Now Running On CNN

Karl Rove's astroturf group American Crossroads has been running the below anti-union ad for about a week. Note the clever way they excise the speech of an NEA spokesman.

WISCONSIN: Blogger Claims To Have Called Gov While Posing As David Koch

Mother Jones reports that New York-based journalist/blogger Ian Murphy claims to have had a 20-minute phone conversation with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker while posing as billionaire Tea Party kingpin David Koch. The Koch brothers were major backers of Walker's campaign and are known to have donated millions to astroturf groups posing as ordinary citizens.

According to the audio, Walker told him:
* That statehouse GOPers were plotting to hold Democratic senators' pay until they returned to vote on the controversial union-busting bill.
* That Walker was looking to nail Dems on ethics violations if they took meals or lodging from union supporters.
* That he'd take "Koch" up on this offer: "Once you crush these bastards I'll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time."

Mother Jones isn't 100% convinced this is real, but most are saying that the voice on the tape does sound like Walker.


(Tipped by JMG reader Birdie)

Rachel Maddow: Tea Party Express Is A Secret GOP-Funded Astroturf Group

And she hands CNN their heads for airing Bachmann's speech.

Health Insurance Lobby Gave $86M To Fight Health Care Reform

A coalition of insurance companies donated over $86M to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to fight the passage of health care reform. The Chamber is notoriously run by GOP-insiders.

The spending exceeded the insurer group’s entire budget from a year earlier and accounted for 40 percent of the Chamber’s $214.6 million in 2009 spending. The expenditures reflect the insurers’ attempts to influence the bill after Democrats in Congress and the White House put more focus on regulation of the insurance industry. The $86.2 million paid for advertisements, polling and grass roots events to drum up opposition to the bill that’s projected to provide coverage to 32 million previously uninsured Americans, according to Tom Collamore, a Chamber of Commerce spokesman. The Chamber used the funds to “advance a market- based health-care system and advocate for fundamental reform that would improve access to quality care while lowering costs,” it said in a statement.

"Grass roots." Right. The companies in the coalition include UnitedHealth and Cigna.

(Via - Alan Colmes)

Rachel Maddow On The Billionaires Funding The Tea Party Movement

Harry Reid Astroturfs Sharron Angle

Nevada local television covered a group of senior citizens calling themselves the Alliance For Retired Americans as they protested outside the campaign headquarters of teabagger loon Sharron Angle. But the group's "spokesman" is actually Richard Miller, the head of Reid's Southern Nevada Steering Committee. I guess they thought those terrible handmade signs made them look all for realz and shit.

Astroturfers Fight NY Gov. Paterson's Proposed Beverage Tax

NY Gov. David Paterson's controversial beverage tax, which is meant to fight obesity (and help balance the budget), is facing vigorous opposition from soft drink manufacturers. The astroturf group New Yorkers Against Unfair Taxes has been running the below ad on NYC television every hour for the last few days. The proposed tax is one cent per ounce of sugared beverage, which includes colas, most sports drinks, powdered mixes, and some fruit juices.