ALEC links: Color of Change

References

1. 'Coke withdraws from group that backs Stand Your Ground law," Reuters, 4-5-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1306?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=12

2. "McDonald's Says It Left ALEC In March 2012 [UPDATE]," 4-10-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1307?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=14

3. "ALEC loses two more supporters, candymaker Mars Inc. and Arizona energy company," Daily Kos, 4-13-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1308?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=16

4. "Yum! ALEC loses again," Daily Kos 4-19-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1309?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=18

5. "Black group targets corporations over voting laws," AP, 12-8-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1310?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=20

6. "KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut’s Owner Is The 12th Corporation To Drop ALEC," ThinkProgress, 4-19-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1311?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=22

7. "Boycotts Hitting Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground," NPR, 4-5-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1312?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=24

8. "Companies Flee Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground," NPR 4-13-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1313?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=26

9. Situation Room, CNN 04-09-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1314?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=28

10. "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien", 4-10-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1315?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=30

11. "Coke and Pepsi drop membership from right-wing group," Ed Show, MSNBC, 4-5-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1316?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=32

12. "Two more companies dump ALEC," Ed Show, MSNBC, 4-6-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1317?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=34

13. "Conservative group ALEC retreats," Ed Show, MSNBC, 4-17-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1318?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=36

14. "Trayvon Martin shooting spurs protests against companies with ties to legislative group," Washington Post, 4-12-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1319?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=38

15. "ALEC: What It Does and Why Three Major Corporations Cut Ties," Time, 4-9-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1320?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=40

16. "Coca-Cola boycotts group backing 'Stand Your Ground' laws," AP, 4-5-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1321?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=42

17. "Coke withdraws from group that backs gun laws," Reuters, 4-5-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1322?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=44

18. "Embarrassed by Bad Laws," New York Times, 4-16-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1323?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=46

19. The War Room with Jennifer Granholm, 4-17-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1324?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=48

20. "ALEC Drops Push for Voter ID, Stand Your Ground Laws After Public Outcry Sparks Corporate Exodus," Democracy Now, 4-18-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1325?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=50

21. "Fox Defends ALEC As Companies Flee," Media Matters, 4-17-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1326?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=52

22. "ALEC Sharpens Focus on Jobs, Free Markets and Growth — Announces the End of the Task Force that Dealt with Non-Economic Issues," ALEC press release, 4-17-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1327?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=54

23. "Michigan's Hostile Takeover," Mother Jones, 2-15-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1328?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=56

24. "The Benton Harbor Trend: African Americans Targeted by Rick Snyder," Politics USA, 4-18-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1329?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=58

25. "Hang onto that Paycheck! ALEC "Sharpens Focus on Jobs," PRWatch, 4-19-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1330?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=60

26. "Environment, Energy, and Agriculture," ALEC Exposed
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1331?akid=2457.1572104.qtsw00&t=62

Get smart about ALEC #F29 Video

On February 29th, Occupy Portland calls for a national day of non-violent direct action to reclaim our voices and challenge our society?s obsession with profit and greed by shutting down the corporations. We are rejecting a society that does not allow us control of our future. We will reclaim our ability to shape our world in a democratic, cooperative, just and sustainable direction. 

We call on people to target corporations that are part of the American Legislative Exchange Council which is a prime example of the way corporations buy off legislators and craft legislation that serves the interests of corporations and not people. They used it to create the anti-labor legislation in Wisconsin and the racist bill SB 1070 in Arizona among so many others. They use ALEC to spread pro big business laws around the country. 

For more info:

www.shutdownthecorporations.org
www.portlandactionlab.org
www.alecexposed.org

GO POST! Sign petition against ALEC

Tell ALEC's Corporate Sponsors it's Time to Cut Ties. Tell them to Ditch ALEC!

http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ditchalec&autologin=true

The Petition:

Dear President/CEO and Board, Your company funds or participates in the activities of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group whose ideologically driven agenda has led to the reckless promotion of bills that harm consumers, endanger individuals and deny the fundamental, constitutional rights of millions. ALEC pushes discriminatory voter ID legislation that suppresses the votes of minorities, young voters, low-income voters and the elderly by erecting barriers that could disenfranchise millions of voters across the nation. Bills based on ALEC's model legislation in this area have been introduced in numerous states. Although proponents of voter ID laws claim the goal is to reduce voter fraud, there is no evidence that such fraud occurs with any regularity in this country. Further, ALEC has worked with the NRA to aggressively spread passage of laws like the Florida so-called "Stand Your Ground" law which was implicated in the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. Such laws, more aptly named Shoot First laws, encourage vigilantism that endangers whole communities. I strongly urge you to withdraw from and cease supporting ALEC and its agenda. I am part of a growing number of Americans who are concerned about the role that ALEC is playing in the promotion and passage of laws that do real harm to individual Americans and will be taking note of which companies continue to support ALEC's efforts. Please do the right thing, and separate yourself from ALEC's extreme political, and reckless, agenda. Signed,

Good Guys Win One: With ALEC, Things Go Better Without Coke

Score one for the good guys: After being pressured by Color of Change and other progressive groups, Coca-Cola has left ALEC -- the cynical corporate coalition that has pushed a bevy of anti-democratic, anti-middle class, and anti-consumer initiatives.

Now that Coke's come around, next up is Walmart. Their response on the ALEC issue was equivocal and unacceptable. And the issue needs to be raised directly and firmly with the other companies that back the organization - a list that includes AT&T, Bayer, ExxonMobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Pfizer and UPS.

Standing Up

This weekend on The Breakdown we interviewed Rashad Robinson, Color of Change's executive director, about the Trayvon Martin case and the role of ALEC in "stand your ground" laws like Florida's. He indicated that ALEC's member companies were going to be a leading target of the campaign for greater political and economic justice.

A few days after that interview aired, Color of Change sent an email to its mailing list that read in part:

You and more than 85,000 Color Of Change members have called on corporations to stop supporting the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of its role in voter suppression.

We contacted Coca-Cola to make sure they understand that through their membership in ALEC, they are supporting racially-discriminatory voter ID... They told us they recognize the importance of voting rights but claimed that they weren't responsible for ALEC's voter ID legislation.

But it doesn't matter whether the company had a direct role in the legislation -- by funding ALEC, Coca-Cola is supporting an effort to disenfranchise African-Americans, Latinos, students, the elderly, the disabled and the poor. Eventually, representatives from Coca-Cola stopped responding to our emails and phone calls.

Will you help us hold Coca-Cola accountable for supporting voter suppression?

No Defense

It's true that ALEC is like the United States Chamber of Commerce, in that many of its member companies don't realize what it really stands for. But the ones who have consciences (or understand the power of consumer anger) will eventually respond, just as they have for the Chamber. (Many leading corporations have left that organization as it moves to the extreme right.)

So the role of activists in this situation isn't just to exert pressure, but to educate. Companies like Coca-Cola need to understand the real nature of the organization they're supporting. These corporations do bear moral responsibility for the actions taken with their funding and support, and they should be held accountable.

(We'll be airing an interview this weekend with Zaid Jilani, who wrote an excellent piece on The Five Most Despicable Laws Passed by ALEC, which Zaid lists as "banning living wages," "crippling collective bargaining," "privatizing our schools," attacking voter rights," and "selling prisons to the highest bidder." We asked Zaid about laws that didn't make the top five, and they were pretty bad too.)

A Coke and a Smile

Coca-Cola responded either to the information or to the persuasion. As Think Progress reports, Coke officials told the Washington Examiner today:

The Coca-Cola Company has elected to discontinue its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Our involvement with ALEC was focused on efforts to oppose discriminatory food and beverage taxes, not on issues that have no direct bearing on our business. We have a long-standing policy of only taking positions on issues that impact our Company and industry.

As Think Progress notes, the withdrawal came just five hours after Color of Change sent its email.

In other Coca-Cola news, the company just signed a deal with Dunkin' Brands to make its soft drinks available at Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, and other Dunkin' facilities. If you ask me, it's a good day for a Coke (classic only, if you ask me), along with a donut or a couple scoops of ice cream.

Attention Shoppers

Coca-Cola's retraction came in the Examiner's "Secrets" blog. Blogger Paul Bedard's interpretation of the facts comes with a strong ideological bias, but the facts are clear: The good guys won.

By contrast, Wal-Mart told the Examiner:

Our membership in any organization does not affirm our agreement with each policy created by the broader group. Wal-Mart has a long history of supporting voter rights, and we continue to be a strong proponent of this issue. In fact, Wal-Mart was an active supporter in 2006 of the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of... One of Wal-Mart's basic beliefs is respect for the individual, and Wal-Mart will continue to stand with all Americans in ensuring our right to vote.

Not good enough. If you support people who are attacking the right to vote, financially and with your reputation, then you are supporting injustice.

Attention Sellers: This could affect your bottom line in a big way. There's a large majority in this country that feels disenfranchised from the political process -- and is. They've been, in the crude words of bar patrons everywhere, "screwed, blued, and tattooed." They've lost their jobs, or their wages have stagnated, while organizations like ALEC strip them of organizing rights and the chance for a job at a living wage.

They've also been disenfranchised by voter laws like the ones ALEC supports, and by a money-driven, corporate political process. But that disenfranchised majority has enormous economic power -- and it's learning how to use it. One of our most effective tools for responding to the power of corporate money is by cutting off the source of that money.

Heads up, Wal-Mart. Know who does a lot of shopping in your stores? People who have been victimized by ALEC policies: Poor people, minorities and people who are working more and earning less. They're getting wise, they're getting angry -- and they're getting involved.

Richard (RJ) Eskow, a consultant and writer (and former insurance/finance executive), is a Senior Fellow with the Campaign for America's Future and the host of The Breakdown, broadcast Saturdays nights from 7-9 p.m. on WeAct Radio, AM 1480 in Washington, DC.

Another unsmooth move by GOP to hide ALEC in MN

Giddy freshmen Hoffman and Thompson goof off while Dibble offers Senate ALEC ID amendment

http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2012/03/giddy-freshmen-hoffman-and-thompson-goof-off-while-dibble-offers-senate-alec-id-amendment.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BluestemPrairie+%28Bluestem+Prairie%29

Posted: 28 Mar 2012 05:59 AM PDT

Yesterday, inTransparency: Kahn introduces ALEC ID to let dirty hippies in on corporate overlords' agenda, Bluestem took note of a bill in the Minnesota House that would require disclosure on the part of groups promoting "model bills."
Currently, ALEC and other organizations that draft model bills are not require to be transparent about their spending and other activities, leading to charges against ALEC of undue and untraceable influence by the group's corporate backers.
In the state senate yesterday, Senator Scott Dibble offered an amendment that would have required that groups like ALEC (and to his credit, Dibble uses the hypothetical example of an environmental group that would promote model bills through practices identical to those used by ALEC).
The amendment was ruled ungermane, but Dibble challenged the Senate President's ruling, asking for a roll call vote. The president's ruling was upheld on a 34-31 vote, with Republican Senators Thompson and Nienow joining the DFLers in voting "No." Senator Koch did not vote, and the late Senator Kubly's seat remains empty.
Over at the Minnesota Progressive Project, Eric Pusey notes inRepublicans opposed to shining the light on ALEC activities in Minnesota:

Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls) proposed shining the light on ALEC's activities at the State Capitol. Unsurprisingly, the MNGOP is opposed and his amendment failed.
"This was a common-sense amendment that would have added more transparency to our political system," Sen. Dibble said. "This is the type of information every Minnesotan deserves to have. Our state already has very strong campaign finance and lobbying laws that require lawmakers to disclose which lobbyists send them money; this amendment simply makes sure there's not a loophole that allows certain special interests to hide from public view."
Sen. Dibble's amendment would have required organizations such as ALEC that advocate "model legislation" to register as a lobbyist principal. In addition, organizations that distribute scholarship funds for lawmaker to attend conferences would need to disclose that information, and all legislators receiving scholarship funds from those organizations would be required to report them on annual statements of financial disclosure registered with the Campaign Finance Board.
Senator Dibble said it was disappointing to see the amendment rejected, but even more alarming to witness Local Government and Elections Committee Chair Ray Vandeveer, R-Stillwater, seeming to mislead the public in Senate Floor debate.
"Sen. Vandeveer suggested this measure should have been vetted during normal committee meetings," Sen. Dibble said. "That suggestion is frustrating, because I requested two separate committee hearings on this bill, Senate File 2249, and twice was ignored by Chair Vandeveer himself. It seems Republicans will go to any length needed to protect their special-interest influences."

Bluestem agrees with Senator Dibble's statements, released after the amendment was shot down.  Perhaps more interesting, however, are those two rogue Republican votes from Nienow and Thompson. Fortunately for those who don't want to wade through the video archive of the Senate floor action, The Uptake has pulled the eight minutes when the Dibble amendment was under consideration--Bluestem embeds it at the end of this post
Watching the clip, I noticed something that Dibble would have been unable to see. Almost directly behind the earnest Minneapolis lawmaker, Senator Dave Thompson is typing something on a phone.
Thompson finishes and sits back.
A couple of seconds later, Gretchen Hoffman appears in the frame, holding her phone.
Their eyes lock, and she kneels at Thompson's desk, resting her head on her hands on the surface.
She says something, he laughs, takes off his glasses and leans back.
After a few seconds of conversation, they both get up and leave the screen.
At the 3:51 mark, Hoffman walks through the screen again, followed by Thompson, who doesn't return to his desk, but continues off screen behind her. Presumably, they're headed toward her desk.
The business of the senate in considering the amendment continues--it's dry stuff--and Hoffman is among the first of the chamber to vote. She votes along party lines, to sustain the president's ruling.
But Thompson is second to the last of the senators to vote, and in a surprise move, votes"No" --votes which would overturn the senate president's ruling that the amendment was not germane. Sean Nienow follows his lead, and the vote is closed.
Was Thompson distracted by Hoffman? Was Nienow following his lead?  Or was Thompson simply so impressed by ALEC member Gretchen Hoffman that he voted to consider transparency for the group, once he scurried back to his desk?
Bluestem applauds Thompson and Nienow for their bravery in crossing party lines to vote for transparency. It's quite the feat for Thompson, who's offering a "right to work" constitutional amendment that's based on an ALEC model bill.
Whatever the case, snapshots of behavior more worthy of high school freshman than freshman senators can't be good for Hoffman's congressional campaign, however to the right she may be to Blue Dog Democrat Collin Peterson.

Screenshots: Dibble takes care of business while Hoffman and Thompson chat behind him (above); the roll call vote just before Nienow cast the final vote(below).

The Private Prison Problem: Part 1

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Shoot 'em Charlie! Mark Fiore (ALEC EXPOSED! YES!)

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Closed-captioning fer you:

Hi There, Hoodies and Hoodettes!

Shoot-em-up Charlie here!

By now you know that I get to help vigilante-types kill unarmed people-- and the best part is, it's perfectly LEGAL!

Thanks to my friends at the NRA & ALEC, who write the laws and then feed them to politicians all over the country.

If you feel threatened by a punk packin' dangerous Skittles-- shoot, shoot, SHOOT!

But ALEC & I, we're not just one-shot wonders.

We're funded by millions and millions of corporate dollars working to undermine things like . . . Health Care Reform!

In other words, I help corporations SHOOT you, and then deny you coverage for a pre-existing condition!

It's all about getting the laws we write into statehouses everywhere through our complicit lawmakers.

Which'd sound like a crazy conspiracy if it weren't truuuue!

We write so many laws and distribute them through our member-politicians, it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

From blocking Health Care Reform, to gutting environmental laws to busting unions and pushing private prisons, it's a right-with, rapid-fire turkey shoot!

But LAWS don't kill people.

Laws introduced by pliable politicians backed by a shadowy organization funded by huge corporations kill people.

From Mark Fiore's blog:  VIDEO WAS TAKEN DOWN!!