This is making its way around twitter recently. Another fake Astroturf group funded by the Koch brothers: Generation Opportunity.
Apparently there is, indeed, some weird social media oriented group called “Generation Opportunity” made up of a bunch of elderly Tea Party fanatics masquerading as hip young things. They create seemingly innocuous pages– things most people will “like,” regardless of political orientation– and as soon as they get a shit ton of followers, they bombard them with conservative propaganda,
But there is much more to this story.
Opensecrets.org delves deeper
Exclusive: Nonprofit Funneled Money to Kochs' Voter Database Effort, Other Conservative Groups
More prosaically, Themis is also the name of a voter database project spearheaded by David and Charles Koch, the conservative billionaires of Koch Industries, early in the 2010 midterm election cycle. The idea was to reach GOP and libertarian voters more systematically and efficiently, to catch up with the voter microtargeting strategies Democrats had been developing over several years.
The heart of this network is TC4, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization founded in 2009. According to its first tax filing, covering the period Aug. 28, 2009 through June 30, 2010, TC4 -- which had one trustee and a single key employee -- made a grant of $2.5 million to Themis Trust.
TC4's grantees in its second year, in addition to the groups already named, were Eleventh Edition LLC; Freedom Club; the Center for Shared Services; TRGN LLC; and Generation Opportunity. Little or no public information exists for some of those organizations.
This Muckety Map shows the same connections (
double click here for interactive version):
The groups aren't supposed to be primarily involved in politics. But so many of them have been so active on this front since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision that the IRS should be conducting audits, said Marcus Owens, a Washington tax lawyer who formerly headed the Exempt Organizations division of the federal agency.
Many of the groups, in his view, "most certainly would merit investigation," Owens said -- including TC4.
But they do. These conservative, even Libertarian, non-profits spend fortunes on political activities.
Disclosure by Arizona nonprofit shows ties to Koch brothers
It also showed more ties to Charles and David Koch, billionaire energy executives and secretive Republican donors.
State authorities say the money went from the Virginia-based Americans for Job Security
to the Center to Protect Patient Rights
Then the money was transferred to Americans for Responsible Leadership, based nearby in Arizona.
Americans for Responsible Leadership gave the $11 million to a California campaign committee fighting Gov. Jerry Brown's tax-hike plan, Proposition 30, and pushing a separate ballot measure curbing unions' political influence, Proposition 32.
The money appears to have moved from nonprofit to nonprofit to nonprofit to committee within a matter of days in October, according to letters filed with state authorities.
Authorities have been investigating the donation because California regulations say contributors must be identified if they give to nonprofits with the intention of spending money on state campaigns. On Monday, the Fair Political Practices Commission said all of the transfers are proof of "campaign money laundering."
California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said the investigation would continue.
"This case is not over," she said. "And it will not be over tomorrow," Election Day.
The Center to Protect Patient Rights is closely tied to the Koch brothers, and it was a primary conduit for anonymous political money in the 2010 midterm election.
This
Mucket Map shows The Center for Patients Rights funding many Right Wing organizations.
If you open the above map, you will see Americans for Prosperity on the right side.
Americans for Prosperity is funded by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which is funded by the Koch brothers, the Waltons via the Walton Family Foundation, and other far right wing foundations, as seen in this Muckety Map
Click on THIS MUCKETY MAP to see both Koch Brothers and the Walton Family Foundation funding Americans for Prosperity Foundation.
Two of the richest families in America trying to subvert our Democracy.
In another article from the LA Times
$55 million for conservative campaigns — but where did it come from?
Very expensive Cat Fish!
Does the IRS like Cat Fish?
Will we let the 1% take total control of this country and its education system?
How can we stop this if the IRS won't investigate? Or the DOJ? Or the FBI?
Where are the foxes we are paying to protect us?