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Report: Pro-War Group Going Out of Business
Call it a sign of the times...
It looks like Freedom's Watch, the pro-war pressure group bankrolled by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and talked up by former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, is wrapping up its operations -- apparently without too much to show for its efforts.
The advocacy organization is likely to permanently shut its doors at the end of the year, according to sources who spoke to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
As we noted earlier this month, Adelson has been down on his financial luck lately. His casino company Las Vegas Sands recently said it may default on debt and face bankruptcy.
The group, which advocates an open-ended commitment in Iraq and unquestioning support for Israeli hawks, spent $30 million to influence the recent congressional elections.
But spokesman Ed Patru, a former spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee, wouldn't say how the group's favored candidates fared. "Our focus was to impact the debate," said Patru.
In other words, it's safe to assume, not well.
Josh
Zachary
RIP Freedom's Watch.
November 24, 2008 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Adelson was in for more than $30 million if he funded all of the nefarious right wing projects attributed to him.
How about the 28 million copies of "Obsession", the vitriolic anti-Muslim movie, distributed with the Sunday paper?
Per 9/24/08 IPS:
"The group, the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), is working with another organisation called the Clarion Fund, which produced the 60-minute video and is itself tied closely to an Israeli organisation called Aish Hatorah.
The Fund is currently distributing some 28 million copies of the DVD through newspaper inserts in key electoral ''swing'' states -- states like Michigan, Ohio, and Florida that, according to recent polling, could go either way in November's presidential election."
I am sure Adelson, at least in part, funded the Republican Jewish Coalition's ad campaign, "Concerned About Obama? You Should Be."
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Adelson somehow bankrolled the "Smear ACORN" campaign. As I recall, it was ACORN's Las Vegas office that got raided and got the anti-ACORN ball rolling. Seemed like the right wing media acted on cue as soon as the news broke.
I've been looking into the National Republican Trust PAC and it is run in part by ultra-conservative Jews with ties to intelligence community.
The NRT PAC seemed to spring out of nowhere on 9/29. It raised an astonishing $10 million between 10/15 and 11/12, acording to the FEC, and spent more than $5.5 millon to broadcast the three sleaziest ads of the entire campaign including the Rev Wright one.
Is Adelson's money or influence behind the NRT PAC? Wouldn't suprise me.
November 25, 2008 1:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll give Freedom's Watch credit for one thing only; they recognized that using the old media (newspapers) to deliver the new media (digital DVD's) was an effective vehicle for distribution.
And there's not an ad in the history of print journalism that can offer the incredible volume of information that disc might contain, even if it's a mini-disc.
Progressives could learn from this example. If Move On, Emily's List, Pink, Friends and some of the other pro-active political programs and peace-promoting people pooled their resources, and emulated this multi-media model, their agenda would be promulgated to a much wider audience.
Betcha Bob Greenwald would be glad to produce it.
"The Peace DVD"
Has a nice ring to it.
November 25, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
A friend of mine who keeps a fairly close eye on the war-with-Iran lobby tells me Freedom Watch isn't the only group knocked out of the box by the financial crisis. He says the Israel Project is going down the tubes, despite (or perhaps because of) Ron Lauder's patronage. AIPAC's budget is also under pressure. "The donors are heading for the hills," he quotes one pro-Israel activist as saying.
Silver linings, etc.
November 25, 2008 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Looking at the photo of Adelson, I can't help thinking of the old adage that after 40 you have the face you deserve. Whew!
November 25, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Will Republican malfeasance ever end. Amazing that over and over, Republicans attempt to paint the Democratic party with less than legal behavior, but in the end, we see that it is really Republicans who break the law with such ease. Investigate by all means as they are doing now to Rep. Rangell. NO matter the party, malfeasance should be investigated, prosecuted if malfeasance is found, tried and sent to jail if convicted. Amazing the Republican record for convictions but if Democrats are likewise guilty, send them to jail after a fair trial. We are learning that there is absolutely NO difference between the parties as far as malfeasance goes. It is just that Republicans have been in power for awhile and the natural inclination to cheat has surfaced in those folks.
November 27, 2008 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink