Coal Lobby’s ‘Purest Form Of Grassroots’ Delivered By GOP Voter Fraud Company
Coal Lobby’s ‘Purest Form Of Grassroots’ Delivered By GOP Voter Fraud Company
The coal industry lobbying outfit the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is pressing forward with an aggressive astroturfing campaign going after U.S. senators — despite the recent revelation that it was responsible for forged “grassroots” letters to lawmakers, attacking the American Clean Energy and Security Act:
Paid staff will both call people already on the group’s list and talk to other people at public events, asking them if they want information or T-shirts or would be interested in asking a question at a town hall meeting. “This is the purest form of grassroots,” Lucas said. “It’s facilitating constituents to talk one-on-one with members of Congress.
The new project will use 225,000 volunteers dubbed “America’s Power Army.” They will visit town hall meetings, fairs and other functions attended by members of Congress and ask misleading questions about energy policy.
ThinkProgress has discovered that ACCCE has subcontracted its astroturf operations to the Lincoln Strategy Group, a GOP-tied firm notorious for voter fraud. The LinkedIn profile for Lincoln Strategies staffer Courtney Forrester reveals that her employer is engaged in a massive effort to recruit supporters on behalf of the coal industry. Steve Gates, communications director for ACCCE, told ThinkProgress that Lincoln Strategy Group ran their grassroots campaign last year as well.
The new firm managing the “grassroots” campaign for the coal industry has a history that distinguishes it as being one of the most notorious voter fraud organizations in the country:
- In Oregon and Nevada, Lincoln Strategies — then known as Sproul and Associates — was investigated for destroying Democratic voter registration forms. The Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign paid Sproul $7.4 million for campaign work. [CNN, 10/14/04; KGW News, 10/13/04; East Valley Tribune, 09/07/06]
- In Nevada, people who registered as Democrats with Lincoln Strategies — then known as Sproul and Associates — found their names absent from the voter registration rolls. [Reno Gazette-Journal, 10/29/04]
- During the 2006 midterm elections, Wal-Mart banned Lincoln Strategies for partisan voter registration efforts in Tennessee. The Republican National Committee had hired the firm. [Associated Press, 08/24/06]
- In Arizona, Lincoln Strategies employed a variety of deceptive tactics — including systematically lying about the bill — to push a ballot initiative to eviscerate the state’s clean elections law. [Salon, 10/21/04]
- Lincoln Strategies, then employed by the Republican Party, was behind efforts to place Ralph Nader on the ballot in states such as Arizona. [American Prospect, 06/25/04]
Even former Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT), during a hearing on voter fraud, admitted that “the difference between ACORN and Sproul is that ACORN doesn’t throw away or change registration documents after they have been filled out.”
After the coal industry was caught red-handed stealing letterhead and forging fake letters in opposition to clean energy reform, they simply blamed their contractor — a firm with a long track-record of providing exact type of astroturfing they were caught doing. Now with the coal industry hiring a firm with a long history of fraud and possible criminal activity (the Bush administration declined to ever investigate Sproul and his Lincoln Strategy firm), it is clear the industry is interested in defeating clean energy with deceit and purchased support.
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Righty folks love getting led around by the nose by people who laugh at them when they drive through their neighborhoods.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:00 pmWe should be asking why aren’t lying lobbiests not being prosecuted for fraud? Those who send fraudulent letters to try to influence Congress should face fines, jail and be banned for life from lobbying.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:01 pm.
Crooked is as crooked does.
.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pmsomething tells me that CNN isn’t going to be averse to running ads from this group.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pmGood support is always purchased!
August 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pm.
The best vote money can buy.
.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pmPerhaps a few lawsuits aimed at Lincoln/Sproul will help. Nah, they’d probably just retaliate by picking up money from the tort reform crowd.
Anything to suppress even the notion of consequences for doing the dirty…
August 7th, 2009 at 4:23 pmI am heartened by the fact that unlike the last 150 or so years, current efforts to corrupt, deceive, or bribe politicians into opposing the dangerous and damaging practices of the coal industry aren’t completely covered up and there is a growing awareness of the damage to the landscape and environment causes by practices like strip mining and mountain top removal. I just hope enough can be done to avoid the message being drowned out by tons of cash and the people who promote the industry because its a party position. Do what you can to get the word out – when people know about the moonscapes, the scarred land, the lakes of toxic sludge, the obliterated wildlife and landscapes, and the poisoned air, earth and water, they tend to become strong advocates opposing such activities. Thanks to all who are helping.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:30 pmC’mon, lets see some of those Coal company executives on TV, eating a bowl of coal flakes. With milk.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:31 pm“This is the purest form of grassroots,” Lucas said. “It’s facilitating constituents to talk one-on-one with members of Congress.
___________
Ya mean, like Glenn Beck’s Flashmob Teabaggers, bullying their way into Healthcare town halls, deliberately disrupting, intimidating and even threatening anyone who disagrees w/ them?
That sort of “purest grassroots”???
August 7th, 2009 at 4:39 pmThey don’t care if they pollute our air and water
or disfigure the land.
Money is their god.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:43 pmWe need an attack dog like Franken barking down these lieing liars. Hell, it might make his book sales go up.
August 7th, 2009 at 4:52 pmMaybe the French Revolution wasn’t such a bad way to adjust wealth and power distribution . . . .
August 7th, 2009 at 5:03 pmDidn’t a company in Iraq have the name Lincoln? And wasn’t their mission similar? I was just wondering if there was a connection.
August 7th, 2009 at 5:04 pmI think what we are dealing with here is Zombies. No point in attempting to engage them in conversation. Be prepaired to out-last the shouting – i think their batteries may run down pretty fast – most of them look like they aren’t really interested in talking…
i know it sucks, but isn’t the best strategy just to wait them out?? come back next day if nessesary?
August 7th, 2009 at 5:15 pmPatience Jedi masters. Use the force grasshopper.
August 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pmPerhaps progressives should volunteer for “corporate
August 8th, 2009 at 8:17 amgrassroots movements” in droves with plans to hinder the plans plans of oligopolies, attempting to monopolize the conversation.
America, we have got to find a way to stop ALL lobbying and the pocket lining by Congress.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:54 am