The Corporate Lobbyists Behind the Tea Parties

Anyone who has watched Fox News of late has seen them talking about the April 15 "tea party" demonstrations, which they take pains to characterize as a spontaneous grassroots uprising against government spending that they are simply "covering."

Neil Cavuto said:

We are are going to be in the middle of these protests because at Fox, we do not pick and choose these rallies and protests. We were there for the Million Man March, even though, as I pointed out, it turned out to be well shy of a million men.

The Million Man March happened in 1995. Fox News didn't go on the air until 1996.

Why all the effort to distance themselves from the teabaggers? It's obvious they are integrally involved -- Fox has given them millions in free publicity, despite the fact that there's no evidence of "ratings gold" here. Four of their biggest stars will be appearing at the rallies, Fox Nation will be hosting a "virtual tea party," Glenn Beck is holding a $500 a plate fundraiser for them and Fox has been officially promoting the entire affair as the FNC Tax Day Tea Parties:

Maybe they're afraid that if people knew that those behind the demonstrations were the very same lobbyists and influence peddlers the teabaggers claim to decry, the whole thing would be revealed to be what it is -- a hollow excercise in extremist right-wing hypocrisy.

A report by Lee Fang at Think Progress documents the involvement of corporate lobbyists FreedomWorks in organizing the teabaggers. FreedomWorks is run by ladies' man (and registered lobbyist) Dick Armey, and if they're not "organizing" the Tea parties, it's news to him. From a letter he wrote on March 10:

FreedomWorks has been organizing many of these "tea parties" and we are listing the details on our website IamWithRick.com

If you visit the website, you can rsvp for an event near you, and you can download guidelines to organizing a tea party in your home town if there isn't one being planned already.

On the Freedomworks website, it says: "If you are not able to organize or attend a Taxpayer Tea Party, you can still help the cause by donating or buying a t-shirt.

The "donation" for the Tea Parties page goes to -- you guessed it -- the FreedomWorks Foundation. The "thank you" letter is signed by Matt Kibbe, President & CEO, who cut his teeth working for Lee Atwater. He was behind the attempt to get Ralph Nader put on the ballot in Oregon in 2004, prompting a complaint to the FEC of illegal collusion with the GOP.

FreedomWorks was launched a GOP version of MoveOn. "We believe that hard work beats daddy's money," said Dick Armey at the time. Armey seems to be a bit irony challenged -- Steve Forbes is on the FreedomWorks board. As Krugman notes, their money comes from the Koch, Scaife, Bradley, Olin and other reliable funders of right wing infrastructure including Exxon Mobil.

This fact that none of this would be possible without the open checkbooks of right wing billionaires and the lobbyists who love them is beyond the grasp of Glenn Reynolds:

These aren't the usual semiprofessional protesters who attend antiwar and pro-union marches. These are people with real jobs; most have never attended a protest march before. They represent a kind of energy that our politics hasn't seen lately, and an influx of new activists.

In 2004, a woman who identified herself as a "single mother" in Iowa, Sandra Jacques, appeared at a George Bush town hall and gushed about his plan to privatize Social Security. She left out the part about being an employee of Freedomworks, who were lobbying on the issue at the time.

Before any media covering these events accept the idea that this is just a grass roots outpouring of populist sentiment, they ought to take a look behind the curtain -- where Dick Armey is laughing and counting his cash.

Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com

Comments

[WriteStuffNYC]

Gee, I'm SO SURPRISED to hear of all this. Blech. Feh. A pox on their house.

[GunnyJ]

Fox, Republicans, Corporate CEOs, Lobbyists and Conservatives are doing their best to divide and conquer us. Most of this is driven by greed, some by ideals and some by racial pecking order, but it boils down to the same result....evil. Senators can't get elected no matter what the court says; raise enough money and you can tie up anything in court! Unnecessary election recounts and challenges because of sore losers, what are turning into as a country? Why is the answer always a war to take the country's eye off the ball so greedy politicians can line their pockets with money? We are becoming a mess if we continue to allow these dividers a platform. I understand free speech, but it doesn't mean you have to have an audience.

[rtb61]

The saddest thing about all this. is it simply represents the interest or a corrupt wealthy minority. They pay for the sliest of marketing and public relations sic. campaigns all targeted at the very people that socially minded individuals, they liberal left, are trying to help. The far rights corporatists are drowning their victims in greed, whilst the left reaches out with a hand to pull them out from under, the greed obsessed billionaires pay for worst kind of scurrilous lies to be spread, the left don't want to help you they want to push your heads under, whilst those same right wing deceivers have the working poor neck deep debt and poverty and kick out with the boots to keep them there.

[NativeCaufican]

I am a dad, I am a divorcee, I am 44 years old. I live in Mobile, Alabama where $26,000.00 per year isn't a bad living if you're single with no kids. however, i have three with the youngest going into her junior year in High School. I pay child support, I pay my taxes, I can't claim my children on my taxes; but that's ok because my Lord savior Jesus not Barak sustains me. I may not know much but I know this. Every job I've had since 1987 came from from big busines, or a small business. Not one wellfare receipient hired me for a job. I have the same oportunity in this country to be whatever, or to go whereever I please. It is up to me not up to the government. I believe that our creator endowed us all with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness.
I saw this day coming in 2007 when gas prices started rising practically one cents per day.
Maybe this reply will never make it to post. Maybe I will be kicked out of the Huffington Post for not being like minded. Maybe I will be put the DHS list as a person to be watched. Maybe I'll be call an Uncle Tom. Whatever you choose to do with this post it is your right as American to do it. God Bless you all; Jesus loves you more.

[makarovowner]

Its good to see a normal person on this forum who will voice thier opinion. Thank you. We are not the few as they would have is believe. You and I are similar in many ways that you spoke of. Most of the companys on my resume no longer exist and were in the building industry of one kind or another. After finding that the industry I was in offered no security at all, I started my own business. I am a General Contractor. I only had one employee. Now, I have none, and have full time employment elsewhere. I still carry all the costs, but my income is cut to 1/4 on which to pay for it. I manage. I hold my pride in check and do what I have to do as always. Yet I will voice my opinion just as you. Welcome Brother.

[valkyrie607]

Divide and conquer is still an effective strategy, I see.

"Loony left" this and "right-wingnuts" that.

Look: both Obama and Bush have embraced a radical expansion of executive power, diminishing our civil liberties in the process. Both are more interested in securing Wall Street's profits than making sure Main Street is okay. Both want to maintain American Empire abroad and neither wants to cut military spending.

Bush practiced deficit spending, cutting taxes during wartime and initiating the flawed TARP program. Obama is proposing deficit spending and the continuation of the TARP program.

The important difference here is that some of the benefits of Obama's deficit spending may actually benefit ordinary people, as opposed to CEOs of giant multinationals and the financial industry.

The outrage from right wing media outlets about this would be so much more convincing if it weren't so selective.

The disturbing part about this is the divergence of "conservative" and "liberal" realities. If perception is reality, then we really are living in different worlds, despite the fact that we have so much more in common with each other than with Beck or Olbermann or Pelosi or Cantor. This can't be good. We need to find common ground. We need to come to some sort of agreement about what's really going on; what's worth freaking out about and what's not. It's not easy but it's necessary if we want to keep our republic.

[bygracenotmerit]

You wrote: "Maybe they're afraid that if people knew that those behind the demonstrations were the very same lobbyists and influence peddlers the teabaggers claim to decry, the whole thing would be revealed to be what it is -- a hollow exercise in extremist right-wing hypocrisy."

You need to get you facts right. This IS a grassroots effort and I am going because it is my God given right to protest under our Constitution - just like is is your God given right to write your article.

Just because those of the conservative persuasion are protesting does not make them all extremist or even right wing. That is called generalizing and when one does that, it is always an untruth because not everyone fits the statement.

There are independents and democrats who are also protesting because they are fed up with the direction Mr. Obama and his cabinet are taking.

I allow you the right to express whatever you like and I would appreciate the same courtesy in return!

[abennett4]

Your 1st semester community college Logic 101 is showing. And who said anything about "god given" rights.

[homesick]

Meh, I've spent today logging into the "Do Not Call Registry" to document the phone numbers of "Tea Baggers" who have called my blocked home phone number 5 times in the past week. Called ID is a wonderful invention. Hope the DNC (heh) Registry pays attention to this.

[givesflack]

The prevailing wisdom is that Republicans want government only for themselves, Libertarians don't want any government at all and Democrats want government for all people. But I will mix up this prescription by saying that Republicans want Libertarians for themselves, Libertarians want neither Democrats or Republicans and Democrats want Libertarians and Republicans to act like we have a government.

[CaptainFailmore]

It's funny because it's true.

[napoleonesse]

I know Campaign for Liberty is part of the Tea Party action in the Houston area. Campaign for Liberty is grassroots. Also, I think this article is off base because even if it is corporate funded (partly) all the tea parties are still be organized locally.

And for those of you who don't know, Republicans and Democrats are practically the same. I don't think President Obama is going to do anything essentially different from Bush even though he says he is. 1) run huge deficits for foreign wars (Afganistan) and defense budget 2) no single payer healthcare system or medicare plus(I really doubt he will get it off the ground) 3) inflate the dollar (thats really the Fed not Obama, but he agrees with it), but of course its debatable whether this matters 4) failing economy

It is nice that we have a better image though :D

[sounder55]

You are right. There is no difference between the two. They merged in the early 1900's.

[noamjunior]

So when confronted with the facts that their supposed non-partisan grass roots movement is funded by billionaires with close ties to the GOP- the only thing teabaggers can say is "but sorros and move on do it too" . Come on cons- yesterday you were telling us all how this wasn't about party politics- now your justification is that the other side is doping it too
LAME

[gage]

Please get your facts straight. It's not "funded by billionaires with close ties to the GOP".

Freedomworks is helping coordinate and help with expenses of SOME of the tea parties, but they didn't start it. There are several HUNDRED happening on Wed, and many have already taken place, and they aren't all funded by "billionaires". We had to raise $91,000 on our own to fund the tea party expenses in my town. I contributed to that myself.

Most of the parties aren't allowing any politicians of any party to speak; a handful are. In fact, a lot of Republicans are worried about this movement, because our ire isn't just aimed at the Dems. Many of us think DC needs a good flushing out of incumbents.

[rfshunt]

Ah, we see now.

it's not "funded" by billionaires, they "help with expenses"

I guess down your rabbit hole, words mean what you want them to mean. Lewis Carroll would be proud - not to mention George Orwell.

[John Hopper]

What are you people trying to do?This is just plain stupidity! Do you really believe the billionaires care for your sorry butts?They care about themselves and there portfolio's.

Have you looked up teabagging on google?You should, have fun and get your 15 minutes of fame;so have your little tea-party and say hi to rush and sean, and glenn.We liberals will be laughing at you and your old ways. good luck in the next(mid-term) elections and try to get some help(mental). Have a good day, john Portland Oregon

[sounder55]

Most individualist are center-right. Our movement is one of individual liberty. It is natural for someone from the center-right spectrum donates to this cause. So because of this we should abandon our cause? That does not make much sense, noamjunior; non-sequitur...

[Mauiboy]

With Fox "sponsoring" this event, it reminds me a lot of ad campaign where the local radio station or TV station promotes a store opening or auto dealership car sale. All we need are the balloons and the clown waving at the passing cars. It may have started as a grass roots effort, but it has be co-oped by Big News and Corporate Interests and is doomed to fail no matter how it's spun. And I believe that it will leave those that truly believe more than a little frustrated in the end.

[bellabeach]

Well said!

[CaptainFailmore]

Do they get wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men, too?

[georgewetherill]

Barney Frank is your poster child. My God thats sad!

Chris Dodd, im sure we'll see him in office again in 2010. Nomatter what these guys do to screw America Dems would vote them in again in a heartbeat.

Nancy Pelosi has a 13% approval rating and guess what, she will be voted in again.

My point is dems vote party and not policy. Nomatter how bad the canidate is. Republicans proved that there not nearly as partisan by voting in the current President.

[noamjunior]

Repubs voted twice for Bush- nuff said

[noamjunior]

you voted for Bush 2 times- pretty much shows where your judgement lies

[sounder55]

You all need to stop grouping. Many, maybe most, conservatives were disgusted by Bush because of his policies against capitalism and individual rights. You must argue these political views as individuals, based on logic and reason, and not as collectives. Collectives cannot think, decide or act.

[Decipherer]

OK, "GeorgieBoy," please cite your poll numbers showing Nancy Pelosi with a 13% approval rating, when she was re-elected LAST FALL (as in less than 6 months ago) overwhelmingly.

Please, share your information with us instead of just pulling stuff out of your ar.se.

Then you say Democrats vote party not policy. Prove it. If what you say is true, how is it that Ralph Nader got enough votes from the Democrats in 2000, for example, to throw the election in Bush's direction when it shouldn't have been close?

Please explain, genius.

[sounder55]

I agree with Decipher. They are voting according to policy. The question is WHAT policies?

[teabagger]

She was ovewhelmingly voted in by her district and not the rest of America. Her district is definitely not representative of the rest of us. I checked several polls and the lowest rating I found of recent is 18%. Wow! She really has the people behind her.

[SirReal1]

Really? You want to go THERE?

Larry Craig
Ted Stevens
Dick Cheney
Strom Thurmond
Richard Shelby
Tom DeLay
David Vitter
J.D. Hayworth
Rick Renzi
Michael Scanlon
Katherine Harris
Norm Coleman
Saxby Chambliss
Sonny Perdue
Bob Taft
Bob Ney
Bill Frist

and I'm ignoring most of the "sexual" crimes.

See:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2180559

and

http://www.armchairsubversive.org/

Are you SURE you want to go there?

[teabagger]

Oh, should we discuss the sexual crimes of the Kennedy's and Bill Clinton? Oh I forgot, big Billie is still confused over it's definition.

[georgewetherill]

Who the hell do you people think you are having a peaceful protest under the law and acting based on your civil rights? I thought it was great when people took to the streets of oakland to protest four police officers being shot and killed and paying tribute to the convicted rapist/ cop killer. The boards on here lit up with anger of that, were'nt they?
People on here should be ashamed of belittleing others for speaking out for what they believe in.

Damn republicans, I dare you question anything the govt. does!

[noamjunior]

much easier to battle straw men than confront facts -

[bellabeach]

Cause the Rethugs are the ones you need to question and they will never give you a straight answer!!

[gage]

It's sad, but righties are far more likely than lefties to stand up for free speech they disagree with. We criticize peace protests, but we never call for the government to shut them down as long as they're not violent. We should always feel free to speak out to our public servants. It's in the constitution.

In contrast, on this website, I've seen scores of comments to the effect that the tea partiers are treasonous and dangerous, and should even be locked up.

There's a very strong strain of totalitarianism on the left.

[noamjunior]

"righties are far more likely than lefties to stand up for free speech they disagree with"
thats why they called anyone against Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq "terrorists"

[rfshunt]

Tell that to the Dixie Chicks.

[SirReal1]

Ludicrous! I'm guessing you've never been on a "Right Wing" Blogsite?

You don't watch "Fox News"?

You don't listen to Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, or read Coulter?

There is a strong strain of HYPOCRISY on the RIGHT!

[SirReal1]

So you were out there protesting the unbridled spending of the Bush Administration for the past 8 years? You protested the illegal war of pre-emption? You protested the Draconian measures enacted by the Republican Party when they had the Majority in Congress and the White House?

Don't worry about responding, they were rhetorical questions.

"The boards on here lit up with anger of that, were'nt they?"

If it wasn't so sad, it would be humorous.

[Josie Lawson]

Maybe they're afraid that if people knew that those behind the demonstrations were the very same lobbyists and influence peddlers the teabaggers claim to decry, the whole thing would be revealed to be what it is -- a hollow excercise in extremist right-wing hypocrisy.

That pretty much says it all.

[kighsersose]

If you're rallying FOR abortion, gay marriage, releasing terrorists + anti-Bush it's OK!

Anything else must be because you are racist, rich, white + Christian.

[SirReal1]

Oh yeah, I remember those rallies!

NOT!

[kathy001]

Actually, this article is about facts, in case you missed that.

[valkyrie607]

Yay abortion!

I'm hosting the next monthly terrorist exchange dinner, where we invite terrorists over for a meeting with the neighborhood and ask them if there's any information they need in order to destroy America more quickly.

This is all divide-and-conquer bullsh!t, folks, and from the looks of things, it's working.

[noamjunior]

Cons on this board - so gullible that when pointed out they are being manipulated they stick up for for the billionaires manipulating them.

[markg1956]

Unlike George Sorros?

[noamjunior]

do vyou even know who Sorros is?

[Pippen]

Sorros didnt come to MoveOn.org

MoveOn.org went to Sorros AFTER they had an authentic grass roots following.

Every time you mention Sorros you might as well mention Mellon-Scaife.

Check and

Check mate.

[gage]

You think you aren't being manipulated by So ros? You should really look into who funds all these programs on your side. It's very interesting, and it's a very small group.

[SirReal1]

What "programs" are you speaking of?