Following up on my story yesterday on the Koch brothers’ revving up to oppose Initiated Measure 22, the Anti-Corruption Act, Jonathan Ellis notes that the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and the Retailers Association are joining Americans for Prosperity’s effort to prevent South Dakotans from voting for lobbying reform, a statewide ethics commission, and a voluntary small-donation public financing system for political campaigns.
Apparently, they’re also planning to park airplanes on our doors:
Ben Lee, the chairman of Defeat 22 and the state director for Americans for Prosperity, said the coalition planned to start an advertising blitz on Friday that included radio ads, mailers and door hangars to begin educating voters about the measure [Jonathan Ellis, “Political Heavyweights Join Forces to Oppose Ballot Measure,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2016.07.08].
Door hangars—I want to see that landing! But I’m going to need some stronger hinges.
Ever since the Pierre Chamber of Commerce testified in favor of the Keystone XL at a Dept of State hearing I have been very leery of the local chambers. Pierre had no dog in that fight and were going against me, a good customer. The US Chamber of Commerce is worse. Their site is nothing more than an advocate for the fossil fuel industry.
Then there’s this. The SD Bankers Association is now an advertiser with the PP’s GOP newsletter. President Curt Everson says “SDBA is pleased to help support public policy discourse here. Community leadership and support for charitable and civic causes is part of bankers’ DNA.”
Shows me that A) They spend their advertising $ poorly. B) What little audience they reach will also alienate Dems and Progressives. C) They aren’t interested in discourse. D) Are they working on another run at Credit Unions?
Let your local banker know that you don’t appreciate your fees being used to such blatant political purposes, or at least spend the money where it will be more effective.
COC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the wingnut party and has been at least since Ronnie Raygun stunk up the WH.
I can’t think of any better folks to oppose anti-corruption initiatives than the Kochs and the SD Chamber. I’d feature their opposition prominently on all pro-IM 22 literature, along with all the corrupt projects they’ve supported in SD and nationally.
Here’s a radio ad:
“Guess who opposes IM 22?
The same people who tried to turn South Dakota into a nuclear waste sacrifice area.
The same people who stole your tax money in the EB 5 scandal.
The same people who turn campaign contributions into pig feces and oil pipelines, and let you drink the result.
The billionaire Koch oligarchs and corrupt South Dakota bigwigs oppose IM 22 because it will stop their money-grubbing graft.
Tired of the corruption? Vote Yes on IM 22.
Disclaimer”
Darn! The Clay County Democrats are sponsoring the Vermillion Chamber’s Wednesday morning coffees for the month of July. Wish I had known this beforehand as I fully support the Anti-Corruption Act and so should you.
The same folks who run wellsfargo in rapid city, republican legislator Conzet and her hubby bank president (or VP), too?
Must be hard to chose between Kochs or Trump:(
I received the 11 x 5 mailer Saturday. On the addressee side it read “Politicians Pocketing Our
Hard Earned Money?
Some politicians believe that our hard-earned tax dollars should
fund their political campaigns For Their Own Interests.”
It then has a picture of a guy in a suit either sticking money in his inside suit jacket pocket or taking it out. Inside the box with that picture is an underlined “Defeat 22.
Learn more at http://www.Defeat22.com”
below that is “DEFEAT”
with “22.com inside of a stop sign”
Paid for by Defeat 22.com
2522 W 41st St #132
Sioux Falls SD 57105
(that address is just East of Perkins on the north side of 41st St across from the Western Mall)
The reverse side says
“Defeat 22
Put South Dakota’s Interests FIrst (with first underlined)
Big spending politicians want to use taxpayer
dollars to pay for political campaigns
Initiated Measure 22 would let politicians spend our tax money on
more politics as usual-more TV ads, more postcards, and more
robocalls-instead of funding better roads and schools.
DEFEAT
22.com (inside the stop sign again)
Keep Politics Out of Our Pockets.
Defeat 22 This November
http://www.Defeat22.com“
I forgot to mention on the back is the picture of the bottom part of an arm with the guy wearing a blue suit jacket with French cuffed red and white striped shirt (apparently signifying the government) with his hand taking the wallet out of the inside breast pocket of another guy’s suit coat.
Need to bring back the old tar and feathers for these Koch suckers