Who Is Funding the Tea Baggers' Robocalls?

[Stephanie]

This is bizarre. It's not cheap to pay for robocalls all around the country, but I'm seeing lots of reports today that this is going on. The tea party I attended in New York was just a bunch of misfit whiners ranting maniacally at the megaphone the same way they do on their freeper sites. There was no organization, no stage, no sound system. One or two guest speakers were actually scheduled, the rest were just everyday whiners who stepped up from the crowd to bore us with insane rants.

Suddenly, an organization of some sort has stepped in to fund robocalls around the country urging people to attend tea parties? Who is it? How do we find out?

I just got robo called to a tea party (with update)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/8/717943/-I-just-got-robo-called-to-a-tea-party

I just got my robocall for the Tea (Bag) Party!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5415983


Have you received your "tea party" robocall yet?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5414368

I just got tea-bagged over the phone for the second time today.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5423349

just got a robocall
reminding me to join the tea party
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2009/4/9/1121/51075/169#c169

Teabagging robocall
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2009/4/8/1548/78353/7#c7

[babylonsister]

1. Maybe corporate lobbyists?

Spontaneous Uprising? Corporate Lobbyists Helping To Orchestrate Radical Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/lobbyists-planning-teaparties/

[Stephanie]

4. I think you've got it

Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity,

Despite these attempts to make the “movement” appear organic, the principle organizers of the local events are actually the lobbyist-run think tanks Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works. The two groups are heavily staffed and well funded, and providing all the logistical and public relations work necessary for planning coast-to-coast protests:

– Freedom Works staffers coordinate conference calls among protesters, contacting conservative activists to give them “sign ideas, sample press releases, and a map of events around the country.”

– Freedom Works staffers apparently moved to “take over” the planning of local events in Florida.

– Freedom Works provides how-to guides for delivering a “clear message” to the public and media.

– Freedom Works has several domain addresses — some of them made to look like they were set up by amateurs — to promote the protests.

– Americans for Prosperity is writing press releases and planning the events in New Jersey, Arizona, New Hampshire, Missouri, Kansas, and several other states.

This type of corporate ‘astroturfing‘ is nothing new to either organization. While working to promote Social Security privatization, Freedom Works was caught planting one of its operatives as a “single mom” to ask questions to President Bush in a town hall on the subject. Last year, the Wall Street Journal exposed Freedom Works for similarly building “amateur-looking” websites to promote the lobbying interests of Dick Armey, the former Republican Majority Leader who now leads Freedom Works and is a lobbyist for the firm DLA Piper.

Americans for Prosperity is run by Tim Phillips, who was Ralph Reed’s former partner in the lobbying firm Century Strategies. The group is funded by Koch family foundations — a family whose wealth is derived from the oil industry. Indeed Americans for Prosperity has coordinated pro-drilling ‘grassroots‘ events around the country.

[malaise]

11. Are they using the taxpayers

bail out money? That would be interesting.

[county worker]

2. The people with no plan on how to fix the mess we are in because if their fuck ups wants us

to join them in the same kind of fuck ups.

They have no power this time, no ideas but the same old tired right wing ideology that doesn't work and they smile like little kids who stole a cookie behind mom's back.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

3. Richard Mellon Scaife, et al.

Banana Republicans
http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Republicans-Turning-America-One-Party/dp/1585423424

Koch Family Foundations, pps. 20-21

[rvablue]

5. And to actually think there is a DUer on here today hand-wringing because

the administration isn't taking these "grass roots protestors" seriously after reading this proof that this is an orchestrated, well-funded RW circus.

:crazy: :eyes:

[Stephanie]

6. No kidding

At least these tea parties are bringing the trolls out from under the bridge.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Jody?

[warrior1]

8. If your on a do no call list

can they be sued?

[Stephanie]

9. I think political calls are exempt

[warrior1]

10. file a complaint

https://www.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx

[Democracyinkind]

12. I live in fear of the coming medioracy.

It would be a sexy name for a political movement, though.

I see a protest singing " I wanna be the medio - ra - cy. Beautiful.

[Stephanie]

13. The Medioracy Surrounds You

[tekisui]

14. Thom Hartmann said today its a year and a half plan being

bankrolled in the millions of dollars. The pukes are hoping to make it like the 'contract on America'. I don't recall if he said WHO was funding, but it is backed by pukes with bucks.

[rvablue]

16. Yep. The originial URL for the tea baggers was registered before the election.

They were going to protest whatever Obama did. Doesn't matter. It's a silly attempt to try to make it look like it's a grass roots movement, when in fact it is a corporate sponsored event.

[shimane]

15. Political Calls Are Exempt

Yes, several of you are correct.

Political calls (surprise) are exempt from the do not call registry (well, some states are fighting back: examples IN and MN).

Shaun Dakin
CEO
The National Political Do Not Contact registry
StopPoliticalCalls.org

[Stephanie]

17. Are lobbyists calls exempt?

Because these groups are not advocating for a candidate, it's not with regard to an election, it really has nothing to do with our political process, it's just special interests promoting a non-event to further their corporatist agenda.

[Mari333]

18. THE POWERS BEHIND THE TEABAG PARTIES

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5426459