio's confrontation at Wednesday's meeting, according to several sources who were in attendance. While party leaders didn't encourage members to mimic what DeFazio did exactly, they did encourage members to try to bring the groups out of the shadows and disclose more information.

"Since the Supreme Court Decision this has been a big concern," said a staffer, referring to the Citizens United decision that opened the doors to more corporate giving. "Our leadership has been telling members to go on offense for things of this nature. So I'm not surprised that this was shown."

The campaign arms of the party are sending a similar message. "We've made very clear to candidates facing an ad barrage from these shady pro-outsourcing front groups supporting the Republicans: Tell your opponent to show you the money," said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Press Secretary Ryan Rudominer.

These new independent groups are popping up on both sides of the aisle, although groups favoring Republicans have outspent Democratic-leaning ones by more than 3 to 1. While Democrats have been able to count on union support, they have not created a structure of independent organizations investing in campaigns comparable to what Republicans are doing.

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Comments

[Jim Pasterczyk]

04:21 PM on 09/30/2010

Americans are supposedly leery of the government asserting too much power over them. Where are they when it's some underground groups of billionaires who want to do the same thing?

[Armenta]

03:34 PM on 09/30/2010

Republicans can't seem to play fair. They cheat to win.

[Jim Pasterczyk]

04:22 PM on 09/30/2010

They took away the wrong lessons from Watergate.

[PartyOfMaybe]

03:33 PM on 09/30/2010

they're going after the acorns, right?

[Mik McAllister]

05:27 PM on 09/30/2010

Yeah, keep going with that one. It *never* gets old.

You complain about Acorn and MoveOn, but they always showed where there money was coming from.

Then you create ObfuscationPACs(TM), and instead of showing the transparency you so piously prayed for on television, you up the bar on dishonesty. And your employees are so ashamed of the double-dealing, they won't even admit to working for you.

Must be those Values things you're always talking about.

[OutAtFirst]

02:26 PM on 09/30/2010

This anonymous sniping is just what we need to improve the tenor of the national political discourse.

[StevoSeattle]

02:05 PM on 09/30/2010

Typical Democrats.

The Citizen's United ruling issued a devastating blow to democracy and reform. Pres Obama makes pointed remarks in this State of Union speech. With corporations and Wall St firms so aggressively taking over our economy and political system, everyone knows they can't be allowed new special privileges to buy elections.

The Democratic Congress sits on their hands, doing nothing, afraid of a fight with Republicans on the floors of congress. Afraid to annoy their donors, even though they know most of these donations will benefit Republicans. Dems advance no bill to stop the crazy new corporate spending. Dems don't do anything until a month before the election when it is far too late to even be heard on the subject.

Republicans lie low and execute a strategy to win. They engineer the new ruling into more shadow donations and support than any political party has ever seen.

Republicans will keep their fingerprints off all these corporate-sponsored campaigns while riding them to a take-over of the House and Senate (after which they will falsely proclaim: "the people have spoken!")

After taking over congress, the Republicans will again slash taxes for corporations for the very rich, reduce government spending, and thus extend the recession into the Second Great Depression, just as they did in the 1930s.

And the Dems do nothing to stand up and stop them.

[ranchobob]

02:22 PM on 09/30/2010

sad but very true

[blindhog]

01:54 PM on 09/30/2010

Hey, the FBI, CIA, NSA and whatever, should be looking into them!

[mountainweb]

01:45 PM on 09/30/2010

Sadly, the current crop of Democratic Senators and Congressmen have become a shadowy group. By bailing out with out addressing the tax issue they have left themselves open to the charge of FAILING the American taxpayers. They have become engulfed with FEAR (due to openly screwing the American public) and justly so.

[Dan1902]

01:17 PM on 09/30/2010

GOOD Bullies and liars cower in the midst of confrontation!!

[realpolitic]

01:11 PM on 09/30/2010

Democrats have to get to the bottom of these groups to expose their funding because they will swift boat anyone and tell any lies to win.

[cgeorgan]

01:00 PM on 09/30/2010

You know what I remember to be "shadowy"?  The back-room methodology by which the Democratic party formulated, negotiated and "passed" healthcare.

Now that was an effort one would struggle to characterize as "transparent."

[ganglewaefre]

01:05 PM on 09/30/2010

Are you kidding me? There was no back room methodology, it was done out in the open with Democratic leaders conceding too much to the GOP.

I know you people have to make things up to fight reality, but it is the shameless misguided nature in which you do it that never ceases to amaze me.

[cgeorgan]

01:16 PM on 09/30/2010

Wow.  "Reconciliation," anybody?

[Cipo]

01:44 PM on 09/30/2010

Look dude, I despise the Republican party, but the Dems conducted the whole HC bill out of the public sphere in collusion with the insurance, pharma, and device companies. Quit thinking that the Dems are any different than the Repubs. They have both been co-opted by Wall St and the corps that they own. There is no Republic left to speak of.

[Agent Cooper]

01:25 PM on 09/30/2010

You are misremembering.

[iam7545 r]

12:57 PM on 09/30/2010

Attack ads? Maybe you should go after that whack job Grayson

[ganglewaefre]

01:07 PM on 09/30/2010

Alan Grayson is one of the only honest members of Congress. Too bad he took out Ric Kelly and he's going to do the same to Taliban Dan.

I know it's gonna hurt y'all see a GOP gerrymandered district get won by Alan Grayson again. lol!

[iam7545 r]

01:09 PM on 09/30/2010

HONEST? LMAO - Fact Check destroyed him as did MSNBC

BTW - he is getting killed in the polls - he doesnt have a chance

[Shaddup]

04:21 PM on 09/30/2010

It's not about attack ads. It's about bought out politicians--most of them are reptile party.