Astroturf....and other outrages

Being the political junkie that I am.....I find it somewhat unnerving when a political candidate I like is attacked by others on the radio or television. What's worse to me is when that attack ad is coming from a "grass roots" organization. Because I am, like most of my generation, pre-conditioned to believe that a "grass roots" organization must mean that there are hundreds if not thousands of people out there who have contributed money, time or effort to the organization running the attack ad, and, therefore my candidate must be disliked or at least opposed by a goodly number of people.

Did I mention that I'm a naive fool? Look at this link.

That's one VERY NASTY AD against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice candidate Kloppenberg that alleges she put an 80 year old farmer in jail for refusing to plant "native grasses" on his farm....

Let's get the truth out there first: Here's the PANTS ON FIRE AWARD from Wisconsin Politifacts...a fact-checking organization. Joanne Kloppenburg did NOT put an 80-year-old farmer in jail (a judge did for contempt of court) and it wasn't for refusing to plant native grasses (it was at the end of an 11-year ordeal to get him to stop polluting a lake) and Kloppenburg herself asked the judge not to impose a jail sentence.

So why the ad? And what the hell is ASTROTURF anyway?

The ad is because the same folks who are pushing the anti-union/anti-worker laws in Wisconsin are trying to make sure that the last stronghold of progressive power is destroyed by the electorate. They need the electorate to give them control of every last bit of checks and balances: the Assembly, the Senate, the Governor's office, the Attorney General's Office and now, the Supreme Court.

And if you follow the first link you will find that the ads aren't run by 100's or even 1,000s of people...it's the same TWO PEOPLE who have been manipulating the electorate in Wisconsin for the last two years.

KOCH.....

I'm pissed....it's fake grass roots....it's ASTROTURF