Scott Walker Aided By Huge Americans For Prosperity Foundation Ad Buy

Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a conservative group chaired by David Koch, is pumping at least $700,000 in ads defending Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) record as he faces a possible recall attempt, according to the Washington Post.

Americans For Prosperity Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, while Americans For Prosperity is a 501 (c)(4) organization. One key difference is that the former is prohibited from participating in a political campaign for a candidate for public office, hence why the ad by the group does not mention Walker and mentions only "recent reforms." Americans For Prosperity, by contrast, has a much more overt effort to "Stand With Scott Walker."

The Huffington Post recently reported that David Koch and his brother Charles have pledged $60 million to defeat President Barack Obama.

Walker faces a potential recall election after supporters turned in over one million signatures in support of the effort. Those signatures are in the process of being reviewed by the Government Accountability Board, which requires 540,208 valid ones. Republicans are planning to challenge the signatures.

Walker's fundraising has been swift so far. In his campaign finance report covering Dec. 11 through Jan. 17, he raised more than $4.5 million, spending almost $4.9 million and having just under $2.7 million in his campaign account.

Under Wisconsin law, Walker may raise unlimited funds until a recall election date has been set. He has raised $500,000 thus far from Texas billionaire home builder Bob Perry, who heavily backed the "Swift Boat" ads in 2004 against Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).

Walker's recall centers around his successful effort last year to curtail collective bargaining rights for most public workers. A recent poll showed that he had a 51-46 approval rating and was leading both declared and potential Democratic opponents.

Comments

[nfatt1]

10:00 AM on 02/16/2012

Americans For Prosperity for Ourselves Foundation is another sham Corporate group.

[ryanwi]

08:40 PM on 02/12/2012

I notice that since word of the $146 million deficit, the "It's Working" ads have dissapeared.

[getoffmyside]

07:32 PM on 02/10/2012

Why are republican aides working out of a private law office?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/aide-tells-constituent-kedzie-didnt-sign-agreement--when-he-had-j344s15-139034309.html

[Eidolas]

02:59 PM on 02/10/2012

Only hypocritical Democrats complain about Walker's fundraising while Big Labor pours millions and resources into the state and are the cause OF Walker having to raise funds in the first place. Too funny.

[wellscc]

04:28 PM on 02/10/2012

Source to big labor pouring millions in money and resources into the state, besides a quote from governor walker. United Wisconsin (the group who put together the recall drive) has 100,000 in the bank. That is only thousands btw. Walker has raised 12 million with well over half coming from out of state. He also has been keynote speaker in several out of state ALEC, conservative, etc. gatherings and been fundraising at all of these.

[adarps5]

04:50 PM on 02/10/2012

Miss, if you lived in Wisconsin you would see that the only ads out there are for Walker. The billboards in every town are Walker. No union ads , no union billboards, just your out of state imagination.

[Eidolas]

12:47 PM on 02/17/2012

This recall effort bought and paid for by big labor, right out of Chicago. Too bad for you.

[getoffmyside]

07:04 AM on 02/10/2012

It was reported this morning that Senator Terry Moulton is challenging over half the signatures filed in his recall effort. As I understood it part of the reasoning is that due to redistricting he would no longer represent many of the signers. Redistricting that had not happened at the time the recall started and that Republicans had signed secrecy pledges about, agreeing not to discuss it with the public.

[wellscc]

04:29 PM on 02/10/2012

GAB says that the current districts stand as the new ones don't come into effect until November elections. Also, it is the people who would have voted for or against the office holders that are in the current districts, so it makes sense that the current districts or the district at the time of the election should stand.

[getoffmyside]

07:27 PM on 02/10/2012

Thanks for the update.

[mce22]

09:01 AM on 02/14/2012

Funny of the day:
Scott Fitzgerald sent postcards to people in his district asking if they signed his recall. He is basing challenges on undeliverable cards from the post office. However Mr. Fitzgerald mis-addressed thousands-wrong street address, wrong city etc. This was discovered when checked with the actual recall signatures and address lines. This should count as election fraud and I hope someone investigates it. Nice try Fitz did you really think that would work? Won't work any better than trying to claim the new district when the GAB ruled to use the old lines.

[getoffmyside]

06:45 PM on 02/14/2012

That is hilarious! Thanks for that!

[WOODSTOCKER60]

06:44 AM on 02/10/2012

Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a conservative group chaired by David Koch,"

..SINCE WHEN DID DAVID KOCH EVER DO ANYTHING FOR "REAL AMERICANS" OR EVEN CARE ABOUT AMERICA??....{OR ANY COUNTRY FOR THAT MATTER!}....HIS IDEA OF PROSPERITY IS INCREASING HIS WEALTH,POWER,AND CONTROL OVER MORE ELECTED OFFICIALS......WHILE THE REST OF US REACH "SERF" STATUS ,WHILE DAVID AND HIS THUGS WRECK THE ENVIRONMENT,THE COUNTRY,AND OUR AIR AND WATER..................................."LIKE FATHER...LIKE SON"

[Eidolas]

03:02 PM on 02/10/2012

No doubt you know all about David Koch's motives after all the time you've spent with him. Unions have poured billions into Wisconsin to lobby against the hardworking taxpayers of Wisconsin for a group that collective represents less than 13% of the working population. So what have they done for the nonunion workers in Wisconsin since public unions were formed there in 1959?

[wellscc]

04:30 PM on 02/10/2012

No doubt you are just spouting off the talking points. Do you realize that the 273 million that is not being collected in taxes is mostly the lost money in income taxes from the collective bargaining?

[WOODSTOCKER60]

07:29 PM on 02/10/2012

WHO CARES!...HES JUST LIKE HIS OLD MAN..."MONEY BEFORE HUMMN LIFE'...THE WHOLE FAMILY IS A BAD SEED...AND THE NEXT TIME YOUR DINING WITH HIM...TELL HIM I SAID SO.OK!

[getoffmyside]

08:39 PM on 02/09/2012

Heard on the radio that state Republicans are trying to change the recall rules.

[ryanwi]

10:33 PM on 02/09/2012

They've been taking abuot that since last spring.

[WOODSTOCKER60]

06:48 AM on 02/10/2012

WORD IS THEY WANT TO ADAPT JOE STALINS WAY OF "HANDLING DISCENT"....MASS SLAUGHTER AND THE CREATION OF A "WISCONSIN GULAG" FOR STARTERS......THESE KOCH BOYS...THEY LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT LIFE FROM "DADDY FRED"....AND "UNCLE JOEY".....

[Eidolas]

03:03 PM on 02/10/2012

Tinfoil hat alert!

[Ginger23]

06:46 PM on 02/09/2012

"Americans for Prosperity." What a joke. It should be called "The Kochs Want All Your Money."

[ConDsenXieN]

08:25 PM on 02/09/2012

The only "prosperity" they look for is their own. The SCOTUS should hang their heads in shame.

[4 EYES]

08:28 PM on 02/09/2012

Americans for [Their] Prosperity....8-)

[WOODSTOCKER60]

06:16 PM on 02/09/2012

WOULDNT IT BE BETTER IF THE KOCHS JUST OUTRIGHT "ADOPTED" WALKER??!!...ANOTHER TAX DEDUCTION FOR THE KOCHS....AND LIFETIME SECURITY FOR WALKER AND HIS FAMILY....

[USAGramma]

06:04 PM on 02/09/2012

This helps to explain how we in Wisconsin feel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-TwJmNfZ_w

Enjoy!

[adarps5]

11:12 PM on 02/09/2012

My family and I were there. It was awsome!

[Prairiewinds]

04:04 PM on 02/09/2012

Now folks, we need to stop picking on Scott and work hard to support him. We are facing a new budget deficit and he needs our help. I, for one would be glad to lend a hand building a good, sturdy scaffold. It would support him for a little while......

[WOODSTOCKER60]

06:18 PM on 02/09/2012

;;;;CLATTERING PITCH FORKS;;;;;;

[Eidolas]

03:05 PM on 02/10/2012

Another fine example of the liberal mentality. Death threats are fun, kids!

[patianneb]

03:52 PM on 02/09/2012

This is the group that targeted 22 seats (dem & rep) in North Carolina, (Art Pope in NC, in collusion with Kochs) dumped a mere $2,000,000 and bought 18 seats for right wingers. Check out redstate.com
My state has always been conservative but you could count the whackadoodles and have fingers left over. Not sure that will continue.
The idea is to take over state legislatures then move on to take over the entire gov't.
I find this especially scary, particularly in Presidential years when most of the attention is focused there.

[ryanwi]

07:06 PM on 02/09/2012

If you think this is only at the state and national level, I've got bad news for you. They've created a group to encourage candidates for your local county, school board and municipal governments as well. They go by the acronym of C-3. It's a Community organizing system that first popped up on the AFP Fight Back Wisconsin website last summer. They've taken that website down since, but there are others that still use the C-3 acronym. Here's one from WI.

[patianneb]

08:14 PM on 02/09/2012

I hadn't gotten than far yet, but am not in the least surprised.

[ryanwi]

07:07 PM on 02/09/2012

here's the link: http://w-c3.org/index.php

[getoffmyside]

07:53 PM on 02/09/2012

Thanks for that. Interesting how they like to say they are non partisan conservatives.

[patianneb]

08:14 PM on 02/09/2012

thank you.

[getoffmyside]

03:51 PM on 02/09/2012

Here you go zippy.
WisconsinReporter, from there, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, sponsored by a grant from the Sam Adams Alliance. President of the Franklin center is Jason Stverak former executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party. Sam Adams Alliance chairman is Eric O'Keefe, who serves on the board of Club For Growth Wisconsin which is the state branch of the Club For Growth, right wing shills.
Tell me again how your links aren't partisan?

[getoffmyside]

03:56 PM on 02/09/2012

Almost forgot, Mr. Perry from the second link is with the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

[zipowitz]

04:08 PM on 02/09/2012

So let's see the site you would use that supports "sick leave stacking". Show me the one that says this is GREAT for the taxpayer. Show me the one that says not only is stacking your pay good for the taxpayer but then using that extra pay to beef up your pension is even BETTER! Show me the one that thinks bus drivers should make $150K a year.

Granted that site is probably the unions site as this would be the ONLY one that supports that (or the guys facebook page!).

[zipowitz]

05:14 PM on 02/09/2012

Still can't do it can you......crickets.....

[zipowitz]

04:00 PM on 02/09/2012

I would bet any link I sent you, you would try to discredit. So why don't you spend time actually checking on what I posted instead of doing your best to try and find any possible link to anybody that might possibly be a Republican. You waste too much energy. Like I said, post ANY site that claims that "Sick Leave Stacking" does not exist and IS a benefit to the taxpayer. In fact take it as a challenge.

[getoffmyside]

03:28 PM on 02/09/2012

Followed zipp's links after requesting a NON PARTISAN reference. They all lead to Republican party members and coservative think tanks. Gee, now who would have guessed that.

[zipowitz]

03:36 PM on 02/09/2012

You didn't follow either as none of them are what you claim. You are being lazy and just want to deny the truth. Have you tried Google yet? Or do just not believe anything that doesn't fall into your line of thinking.

The Wisconsin Reporter is some right wing site??!! That's laughable.

http://www.wisconsinreporter.com/plan-nixes-raises-ends-costly-overtime-practice

[4 EYES]

04:01 PM on 02/09/2012

As Mara pointed out, zippy, stacking overtime could have been addressed all by itself....8-)

[Ginger23]

04:06 PM on 02/09/2012

Go tell someone who cares, zippy. You don't even live here and are therefore in no position to comment in any meaningful fashion. Thanks, however, for showing us how generally uninformed people are outside of Wisconsin.

[zipowitz]

03:42 PM on 02/09/2012

Oh and by the way, if pointing out something that is clearly abusing taxpayer money, is considering "conservative" or "right wing", then you have some serious issues. Do you really think that this form of abuse is GOOD for the taxpayer? Just burying your head in the sand and trying to ignore reality, will not help you.

Tell you what, find the "left wing" site that disputes Sick Leave Stacking and says it doesn't exist OR that it's somehow GOOD for the taxpayer.

[Prairiewinds]

03:26 PM on 02/09/2012

Today on the noon news we learned Wisconsin is facing a budget deficit, caused at least in part by lower tax revenues. Hmmmmmm.

But der Fuehrer has reassured us we are on the right track. Do not worry, everything will work out. Pay no attention to the falling bombs.....