The Rightwing Fear that Al Gore Will Take Back the White House
Much of this post is buried in a post about Al Gore's response to attacks by Drudge and other rabid flat-earthers who are just so frothing-at-the-mouth outraged because the former Vice President uses electricity.
Clearly, Republicans are worried about the clamor for "America's Coolest Ex-Vice President Ever" to take back the White House.
The attack originates from the Tennessee Center For Policy Research. Thus, the rightwing non-think tank deserves a post all its own.
Seeing the Forest notes that TCPR claims "to be non-partisan but only link(s) to far-right and conservative groups so regardless of what their status is with the IRS, this is a conservative, strongly-leaning Republican organization."
And, yes, you can expect to hear more about that IRS status.
USA Today blogger, Mark Memmott observes that the "non-partisan" TCPR links to the Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute. The TCPR's idea of non-partisan looks a lot like Dick Cheney's idea of "progress" in Iraq.
Dave Johnson and James Boyce over at Huffington Post report on The Tennessee Center For Policy Research.
And lo and behold we have not only an Exxon connection, but the Bush and Cheney 'mexed missages' manufacturer itself -- the radical right-wing American Enterprise Institute:
Tennessee Center's President Drew Johnson comes straight out of the right's network, coming from Exxon-funded American Enterprise Institute and the right-wing-funded National Taxpayers Foundation.
They are part of the right's State Policy Network. According to PFAW,
"SPN is a national network of state-based right-wing organizations in 37 states as well as prominent nationwide right-wing organizations. Through its network SPN advances the public policy ideas of the expansive right-wing political movement on the state and local level."
The Tennessee Dept. of Revenue has actually termed the TCPR as "not a legitimate organization."
Also:
Liberadio: Always On: The Gore Power Switch
Nashville City Paper: Dept. of Revenue says conservative think tank ‘not a legitimate group’
Cup of Joe Powell: Smearing Al Gore The TCPR Way
August Pollack: Shocking report reveals Al Gore uses electricity, says popular idiot
Anonymous Liberal: Gore's Energy Use
Shakespeare's Sister: High Drudgeon
Oliver Willis: Swift Boating Al Gore
The Carpetbagger Report: Conservative smear machine targets Gore (again)
Crooks and Liars: Smearing Gore
INSTAPUTZ: Putz: For hypocrisy before he was against it!
Al Gore News Politics Swiftboaters An Inconvenient Truth Oscars Climate Change Global Warming Tennessee 2008 Drudge Radical Right
