Jon Henke Attacks CAP/AF as “Astroturf”

Speaking of astroturf organizing, Jon Henke has a curious post up accusing my ThinkProgress colleagues of hypocrisy for using the term “astroturf” in a disparaging way:

The Center for American Progress & Think Progress, of all groups, should know better than to use the word “astroturf” against funded, ideological 501c(4) organizations that are trying to organize activists. Especially considering how many funded, ideological 501c(4) organizations they have trying to organize activists.

I don’t understand how this argument is supposed to work. CAP & CAPAF aren’t astroturf outfits because we’re not pretending to be a grassroots organization. The Tea Party “movement” is a sham because it’s pretending to be a spontaneous grassroots movement. Obviously, ThinkProgress is not a spontaneous grassroots movement. It’s a hierarchical organization that describes itself as “a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund” that “seeks to provide a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies.”