Who Is Funding WMC, WMC Watch?

One of the elements of our WMC Watch program is the public demand to know who is funding Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) in its issue ad campaigns, which in the last three years, some estimate*,  inserted over $10 million into Wisconsin elections.

My own guess is that most of the money comes from out-of-state based companies who are not activists in WMC, but use the once bipartisan business lobby to further a right wing agenda. In the most recent campaign to dislodge Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler, I suspect that over 2/3rds of the estimated $2.2 million came from the likes of Home Depot, Wal-Mart, General Electric and major insurance companies.

In the meantime, we hear the patter of little feet as the right wing-bloggers weigh in asking who funds my project, but not asking who funds WMC election efforts.

Tom McMahon writes:

Notice how Soglin never does reveal who is funding his efforts. He's been awfully successful in getting his anti-WMC pieces up...

Then in the snark of all time, he posts:

Soglin admits this here, referring to himself in the third person: (Paul Soglin receives compensation for doing research on WMC and working to oppose some of its efforts.)

(Admits, def: : to confess, concede)

James Wigderson acknowledged that both this year and last year I disclosed that I was compensated for my WMC Watch work, but I can no longer find the Widgerson post from July 2nd or 3rd where he wrote that.

And Rick Esenberg recognizes, "Maybe I missed it, but inquiring minds want to know. Is Mayor Soglin receiving any support or renumeration from anyone for this?" Though he ads an update, "Widgerson points out that Soglin has said he is being paid to go after WMC."

Which gets us to the two real issues:

• WMC refuses to disclose where the millions of dollars come from that they use to use to influence state elections. These bloggers do not care.
• The money I receive is not used to influence elections. I am paid to deal with a private organization, WMC. My clients are people who hired my business, Soglin Consulting, to keep track of and expose the workings of WMC.

*The Wisconsin Demnocracy Campaign looks at televison purchases at election time which some stations will publicly disclose. WMC purchases in the April 2008 election was estimated at $2.2 million. Similar or higher amounts were noted for the spring 2007 judicial race and the fall 2006 attorney general and gubernatorial  races.

Comments

[John Foust]

It's clear. They didn't care where WMC's money was coming from until your research created traction for public criticism and increased discussion of WMC's means and motives. They don't want this examination. They want to know who to attack.

[Katrina]

I look forward to comments on Waxing America on the George Lightborne Opinion piece in Cap Times today.

[James Wigderson]

So why not disclose who your clients are, and push the debate in the other direction?

[Tim]

Lets see WMC disclose where all its out-of-state money came from first. I'm sure a quid pro quo then could be determined.

[John Foust]

Wigderson, if you have any influence, perhaps you can broker a deal and win a Wisconsin peace prize. Is WMC willing to disclose its benefactors? If not, why push for Soglin to reveal his? Are you suggesting that someone's (or an organization's) backers can influence their actions, to a degree proportionate to their contribution? If so, who do you think is driving the WMC bus?

What is the concern about out of state money? I thought the gripe about WMC was that they ran some attack ads.

[james wigderson]

WMC is actually irrelevant to the question, a bit of sleight-of-hand by Soglin. No, if Soglin has deemed full disclosure is a good then surely he owes us full disclosure? If not, is Soglin up to no good?

[John Foust]

Step right up, Widgerson, and start SoglinWatch. Maybe you can perform the research to discover his benefactors and the influence they're having on state politics. Show us how he's up to no good.

[John Foust]

Whoops, it's Wig-der-son, like Anderson, but with a wig-der. :-) I see Soglin made the same mistake.

[antpoppa]

This whole process of watching and then watching the watchers is beginning to form into an elaborate Ponzi scheme operation. How long a line is there?

[Rick Esenberg]

I take it that your response to my inquiry about who is funding your WMC watch would involve an invitation for me to pound sand.

"The money I receive is not used to influence elections." Wow. That's good. You're too smart, Mr. Soglin, to sincerely believe that's a meaningful distinction. Say goodbye to any credibility on this subject.