We are very lucky to have Rachel Maddow. Her show is hands down the best political show on television. Last night Rachel revealed the corporate interests providing the astroturf behind the angry town hall protests. I don't know how her staff did it but tonight they managed to get Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips to come on the show. Rachel pwned him. It was great.
Rachel repeatedly pointed out the hypocrisy of their claim to represent the interests of individuals and not corporations. Specifically she points out that the Web site for AFP's Patients United Now says:
"We are people just like you. We went to D.C. with questions about "reform"...But what we found SHOCKED US: Radical solutions. Discussions behind closed doors. Patients like us NOT included, just big companies, lobbyists, unions and politicians.""
In my opinion Phillips embarrasses himself trying to hide his true agenda, including making a snide comment about being a community organizer and thus being "qualified to be president." He tries to downplay AFP's ties to corporate America by claiming that AFP is 80% funded by "private individuals and foundations." And who funds those "private foundations?" Rachel knows and she didn't let Phillips off the hook. Eventually she got him to admit that his group is, in fact, one of the largest recipients of funds from Koch Industries Foundation, which is in turn one of the largest funders of conservative groups. Not to mention, as Rachel did, Koch Industries is one of those "big companies" that Patients United Now is supposedly rallying against.
Rachel also catches Phillips in a big lie when he denies that AFP, which is also active in the fight against climate change legislation, is funded in part by Exxon. Rachel confronts him with the fact that Exxon admits giving AFP "some years tens of thousands of dollars and in other years hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Rachel also calls out Phillips for an eight-year gap in his official biography posted on AFP. What was Phillips up to during those eight years? He co-founded Century Strategies with the disgraced Ralph Reed. Phillips tells Rachel he is "proud" of his work with Century Strategies and calls Reed a "good friend." So why leave it off his bio? As Arsenio Hall might say, "Things that make you go hmmmmm."
Here's the link to the clip. Watch it if you haven't seen it. It's definitely worthwhile.
Update: In the comments, there is a debate about whether Rachel was too nice and if Phillips got "a win" by using the show to appeal for donations. Vote in the newly added poll and add your thoughts in the comments.
The money quote for me was:
"I'm not calling any individual American a front group. I'm calling American for Prosperity's sub groups a front group for the corporate interests that fund you."