I was wondering about this. According to the Maddow Blog, the front group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) cannot promote Politicians, and still keep their Tax Exempt status.
(AFP -- created and funded by Koch.)
AFP fails the straight-face test
by Steve Benen, MaddowBlog, msnbc -- May 30, 2012
[...]
AFP's Wisconsin director, Luke Hilgemann, says the bus tour has nothing to do the recall elections. "We're not dealing with any candidates, political parties, or ongoing races," Hilgemann told the Hudson, Wisconsin, Patch news site.
Got that? Just days before a closely-watched statewide election in which Scott Walker's job is on the line, an allied group is launching a 10-city bus tour -- and the group wants you to believe this has nothing to do with Walker's recall race. Seriously.
It's simply a remarkable coincidence. AFP's leaders just happened to have some free time on their hands, stumbled upon an available bus, and thought they'd make 10 carefully-selected campaign stops visits around Wisconsin. And wouldn't you know it, the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity also happens to be busing in conservative activists to Wisconsin this week for pre-election canvassing, but we're supposed to believe that's unrelated to the recall election, too.
As Andy Kroll explained, AFP doesn't have much of a choice -- the far-right interest group, which launched a "Stand With Walker" campaign last year, is technically a nonprofit organization, and has to be very careful about intervening on Walker's behalf.
[...]
I have heard the weather is wonderful in Wisconsin this time of year --
maybe that explains the late spring AFP invasion? ... er, I mean
educational visit ...
Before launching their Bus Tour for a Better Wisconsin, one of AFP's many directors emphasized: they weren't about politics, they were only going talk about "reforms" --
Prosperity Reforms, one would assume from their Non-profit Name.
Koch Brothers' Americans For Prosperity Goes All Out in Wisconsin Recall -- And Denies It!
by Brendan Fischer, PR Watch, alternet.org -- May 28, 2012
DC-based special interest group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is busing-in out-of-state Tea Partiers and spending millions on advertisements, rallies, and phone banks in the weeks before recall elections for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and four state senate seats. But the group founded and funded by New York-based oil billionaire David Koch insists its activities have nothing to do with the Wisconsin campaigns or elections.
"We're not dealing with any candidates, political parties or ongoing races," said Scott Hilgemann, the director of AFP's Wisconsin operations, about AFP's four-day, ten-city bus tour taking place the week before Wisconsin's June 5 election.
"We're just educating folks on the importance of the reforms," he said.
[...]
Well how well has AFP kept its speakers
within those No-Politicians lines?
Here is a status report of Wisconsin Tour: Day 1 -- from the AFP Blog itself ...
AFP Kicks off “A Better Wisconsin” Ten-City Bus Tour
AFP Blog
Today in Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity kicked off the start of a four-day, ten-city “A Better Wisconsin” Bus Tour. Stops in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, and Oshkosh drew hundreds of activists [see photo] from across the state, all out to support budget reform in Wisconsin.
[...]
[Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips:]
“The country is watching Wisconsin,” Phillips told activists. “Why is that? Governor Walker and your Legislature have put people before politics, and fought for the hardworking, taxpaying citizens of Wisconsin. And numbers don’t lie: [...]
"
Numbers don’t lie" --
only non-profit issue-advocacy Koch-funded directors do!
LOL, Right out of the chute, too!
It must have been the underwhemling crowds (see photo, link above), that was distracting Tim Phillips' concentration, and causing him to diverge from the No Politicians, tax-exempt script?
AFP Wisconsin Bus Tour -- slide show