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Top Democrat Name-Checks ‘Koch Brothers’ in Fundraising Appeal

Posted on | April 26, 2012 | 6 Comments

The executive director of the Democratic National Committee slammed Americans for Prosperity as a “mysterious, secretly funded, Koch-brothers-backed group” in a fundraising e-mail seeking contributions to help Democrats “fight back” and defend President Obama.

American Crossroads, a so-called “super PAC” led by conservatives including former Bush campaign strategist Karl Rove, was also targeted in the e-mail sent today by DNC executive director Patrick Gaspard.

“Remember the mysterious, secretly funded, Koch-brothers-backed group called Americans for Prosperity, which flushed millions into the 2010 election to help Tea Party Republicans take back the House?” Gaspard wrote in the e-mail (full text below). “This is the same group that, along with Sarah Palin, supported and rallied for Scott Walker’s fight in Wisconsin to strip union workers of collective bargaining rights. Well, they’re back — with a ‘multi-million dollar,’ ‘massive ad launch’ to slam President Obama. We could face some serious damage — unless we fight back right away.”

There is nothing secretive about American for Prosperity’s plans. A press release announcing the group’s ad campaign quoted AFP President Tim Phillips: “This new TV ad combined with our social media and boots on the ground approach pulls back the curtain on an important component of our strategy and focus this year. We’re going to be shining a spotlight on something so important, President Obama himself will be forced to take notice.” (See video of AFP ad below.)

Gaspard’s fundraising e-mail to Democrats quoted a recent column by E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post: “We are about to have the worst presidential campaign money can buy.”

The DNC executive director did not mention that, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, the Democratic Party has so far outraised Republicans by more than $80 million in the 2012 camapign cycle. Comparing the fundraising totals of the major parties’ national committees, the CRP reports that Democrats have raised $417 million compared to $340 million for the GOP — a 23% advantage for Democrats. Gaspard also failed to note that President Obama’s re-election campaign finished March with more than $100 million cash-on-hand, giving the incumbent Democrat a 10-to-1 advantage over his Republican rival Mitt Romney, who just completed a bruising GOP primary campaign.

* – * – * – * – *
* TEXT OF D.N.C. FUNDRAISING E-MAIL *

Friend —
Remember the mysterious, secretly funded, Koch-brothers-backed group called Americans for Prosperity, which flushed millions into the 2010 election to help Tea Party Republicans take back the House? This is the same group that, along with Sarah Palin, supported and rallied for Scott Walker’s fight in Wisconsin to strip union workers of collective bargaining rights.
Well, they’re back — with a “multi-million dollar,” “massive ad launch” to slam President Obama.
We could face some serious damage — unless we fight back right away.
Before Monday’s critical FEC fundraising deadline, and before the damage is done, fight back against the Koch brothers’ ad assault right now with a donation of $3 or more.
“We are about to have the worst presidential campaign money can buy,” a Washington Post columnist recently wrote about super PACs and outside groups’ new ability to raise and spend money.
Just look at pro-Romney super PAC spending during the GOP primary to get a glimpse of what we’re up against.
Outside groups are running millions of dollars in ads right now, with the express purpose of beating us before we even get the chance to fight back.
Here’s the kicker: This is in addition to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super PAC and Crossroads GPS, which plan to spend as much as $300 million and recently announced that they are already $100 million to their goal.
His group is spending $1.7 million on ads right now attacking the president in six swing states critical to winning in November: Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia. They also just launched ads in five states to help the GOP take the Senate this year.
We’re facing a big fundraising deadline at midnight on Monday — and we’re facing Karl Rove and the Koch brothers.
If you want to be part of defending President Obama’s record, our progress, and Democrats up and down the ticket, now’s the time to get in.
Chip in $3 or more to make sure we’re prepared to fight back today:

https://my.democrats.org/April-Deadline

Thanks,
Patrick

Patrick Gaspard
Executive Director

* – * – * – * – *
* VIDEO OF AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY AD *

Press release from AFP:

Today, AFP launched a “Wasteful Spending” ad holding President Obama accountable for his use of taxpayer dollars. The ad highlights the billions of stimulus dollars which have been given to foreign companies, subsidizing their own green energy projects – while 13 million Americans are unable to find jobs.
Over the next two weeks, the ad will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia.
“This ad is not a one-time event – it’s one piece of a comprehensive public education and grassroots advocacy effort,” said AFP President Tim Phillips. “Politicians who oppose fiscal accountability, job creation, and commonsense energy solutions should take notice, because taxpayers certainly will.”

UPDATE: DNC dictating headlines for the Associated Press?

Conservative-leaning group tied to Koch brothers
launches $6.5 million anti-Obama TV ad

UPDATE II: Apparently, it’s a coordinated message:

The Obama campaign accused ‘secretive oil billionaires’ of running a shadow campaign on Mitt Romney’s behalf.
“Secretive oil billionaires are making good on their promise to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Governor Romney’s behalf attempting to defeat the President,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in a statement.

(Via Weasel Zippers.)


Category: Barack Obama, Democrats, Election 2012, Republicans

Comments

6 Responses to “Top Democrat Name-Checks ‘Koch Brothers’ in Fundraising Appeal”

  1. Steve in TN
    April 26th, 2012 @ 6:21 pm

    They are doing to the Kochs what liberty minded folk should be doing to Soros.

  2. Adjoran
    April 26th, 2012 @ 7:47 pm

    I believe the total given by both Kochs brothers AND their company AND all its employees to ALL conservative groups and candidates is only a fraction of what Soros gives ThinkProgress, MoveOn.org, and Media Matters alone.

  3. Watch Out for the Conservative Boogeymen! | The Lonely Conservative
    April 26th, 2012 @ 10:24 pm

    […] the shadows. They do things like run ads in swing states against Democrats and their Dear Leader. Pay up now or evil men like the Koch brothers might create some more jobs.  We can’t have that now, can we?American Crossroads, a […]

  4. Watch Out for the Conservative Boogeymen! | The Lonely Conservative
    April 26th, 2012 @ 10:24 pm

    […] the shadows. They do things like run ads in swing states against Democrats and their Dear Leader. Pay up now or evil men like the Koch brothers might create some more jobs.  We can’t have that now, can we?American Crossroads, a […]

  5. Adobe_Walls
    April 26th, 2012 @ 10:39 pm

    I’d be surpprised if it wasn’t less than any one of the three.

  6. Bob Belvedere
    April 27th, 2012 @ 8:10 am

    Ideas Go Better With Koch.