It all began with a simple mailer that went out to Kansans encouraging them to talk to their legislators (who are not in session) about repealing RPS, the Renewable Energy Program in the state of Kansas.
Bryan Lowry at the Wichita Eagle was able to ask AFP and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, managed to get both to go on the record that they were not a part of this mailer.
TOPEKA — Postcards warning that renewable energy standards have caused higher utility bills came from a new group run by the sister of the chair of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and represented by a lobbyist who previously ran the state chapter of Americans For Prosperity.
Last week, the Kansas House rejected legislation meant to end the state’s renewable energy standards, also called RPS, which require that utility companies get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020.
“With the cost of health care, gasoline and even groceries soaring … I CAN’T AFFORD HIGHER UTILITIES BILLS,” the postcard says in bold lettering on one side, accompanied by a picture of an elderly man with a worried look on his face.
On the other side, an elderly woman looks over her electric bill. The text says Kansas has seen 15 rate hikes since the renewable standards was implemented in 2011. It says rates have risen 27 percent in other states with similar standards. It does not cite a source for the information.
The Kansas Corporation Commission found that the standards were responsible for only about 2.2 percent of the increased cost of electricity. The majority of rate increases are caused by the cost of upgrading coal plants to meet environmental standards.
Rep. Don Hineman of Dighton, a moderate Republican who voted against the legislation, compared the postcards to financial scams that prey on seniors.
“The objective of the postcard was to scare seniors, get them worried about their utility bills and leave the impression that maybe their representative isn’t representing their interests in that regard and that’s a false assertion. It really is a political scam,” he said.
Alan Cobb, the registered lobbyist for the group who previously worked as state director of Americans For Prosperity and as a lobbyist for Koch Industries, defended the postcard.
“Our utility rates are pretty scary for those on fixed incomes,” Cobb said. “It sounds to me like that’s just a way for them to dodge the fact that RPS causes higher electricity rates.
So, a lobbyist who previously worked for AfP and Koch is now not working for them and just conducting this advertising mailer out of his own will with no help.. As the Eagle Continues:
The group officially formed as an LLC, or limited liability company, on April 24, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office. That’s about a week before the final vote on the energy standards.
Jeff Glendening, AFP’s current state director, said the two organizations did not coordinate on the postcards and that the only connection was that they’re both opposed to the RPS. But he said that the two groups could potentially work together on the issue in the future, noting that he’s known Cobb for more than a decade.
Crossland-Macha said she asked Cobb to be a lobbyist because of his experience and because they’ve known each other for several years. But she said she plans on doing most of the work herself.
“I’m a grassroots person,” she said.
Hineman, the Dighton legislator, said he was skeptical about whether the organization was truly grassroots or concerned with the welfare of seniors.
“That’s what raises the red flags. It’s fairly easy to connect the dots back to Kansas Chamber and AFP,” he said.
Remember that. These are two entirely different organizations. They just want the same thing, they have NO connections, that's important. They didn't co-ordinate their (false) message, they just happen to have the same false talking points.
But a few individuals weren't buying this shell game.. notable Andy Marso, @andymarso, the government reporter for the Topeka Capital Journal, who finally got to the bottom of this today, realizing that AfP had paid for the filing fees and lawyer for this new anti-renewable energy PAC, despite just yesterday proclaiming they were totally and completely different and their only connection was universal dislike of Renewable Energy.
http://cjonline.com/...
The leader of the Kansas branch of Americans for Prosperity said Thursday he contacted a lawyer to file the paperwork for a new group opposing renewable energy mandates, but said he did so as a personal favor, not in his AFP capacity.
In contacts with the Wichita Eagle and The Topeka Capital-Journal during the past two days, Jeff Glendening had denied any connection between AFP and the newly-formed Kansas Senior Consumer Alliance.
That changed after he was informed a Topeka lawyer said he registered the alliance at the behest of Americans for Prosperity.
The alliance, organized April 24 as a limited liability company, is registered at the law office of corporate attorney W. Robert Alderson, across from the Washburn University campus. When visited by a reporter Thursday morning, Alderson said he was providing no services for seniors out of the office, and was only acting as the LLC's resident agent.
"I was engaged by Americans for Prosperity to form an LLC and that's the extent of my involvement," Alderson said. "I'm a lawyer."
Wait, what's that you say? AfP and Koch lied about forming a completely new PAC to lobby the exact same talking points as they were?
You know, back in the days when I was a mod on a few forums, we used to have terms for this.. Sockpuppet comes to mind.
AfP / Koch are admitting that they lied about their sockpuppet and now they have to own up to using Sockpuppets for outrageous mailers to say the EXACT SAME THING that their other organizations were saying.
So why have another new PAC say the exact same thing as your previous one? Why, so people can get multiple mailers from different organizations that say the same thing.. bolstering the same phony message by having multiple 'sources' that are in fact, the exact same source.
Listed here are some of the ads that AfP and their sockpuppets are now running in Kansas against house and senate members:
https://imgur.com/...
Ok, that last one isn't AfP or any of it's sockpuppets, but damn, how many ads with Doors are they going to have? And if someone was stuck knocking on my door for a long time I'd probably open it too.
Afp.
Koch.
Sockpuppets.
Today they got caught. But with the ad and mailer barrage, the Wichita Eagle nails the reality:
Postcards also went out in the districts of Rep. Blaine Finch, R-Ottawa, Rep. Steven Becker, R-Buhler, and Rep. Russ Jennings, R-Lakin, all of whom are moderates who voted against ending the RPS, on the grounds that it has helped create jobs in the wind industry.
“I’m guessing that this will be a very lucrative campaign season for the U.S. Post Office,” Hineman joked.
Read more here:
http://www.kansas.com/...
Because, let's face it. If you aren't with AfP/Koch 100%, they are done with you. There can be NO tolerancy of heresy or original thought. NONE!