ANALYSIS: Both Regular And ‘Shadow’ RNCs Brought To You By Big Oil
ANALYSIS: Both Regular And ‘Shadow’ RNCs Brought To You By Big Oil
Our guest blogger is Joshua Dorner, Communications Director for Progressive Media.
Following scandal after scandal, many donors have abandoned the Michael Steele-led Republican National Committee in favor of other right-wing groups preparing to attack Democratic candidates in this fall’s elections. The two biggest beneficiaries of the RNC’s woes appear to be American Crossroads, the “shadow RNC” setup by Bush operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, and the Republican Governors Association, currently chaired by Mississippi Governor and former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour. Despite their apparent strategic differences, these three groups still have one thing in common: massive infusions of cash from Big Oil. Over $4 million of oil-related cash has spewed into the three groups in the second quarter alone.
AMERICAN CROSSROADS: American Crossroads, the shadowy 527 group setup by Rove and Gillespie as a supposed “grassroots” alternative to the RNC, and whose stated goal is to distort the facts in order to brand the BP oil disaster as “Obama’s Katrina,” has received 97 percent of its funding from just four right-wing billionaires. Of these, two made their fortunes in the oil and gas industry, according to a report by Salon. The two Dallas-based oil billionaires, Trevor Rees-Jones and Robert Rowling, each contributed $1 million to the group, which recently began airing misleading attack ads against Senator Harry Reid. Rove and Gillespie have also explicitly taken advantage of the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision to setup a related 501(c)4 organization, American Crossroads GPS, in order to conceal the identity of some of their donors. The public will likely never know where the $5.1 million the group raised in June came from because of “the value of confidentiality to some donors,” but it could have come from other right-wing oil billionaires like tea party-funder David Koch to major corporations like BP America and Goldman Sachs.
RGA: Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has moved aggressively to promote the RGA as an alternative to the RNC. In addition to setting up “victory funds” across the country that have long been “the province of the RNC,” Barbour recently told a private audience that “[he] had to raise the RGA budget by $10 million because the RNC is in such bad shape.” Barbour, who has made something of a recent career out of downplaying the severity of the BP oil disaster, has indeed driven RGA fundraising to new heights during his tenure as chairman. As we previously reported, the oil and gas industry appears to have shown its appreciation for Barbour’s Big Oil apologism by contributing more than $2 million to the RGA’s coffers in the last quarter alone.
RNC: Despite its almost constant series of travails, the regular RNC, which still lists Gillespie as the owner of its headquarters, continues to take in boatloads of cash from Big Oil. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that so far this election cycle the RNC has received $555,439 from the oil and gas industry — enough to make Big Oil one of the embattled committee’s top ten sources of cash. The RNC unveiled a new ad yesterday attacking President Obama’s response to BP oil disaster, perhaps in the hopes of drumming up even more cash from Big Oil.
Unfortunately for the regular RNC, there’s at least one major GOP donor who is only giving his money to the shadow RNCs. Texas leveraged buyout billionaire Harold Simmons, best known for funding the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004 and false attack ads linking President Obama to Bill Ayers in 2008, has recently channeled $1 million to American Crossroads and $125,000 to the RGA.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
“Brought To You By Big Oil”?
Try owned by big oil.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:21 pmCorporate energy, corporate defense, corporate banking, corporate media and corporate religion own the repiggie party.
The repiggie Supreme Court considers these corporations “individuals,” and these “individuals” are the primary constituents of the repiggie party.
Repiggie scum have totally given up on this nation, and are busy hoarding cash and goodies which they have received from their corporate masters.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:23 pmGrand
July 28th, 2010 at 3:24 pmOil
Party
Greasy bastards every one them.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:27 pmJesus! We can’t escape the corruption, can we? Everywhere we look, there is someone scheming to fu*k the American people over. I think we are at a point where we may never get this Country back on track.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:30 pmIn the same way that it was disastrous to let the financial industry become “too big to fail”, isn’t it a mistake to let the oil companies be big enough to run the govt ?
July 28th, 2010 at 3:36 pmDo not ask what you can do for your country. Ask what you can do for your corporations, and what your country did to you.
Sick bastards…
July 28th, 2010 at 3:37 pmOff Topic….. But interesting. According to a Rasmussen poll, Harry Reid is leading Sharron Angle 45% to 43%. It is the first time he has jumped ahead. I guess her views on the unemployed and dismantling S.S. and her unbelievable statements on abortion bit her in the ass.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:38 pm“ANALYSIS: Both Regular And ‘Shadow’ RNCs Brought To You By Big Oil”
but the “shadow rnc” is also brought to you by pig lard in the form of karl rove.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:39 pmWe REALLY need to pass DISCLOSURE post haste. Before the election cycle…By reconciliation if necessary…NOW!
July 28th, 2010 at 3:41 pmThis is an instance of irony’s rare “distilled” form:
July 28th, 2010 at 3:41 pmTP’s article to the left, and a BP ad to the right.
Considering the quality of the average Republican bagger candidate, they are going to need huge amounts of money to sell that much bigotry and stupidity.
Now just wouldn’t be so sweet if they spent all that money and lost because Americans really aren’t that stupid?
July 28th, 2010 at 3:46 pmAnyone for accelerating green power? Wind, sun, thermal, hydro, whatever? Get OUT FROM UNDER these bastards.
The Arabs know the oil kingdom will last another 50 years untill they run out. Let’s shorten that… make them superfluous altogether…
July 28th, 2010 at 3:46 pm@8, P.D. says:
And with the well known Rasmussen bias, this could easily be a 7-point spread…
July 28th, 2010 at 3:51 pmRegular And ‘Shadow’ RNCs , there’s a difference between the two? Thought they were one and the same.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:51 pmYou mean the party that constantly whines about “special interests” is nothing more than a pawn for the largest special interest group? Shokkker!
July 28th, 2010 at 3:52 pmwild@14, LOL! I was thinking the same thing! I’m sure Rasmussen was sweating as he reported the results. We all know Rasmussen LOVES them Repugs!
July 28th, 2010 at 3:53 pmwildwilly1111, you are so right. 7 point lead just as you predicted!
Reid takes 44 percent to Angle’s 37 percent in the poll, which was conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal by Mason Dixon Polling & Research.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:54 pmSenator Reid leads in all polls with an RCP average lead of +3.7
July 28th, 2010 at 3:54 pmRCP: Nevada Senate – Angle vs. Reid
GOP
GOOD
July 28th, 2010 at 3:57 pmOIL
PAY
According to new survey from Public Policy Polling, Rand Paul — son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) — is now running roughly even with his lesser-known Democrat opponent, Jack Conway, in a state long considered a “Republican stronghold.”
The KKKons are in for a rude awakening in November. The dumphukkks think their attacks on Democrats have made them more popular, but it’s just not true…
July 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pmhar@19, LOL! What choice do Nevadians have? A unpopular Senator, or a complete whack-job? Angle had the balls to run from the press conference SHE arranged! Her ‘Making lemons into lemonade’ statement about abortion was incredible. Add the fact she floated the possibility of bringing back Prohibition was unreal. The woman is as crazy as a loon. And she looks a little nuts too. Like Bachman. That wide eyed stare that makes you think she is on Prozac.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pmGod’s
July 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pmOil
People
People in this country are so busy worrying about their I-Phones and Lindsay Lohan and other time wasting drivel that they won’t even bat an eye when the smear and fear ad blitz begins. Billboards, radio ads, tv ads, internet and newspaper (yes, there are some left) ads, etc. Not to mention the right wing hate radio onslaught that will come from Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, et al. It will be brutal, incessant and disgustly ugly.
All I hope for is that the American people wake up and recognize this pathetic attempt to con the them instead of actually offering something, ANYTHING, of substance that will benefit this nation, backfires on them miserably.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:00 pmMr.@24, Don’t forget Chelsea Clintons wedding! They had live updates on her gown! WTF?
July 28th, 2010 at 4:02 pmP.D. says: @22
Evertyhing Sharron :”Obtuse” Angle has said is funny especially the lemonade comment, but I think it would worth as many laughs if not more if the GnOPer’s had nominated Sue “The Chicken Lady” Louden.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:02 pmYeah P.D., and some reporters are calling it the closest thing to a royal wedding that we can have. Royal wedding?!!!
DILLIGAF!!!
July 28th, 2010 at 4:06 pmMr.@27, Damn, I think I will gag. It’s as bad as ‘Missing White Chick’.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:07 pmSpeaking of ‘missing white chick’ there’s another one their talking about. Pretty, blonde, white and missing for a week. Amazing journalism we have in this country these days.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:14 pmOops, I meant they’re not their.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:14 pmour website: Ebiz cool.COM
BEST QUALITY GUARANTEE!!
SAFTY & HONESTY GUARANTEE!!
FAST & PROMPT DELIVERY GUARANTEE!!
Packing: All the products are packed with original boxes and tags also retro cards/ code
July 28th, 2010 at 8:34 pmnumder
A ir jo rdan (1-24) sh oes ($33)
Ha ndba gs(Coach,ed hardy,lv,d&g) ($35)
Bik ini (Ed har dy,polo) ($25)
TN REQUIN
REQUIN TN
basket tn
Hello,everybody,the good shoping place,In the summer, click in. Let’s facelift bar! N I K E , A I R M A X ,J O R D A N ,SHOES,$33
July 28th, 2010 at 8:46 pmC O A C H ,G U C C I ,E D H A R D Y , HANDBAGS,$35
P O L O , L A C O S T E , E D H A RD Y ,T-SHIRTS$16
BI KI NI,$25,ect,…
We need your support and trust!!!
Dear friends, please temporarily stop your footsteps
To our website Walk around A look at
Maybe you’ll find happiness in your sight shopping heaven and earth
You’ll find our price is more suitable for you. Your presence is our greatest pleasure.
http://www.needaseller.com 100% Free Shipping.
* Nike Ninja * NIKE RIFT * AIR RIFT
Yet again, a wingnut shows up in the middle of sohbet odaları a Soros-controlled TP thread to complain that TP isn’t çilingir a comprehensive news site covering all stories that anybody might consider worthy sohbet of merit.
Protip: TP, aşk şiirleri as the blog for the Center for çilingir American Progress, only inlcludes pieces that demonstrate that Republicans are evil or stupid.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:18 amI wouldn’t be surprised to find a little coal blood money in that pile of cash.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:34 amAll of the Republicants are so owned by oil that they piss it out daily.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:40 pmThere are so many HD videofantastic web designers out porno izle there that share their work with the rest of us..
July 31st, 2010 at 1:47 pmThe porno izle article of this blog lig tv izle very informative and maç izle useful also.It resolvesdizi izle many problems of mine.
Thanksyoutube videos