Thursday, February 16, 2012

Operation Angry Badger: Out-of-State Influence of Recall Elections and Attack on Workers' Rights

According to the New York Times, a Chicago non-profit organization has a plan to use $612,000 to influence our recall elections and other battles over workers' rights called "Operation Angry Badger." The plan was uncovered in leaked documents from the Heartland Institute, a non-profit member of ALEC supported in part by the Koch brothers.

blue cheddar dug through the documents and found some interesting stuff. On page 13 of the Heartland Institute's 2012 Fundraising Plan they list 5 projects in Wisconsin:
  1. Recruit and promote superintendents who support Act 10 (collective bargaining rights-stripping bill)
  2. Explain the benefits of Act 10
  3. Document the shortcomings of public schools in Wisconsin
  4. Expose teacher pay in key districts
  5. Create blogs that shadow small town newspaper coverage of the controversy
While the group undermines public schools, they also plan to spend $250,000 promoting charter schools.

You can't make this stuff up.

blue cheddar has more information on donors and thanks "labor advocate and radio producer Brett Banditelli who read the document in full and directed I and other bloggers to this attack on Wisconsin. Here’s his twitter and I think you’ll want to check out his work at The Rick Smith Show." The New York Times has other background information.

How many other well-funded organizations from outside Wisconsin have a similar plan?

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