Right-wing opponents of healthcare and climate change reform continue to engage in Astroturfing (aka fake grassroots activism). To put it simply, these groups are like wolves in sheep's' clothing. They do their best to appear, act and smell like community groups...except they're not.

They're corporate front groups funded primarily, if not entirely, by corporate interests, political interests and/or PR firms who stand to either gain or lose a great deal of money and market share based on the legislation in question. Astroturf activism by right-wing front groups is particularly egregious because it masks the true motivations of the powerful interests with the most dollar signs at stake in these debates. Our friends over at Media Matters are looking to put a stop to this.

They have a new database that tracks the financial and political ties of conservative think tanks, nonprofit activist groups, and foundations for the public to see: ConservativeTransparency.org. The new database compiled and organized nearly 1,000 Internal Revenue Service filings to be provide the public-at-large with information on hundreds of "AstroTurf" organizations such as...

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce - leads the way in opposition against federal reforms of....pretty much any kind that help working people. The Chamber is lobbying against consumer protections, limits on bank bonuses, financial reform legislation, legislation to lessen global warming and reform to healthcare and labor law.
• FreedomWorks Inc. - one of the *star* organizations behind the efforts to disrupt town hall meetings.
• The Heritage Foundation - a think tank that promotes ultra conservative policies and has repeated lobbied against increases in the minimum wage as well as health insurance reform.
• Conservatives for Patients' Rights - A $20 million operation that's running a national campaign against a public plan to kill progressive health care reform.
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation - helped organize tea party protests, opposes health care reform behind Patients United Now. Also sponsor of the Joe the Plumber tour and world-class climate change deniers.

See ConservativeTransparency.org for a wealth of information on the money behind the movement.

Now that we're closer than ever before to reforming our health care system, the opposition is ratcheting up the fear-mongering and deception. They'll say anything to dominate the public conversation and disrupt productive dialogue, and do anything to block reform--including harassment, intimidation, and physical violence.

For several days now, radical-fringe right-wing opponents bent on blocking any reform legislation have disrupted town hall meetings conducted by members of Congress. At the same time they're engaging in Astroturf [read: fake grassroots] activism, these radical-fringe groups are disseminating discredited myths about health care reform bills that were adopted by four Congressional committees. Astroturfing by conservative opponents of reform is particularly dishonest because it masks the true motivations of the powerful interests--like the desire of industries to maintain the status quo.

These conservative lobbyist-run groups are leading the way orchestrating town hall mobs.

FreedomWorks
According to TPM, FreedomWorks is teaming up with the Tea Party Patriots to target Blue Dogs on health care reform. "Take, for instance, an email exchange, obtained by TPMDC, between a protester and a FreedomWorks field organizer on a list serv operated by the latter. Last month, Tom Gaitens, a FreedomWorks field manager posted a spreadsheet containing contact information for Blue Dogs and their chiefs of staff, to a tea party organizers list serv that he manages." In addition, Roll Call reported that FreedomWorks is one of the organizations "behind the efforts" to disrupt town hall meetings. [Talking Points Memo, 8/4/2009; Roll Call, 8/5/2009] The group, chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, is emailing 380,000 supporters an "August Recess Action Kit" link this week.

Conservatives for Patients' Rights
Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a $20 million operation that's running a national campaign against a public plan to kill progressive health care reform, is now publicly taking credit for helping stir up the sometimes-rowdy outbursts targeting House Dems at town hall meetings around the country. Which makes these disruptions seem....a little less than spontaneous, or simply a reflection of grassroots sentiment. CPR has posted a list of congressional town halls to be held over August recess "as a resource for our visitors." The fact-checking website Politifact.com has rated Conservatives for Patients' Rights statements about health care reform, "Barely True."

Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity Helping to Organize Tea Party Protests. The Charlotte Observer reported that Americans for Prosperity is "the organization behind this year's taxpayer tea parties," and the Roanoke Times reported "the Tea Party Patriots and Americans for Prosperity organized the Nationwide Tea Party protest day." [Charlotte Observer, 7/22/2009; Roanoke Times, 7/18/2009] The group is listed as a "Health Care Freedom Coalition Partner" on the Tea Party Patriots website. It was established by oil magnate David Koch, and its creation is a result of a split from an earlier Koch-based enterprise, now called FreedomWorks (sound familiar?) AFP was also instrumental in orchestrating the anti-Obama, anti-tax tea party protests in April.

Americans for Prosperity's various fronts and disclosures that point to ever-increasing oil and corporate donations to the group are guided by AFP President Tim Phillips--who, as The Wonk Room notes, "has built a long career of inventing fake grassroots causes." Phillips' resume includes founding an Atlanta-based firm with Abramoff-connected Ralph Reed. The firm, Century Strategies, has a history of mounting "grassroots lobbying drives," and Reed in the past has said (when attempting to help Enron deregulate the electricity industry), "it matters less who has the best arguments and more who gets heard -- and by whom."

Club for Growth
Right-Wing founder Steven Moore pushed for ending all assistance to low-income Americans, calling Medicare "Catastrophic." In 2000, Moore advocated abolishing welfare, stating, "The most valuable step the Congress could take to help dismantle the welfare-poverty trap would be to abolish all programs that provide benefits for not working: food stamps, AFDC, and public housing, for example." In 2003, Moore wrote, "Every American taxpayer knows full well the fiscally catastrophic impact of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and other black-check income redistribution programs." [Washington Times, 4/07/00; Detroit News, 7/21/03]

Americans for Tax Reform/Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist Pushing Members to Attend Town Hall Meetings. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, "said he encourages his members to attend town-hall meetings - and arms them with suggested questions." [Roll Call, 8/5/2009]

A serious and civil discourse about healthcare reform - tied to facts, not myths - will substantially increase the public's support for reform. "America's families want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that health insurance and care can never be taken away - when they switch jobs, lose jobs, start a business, or become sick. That's why a civil discourse is so important, and that's why health insurance reform is essential," said SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera.

Playing politics with health reform is simply unacceptable. We must fight back against lies and fear-mongering to drown out the opposition--and send the message that health care reform must happen this year. That starts with knowing who we're up against--so read our "fact checks" on FreedomWorks, Conservatives for Patients' Rights, Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Americans for Tax Reform/Grover Norquist.

Americans for Prosperity Has History of Launching Front Groups to Fight Against Progressive Priorities.  In the past, Americans for Prosperity has started a host of groups to fight against legislative priorities, including the Hot Air Tour questioning global warming, Save My Ballot Tour, launched to fight against the Employee Free Choice Act, and No Stimulus, formed to attempt to derail the passage of the Recovery Act. [Hotairtour.org, accessed 8/5/2009;  Savemyballot.com, accessed 8/5/2009; Nostimulus.com, accessed 8/5/2009]

Americans for Prosperity Opposed Expansion Of Children's Health Insurance. In 2007, Americans for Prosperity opposed legislation to expand children's health insurance to cover millions of additional kids. The legislation would have provided funding to boost enrollment to 10 million children, up from 6.6 million. [Americans for Prosperity Release, 10/18/07, 7/30/2007]

Americans For Prosperity Established by Oil Magnate David Koch. In 2003, David Koch "a major contributor to the Republican Party and supporter of conservative causes...helped establish the nonprofit Americans for Prosperity Foundation...It split off from an earlier Koch-backed enterprise, now called FreedomWorks." [New York Times, 7/10/2008]

• 2000: Koch Industries Paid $30 Million In Fines For Oil Spills. In 2000, Koch Industries paid $30 million in what was at the time the largest civil fine ever imposed on a company under any federal environmental law, to resolve claims related to more than 300 oil spills from its pipelines and oil facilities in six states.  [EPA Press release]
  

• 2009: Koch Industries Subsidiary Paid $1.7 Million In Penalties.  In 2009, "Invista, a subsidiary of Koch Industries" paid "$1.7 million in civil penalties to the federal government and to three states after numerous violations at its chemical plants." [New York Times, 4/14/2009]
  

• Koch Admitted Releasing a Dangerous Carcinogen. In 2002, the Washington City Paper reported that a "97-count indictment against Koch Industries and Koch Petroleum Group LP for violating the Clean Air Act and hazardous-waste laws, filed in 2000, was settled last year with a $20 million assessment and an admission by the company that it had vented benzene, a carcinogen, directly into the air at its Corpus Christi, Texas, plant." [Washington City Paper, 3/14/2002]

Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips Founded Firm With Abramoff-Connected Ralph Reed.  "In 1997, Phillips and former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed founded Atlanta-based Century Strategies." [National Journal, 2/25/2006]

• Enron Paid Firm $380,000 To Deregulate Industry. Phillips' and Reed's firm, Century Strategies, was retained by Enron from 1997 until 2001 and they were paid $380,000.  Reed "offered to help Enron Corp. deregulate the electricity industry by working his 'good friends' in Washington and by mobilizing religious leaders and pro-family groups for the cause." [Washington Post, 2/17/2002]
  

• Phillips Helped Disgraced Lobbyist Jack Abramoff Funnel Money.  In 2000, Tim Phillips reportedly recruited Robin Vanderwall to run the non-profit Faith and Family Alliance. According to the Washington Post, "Faith and Family allegedly was used by Abramoff to funnel money to a campaign to defeat legislation to prohibit gambling over the Internet. Money was sent from a client of Abramoff's to Americans for Tax Reform, which kept a portion. The rest was routed to Faith and Family, records show. Vanderwall then made out a check for the identical amount and sent it to the political consulting firm where Phillips is vice president. That firm was founded by former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed, an Abramoff friend. The money was meant to attack conservative Republicans who backed the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, a review of records shows." [Washington Post, 11/3/2005]

It didn't take long, did it?

First, it was Rick Scott's Conservatives for Patients' Rights-which was essentially a front group for, um, Rick Scott. Now we've got Patients United Now (PUN), a front group of Americans for Prosperity (reminder: sponsor of the Joe the Plumber tour and world-class climate change deniers). Seems you can't have too many groups crying "CANADA!" in a crowded cable market.

This latest attack is lifted straight off a messaging memo by Republican strategist Frank Luntz, whose talking points aim to undermine health care reform in three simple steps: scare, conflate and confuse the American public. The ad's format is similar to a series of Rick Scott ads from earlier this month (guess they're low on creativity in the Grand Old Party), paring up health care stories with misleading claims about reforming the system.

Below is excerpted text from this latest attack ad on health care:

Shona Holmes: I am here today because I was able to travel to the U.S. where I received world-class treatment. Government healthcare isn't the answer and it sure isn't free.

Announcer: Now Washington wants to bring Canadian-style healthcare to the U.S., but government should never come in between your family and your doctor. Learn more at patientsunitednow.com.

Shona Holmes: My advice to Americans - as patients, it's your care. Don't give up your rights.

Here's what we already know: health care reform will look nothing like Canada. Nowhere in the ad does PUN even try to explain how health care reform would "bring Canadian-style healthcare to the U.S." That's because, in the words of Rachel Maddow, it's complete bull-puckey.

We've got to fight back. The 60-second ad starts on tomorrow, May 27 and runs through June 2. It will run in at least nine key states, including Montana, and will also air on May 31st on the Sunday morning talk shows.

This blatantly misleading ad has no business airing on television. Join us in fighting back - sign the petition to stop the swift-boating of health care reform on television.