Pro-ALEC Editorial - Recklessly Misleads Public

From March 2013

In an interview, Bill Meierling, ALEC's spokesman,  ….   did say that ALEC has no plans to reveal its corporate and legislative members, identify individuals representing corporations within ALEC, or open up their model bill task force meetings.

Let me rephrase and repeat that in case you did not understand it the first time:

In an interview, Bill Meierling, ALEC's spokesman,  ….   did say that

ALEC has no plans to reveal its corporate and legislative members,

ALEC has no plans identify individuals representing corporations within ALEC, or

ALEC has no plans open up their model bill task force meetings.

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Now to the rest of the story.

This opinion piece showed up in the search today:

Want to know their position? Just ask

And this is what it had to say about ALEC:

Take Gov. Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining bill two years ago - with public employee unions unable to explain how giving governments more flexibility in dealing with their employees would be bad, they began creating boogeymen to attack Walker. The most popular of these was the American Legislative Exchange Council, who they preposterously alleged was secretly manipulating Walker.

"they began creating boogeymen to attack Walker. The most popular of these was the American Legislative Exchange Council"

Bogeyman - is the perfect word to describe the secretive, manipulation of ALEC.

ALEC is hiding in the dark corners of our government as a "shadow government" that Weyrich and the other founders of ALEC supported: 

Unlike European parliamentary democracies, we have no"shadow cabinet", no group of experts who are groomed by their party for decades before they take high office.   We need some type of shadow government, in which leaders and top advisers can be identified and developed, and through which our politics can be better focused on policy choices. 

Back to the opinion piece

Yet ALEC is simply a group that analyzes conservative lawmaking around the country and drafts model legislation for states based on what it thinks will work. (It also holds an annual conference attended by conservative lawmakers, but attendance level is usually commensurate with how fun a city in which it is held.)

"Yet ALEC is simply a group that analyzes conservative lawmaking"

What the f#ck!

That is a reckless interpretation of what ALEC does.

Misleading and Reckless! 

Some Democrats actually think that at one point he told his staff, "You know, I really like public unions - but I just talked to this obscure organization based in Washington, D.C., and they think we should grind the state to a halt for two years and imperil my political future, so I guess I have to do it."

"but I just talked to this obscure organization based in Washington, D.C"

Just talked to? – – Hell, no!

Walker has been a member of ALEC for least 18 years! 

The list goes on. Republican lawmakers only support vouchers because some pro-school choice groups gave money to some state-based conservative think tanks. Walker only won re-election because all these groups could spend money after the Citizens United Supreme Court case (a charge that is factually inaccurate). Republicans think voters should have to show photo identification at the polls because of a nationwide conspiracy to suppress the African-American vote.

“Republican lawmakers only support vouchers because some pro-school choice groups gave money to some state-based conservative think tanks”

NO!  ALEC Republicons support educational vouchers because for profit education companies told them to at ALEC meetings.  For profit educational companies WROTE LEGISLATION that they brought to ALEC meetings – for ALEC legislators to come back and introduce in the states.

“Republicans think voters should have to show photo identification at the polls because of a nationwide conspiracy to suppress the African-American vote.”

The only true thing in this stupid opinion piece. 

All these arguments are Houdini-like rhetorical sleights of hand that allow the speaker to slip out of the uncomfortable shackles of facts and argument. They rest on the foundation that there is some nefarious hand out there guiding our elected officials, when in fact politicians might actually personally believe strongly in the issue.

“All these arguments are Houdini-like rhetorical sleights of hand”

ALEC is a “Houdini-like rhetorical sleights of hand”

REMEMBER:

Bill Meierling, ALEC's spokesman,  ….   did say that

ALEC has no plans to reveal its corporate and legislative members,

ALEC has no plans identify individuals representing corporations within ALEC, or

ALEC has no plans open up their model bill task force meetings. 

“They rest on the foundation that there is some nefarious hand out there guiding our elected officials, when in fact politicians might actually personally believe strongly in the issue”

WELL – if your supposition is true – THEN

STOP ALL CORPORATE SCHOLARSHIPS to ALEC meetings 

and then let’s see how deep the ALEC convictions of ALEC Republicons is?

I bet if they aren’t getting free trips to ALEC meetings 

– the “issues” the legislators so strongly believe in” will change.

My suggestion: If you want to know why politicians support or oppose specific legislation, how about just asking them?

REMEMBER:

Bill Meierling, ALEC's spokesman,  ….   did say that

ALEC has no plans to reveal its corporate and legislative members,

ALEC has no plans identify individuals representing corporations within ALEC, or

ALEC has no plans open up their model bill task force meetings.

How in the hell can we do that – when they HIDE the memberships so we have no ideas of knowing why “politicians   …  actually personally believe strongly in the issue”

"If you want to know why politicians support or oppose specific legislation, how about just asking them?"

What a crock!  Just ask them - they lie about their convictions to ALEC and the utlra-conservative policies of ALEC - all the time.  They do not admit they belong to this right-wing, extremist, pro-corporate organization - most of them HIDE their affiliation with ALEC.

My suggestion:

The American public should not have to ask – politicians should be upfront in their campaigns when they strongly believe in the extremist policies of the American Legislative Exchange Council such as:

    supporting privatization of government

    supporting privatization of public education

    supporting the elimination of unions

    supporting the elimination of the minimum wage

    supporting climate denial legislation

    supporting Voter ID

    supporting Kill at Will

Let ALEC Republicons HONESTLY campaign on the strong ALEC issues beliefs 

that ALEC legislators hold 

AND THEN

lets see how many of them get re-elected.

Want to know their position? Just ask 

That's Bullshit when you are talking about ALEC legislators.