[Vision2020] Please Respond to Main Point Re: Installment #2 - Character

[Ted Moffett]

I did not indicate the virtues being discussed were not important.

I pointed out that the individual supporting the Foundation for a
Better Life has funded efforts I do not think are vituous (bigotry,
junk science).  You may disagree.

My main point was objecting to front groups funding advertising where
the source of the advertising is not disclosed.  Therefore I think the
Foundation for a Better Life advertising should disclose who is
funding it.   I presented data on this issue regarding the 2010
election, that neither you nor Paul R. responded to.  I am including
this data again at the bottom.

Of course sometimes the message can be separated from the messenger.
But sometimes in advertising this is definitely not the case,
especially political advertising.  Some of the front groups
advertising is deliberately deceptive, and disclosing who is funding
the advertising would help reveal this deception to the public.

I think transparency regarding who is funding advertising, especially
politically oriented ads aimed at influencing elections, helps the
public make informed decisions about what is the real intent behind
the advertising in question.

This is not a partisan issue.

Consider that groups supporting George W. Bush's election funded
advertising for presidential candidate Nader.  If people knew the ads
were being purchased by those seeking to defeat Gore by promoting
votes for Nader, perhaps the public would not have been duped by these
ads.

Again, here is the data from the post you responded to, data that you
made no reference to, on front groups advertising influencing the 2010
election:

http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2010-December/073326.html

Advertising using front organizations that do not reveal the forces
behind the advertising is a powerful tool to deceive the public and
manipulate public opinion.

This tactic was used successfully to promote the Tea Pary agenda in
the 2010 election:

Citizens Blindsided: Secret Corporate Money in the 2010 Elections and
America’s New Shadow Democracy

https://www.pfaw.org/media-center/publications/citizens-blindsided-secret-corporate-money-the-2010-elections-and-america-

>From website above:

While we do not know who is funding such organizations, we do know
that the groups which played a significant role in the 2010 elections
are overwhelmingly backing right-wing candidates.  “Outside groups
raised and spent $126 million on elections without disclosing the
source,” according to the Sunlight Foundation, which “represents more
than a quarter of the total $450 million spent by outside groups.”
Republican candidates largely benefited from the downpour of
undisclosed money, as pro-GOP groups that did not reveal their donors
outspent similar pro-Democratic groups by a 6:1 margin.  The
nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reports that of the top ten
groups which did not disclose their sources of funding, eight were
conservative pro-GOP organizations.
------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On 12/21/10, Jeff Harkins <jeffh at moscow.com> wrote:
>   Oh Ted at first I didn't get it, but now that you have shed light on
> the issue, I get it - you mean people like George Soros and
> organizations like the Tides Foundation, the Shadow Party and the Open
> Society Institute.
>
> One thing I noted about the */Foundation for a Better Life/* that tends
> to separate that org from many others was their non-reliance on outside
> funding (they don't accept donations) and they don't provide grants or
> other funding to other agencies.
>
> For me, Paul R was right on point - the values promoted transcend the
> politics, the acrimony and the rhetoric so often a part of our human
> dialogues.
>
> Hopefully all of the "friends" on the V will appreciate the posting of
> the values as a means of self examination and community enhancement -
> nothing less, nothing more.
>
> Happy holidays to all of you - for whatever reason you use for celebration.
>
>
>
>
>