Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Rent-A-Front: New Group Wages Stealth Battle Against Wall Street Reform. TPM has an article posted today indicating a supposedly grass roots advocacy group, Stop Too Big To Fail, supposedly seeking sane finance reform is actually a front for corporate interests seeking to kill the proposed reform legislation.

But as TPMmuckraker has looked into the group, every indication is that Stop Too Big To Fail is an astroturf operation funded by corporate interests to give the appearance of grassroots opposition to reform.

The group's leader has a long history running a rent-a-front operation: offering up his services to large corporations who are willing to pay top dollar for a "consumers group" that will engage in stealth advocacy on behalf of industry. The group refuses to divulge its funding sources. The respected economist whose support the group touts now says he was deceived.

Referring to itself as a movement, the group has launched a campaign on typically left-leaning websites and blogs. They are, quite literally, trying to fake out readers and sow disinformation in an effort to kill reform. Disgusting.

Here is a little history of the group's past "grass roots" operations:

- Consumers for Cable Choice. That group was funded by big telecoms like Verizon and fought to deregulate the cable industry.
- Consumers Voice, founded in the late 1990s, was "a self-described watchdog fighting against broadband legislation" that was funded by AT&T.
- www.simplecoverage.org, a website funded by mega-insurer Assurant, that says it helps people navigate the individual insurance market.

Do not be fooled.

Mea Culpa

I have noticed that feeding this blog creates an energy-state in me that I find unpleasant. That by itself is not too surprising, but I have to acknowledge it. Raking through the muck in our political system is draining. So, while I apologize for not posting more here, I do not expect the infrequency to change.

If YOU, dear reader, wish to be a contributor at this blog, please drop me a note and I'll hand you the opportunity. I don't care if you are politically left or right, as long as you are interested in honestly pointing out the inherent lies, obfuscations, cover-ups, and treachery in our system.