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Outside Groups Push WI GOP to the Right in U.S. Senate Primary

by Brendan Fischer — August 13, 2012 - 9:41am
  • Topics: Right Wing, Election 2012, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • Wisconsin's hotly-contested race to select its GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate is another battle between out-of-state Super PACs and Tea Party-associated nonprofits spending millions to convince election-weary voters to select their preferred candidate. The influx of outside spending is fueling a race to the right as candidates compete for the label of "true conservative." Here is a rundown of the groups spending big to influence Wisconsin's GOP primary.

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    NRA Up to Old Tricks at ALEC, But "Docs and Glocks" Bill Halted

    by Brendan Fischer — August 9, 2012 - 8:39am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Politics

    • Florida Governor Rick Scott is spending taxpayer money defending a law conceived by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and proposed for ratification by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that would prohibit doctors from asking their patients about gun ownership. Though the law has been blocked by a federal court, it appeared set to follow the path to becoming an ALEC "model bill" paved by the infamous "Stand Your Ground" law, which was initially cited by law enforcement to protect Trayvon Martin's killer in Florida.

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    Good Week for Chemical Reform

    by Rebekah Wilce — August 9, 2012 - 7:55am
  • Topics: Environment, Food Rights Network, Health, Politics

    • A bill to improve reporting standards for toxic chemicals has passed out of committee to the U.S. Senate for a vote, and anti-regulatory czar Cass Sunstein has headed back to academia.

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    Amgen Drops ALEC (Number 32) as eBay Comes under Fire

    by Rebekah Wilce — August 8, 2012 - 7:21am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Politics

    • More companies have announced they are cutting ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) even as some corporations, like eBay, continue to stand firm.

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    Group that Sustains ALEC's Voter Suppression Agenda Releases Sham "Study," to Acclaim from Right-Wing Media

    by Brendan Fischer — August 6, 2012 - 7:56am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Election 2012, Democracy, Politics

    • A right-wing group that pledged to "continue the excellent work of the American Legislative Exchange Council" (ALEC) and promote voter ID has published a thinly-sourced blog post that purports to show people of color and the poor are actually helped by voter ID laws, an unsupported claim that is being hyped as a "study" by outlets like Fox News and the Daily Caller. More comprehensive research has demonstrated that these laws threaten to disenfranchise around 5 million people nationally, primarily people of color, students, and the poor.

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    Three California Democrats Team Up with Monsanto

    by Rebekah Wilce — August 2, 2012 - 6:35am
  • Topics: Food Rights Network, Politics

    • In California, the battle over Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products, is heating up. In late July, pro-labeling groups obtained a flier sent out by a group opposed to the proposition containing the endorsements of three Democratic California Assemblymembers, even though the Democratic Party of California (and over 90 percent of consumers) supports GMO labeling.

    Guest Contributor

    Monsanto’s Quiet Coup: Will Congress Limit Scope and Time for GMO Reviews?

    by Jill Richardson — August 1, 2012 - 6:32am
  • Topics: Genetic Engineering, Corporations, Food Rights Network, Politics

    • After a series of court defeats over the past few years, Monsanto and friends are trying to use Congress to make an end-run around the courts and current law. Lawsuits brought by opponents of genetically engineered (GE) crops resulted in the temporary removal of two products -- Roundup Ready Alfalfa and Roundup Ready Sugarbeets -- from the market. If the biotechnology industry and the legislators they support have their way, future GE crops will not suffer the same fate.

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    Dueling Right-Wing SuperPACs Battle for "the Future of the Party" in Texas

    by Will Dooling — July 31, 2012 - 6:34am
  • Topics: Election 2012, Politics

    • The close race to pick the GOP candidate for Texas' open U.S. Senate seat is attracting national attention, with establishment GOP funders battling it out with Tea Party Super PACs to tilt today's runoff election.

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    Emails from ALEC Member Russell Pearce Show Anti-Immigrant Law May Have Been Racially Motivated

    by Laura Steigerwald — July 27, 2012 - 10:16am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Human Rights, Politics, Race / Ethnic Issues

    • The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona has asked the man behind the "show me your papers" anti-immigrant law in that state to show them his emails. An open records request to former Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce netted thousands of email records sent from Pearce's account that suggest Arizona's SB 1070, which was taken up as an American Legislative Exchange Council "model bill" but recently struck down in large part by the U.S. Supreme Court, was motivated by racism and xenophobia.

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    ALEC Down 30 Corporations: General Motors and Walgreens Cut Ties

    by Rebekah Wilce — July 26, 2012 - 11:08am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Politics

    • Two more large American companies, headquartered in the Midwest, have responded to their customers and cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): General Motors (GM) and Walgreens. This brings the total to 30 corporations and four non-profits -- 34 total private sector members -- that have cut ties to the right-wing corporate bill mill.

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