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One of the key right-wing front groups behind both the GOP takeover of our state and national legislatures, as well as the starve-grandma-so-rich-folks-don’t-pay-taxes mindset driving the ginned-up “deficit crisis” (which unfortunately President Obama also buys into, in large part as a way to woo Wall Street donations for 2012), is of course ALEC — the American Legislative Exchange Council.
One of the right wing’s staunchest and most prolific public defenders of ALEC is none other than John Hinderaker of the PowerLine Blog. However, in his plentiful writings on the subject, there are some words you won’t find — namely, these:
Fighting back against public scrutiny, Koch Industries is relying on a small army of conservative bloggers, reporters, and lobbyists. Chief among them is John Hinderaker, a blogger at the “Powerline Blog.” However, in his now daily defense of the Koch brothers, Hinderaker has failed to disclose that his law firm counts Koch Industries as a major client.
That’s right, kiddies: John Hinderaker, ALEC’s fair-haired cabin boy, has a wee bit of a disclosure problem:
Hinderaker is an attorney for the law firm Faegre and Benson. Despite his previous role handling “ethics and professional responsibility” for Faegre, he has failed to disclose in his Koch-friendly blogging that Koch is a major client for his firm. Faegre represented Koch Industries in cases related to Koch’s theft of oil (using the famed “Koch Method” of manipulating oil data) in Texas and North Dakota, in cases against Koch’s own employees regarding Koch’s speculative weather derivatives business and an environmental whistleblower case, and in a case against a Koch subcontractor. In an ongoing case, Hinderaker’s firm represents Koch Industries in a class action suit brought by a group of plaintiffs regarding oil Koch allegedly stole from wells in Oklahoma. In addition, Hinderaker has defended the Bradley Foundation after we profiled the group and its support for Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI). Hinderaker never disclosed that he is a fellow of the Claremont Institute, a front that has received over $3 million from the Bradley Foundation.
For those of us who’ve watched Hinderaker and his fellow upscale cons ply their blog trade over the years, this is not surprising in the least.
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Good morning!
Oh, I am totally surprised at all that you have disclosed. PW, you must be in league with the ‘blame America first’ progressives, otherwise you would not attempt to smear all of these upstanding people by spreading such awful truths about them.
Yupper!
How goes it, BC? Coffee pot just turned off but the coffee’s still warm.
Ah-ha! Hinderaker is another one who has avoided his true calling as a broom pusher.
morning pw!..allow me;
there ya go
I guess I never thought Hinderwhore was defending the Cock brothers as a public service. But thanks anyway PW.
Thanks for your work. I haven’t been around much lately: computer problems and traveling.
Life’s good with warm coffee.
Getting tired of these trolls, tho
How do you pronounce the name Hinderaker? Does it rhyme with ‘pain in the ass’?
Hey P Dub
He doesn’t look all that fair haired to me. But, I guess that’s not the point.
Let’s put an even finer point on your post, PW. This guy, ostensibly a lawyer with a big shot firm, is apparently being paid by Koch, to write a blog holding forth with his opinionated drivel. I have to take small issue that there is no ethical code strictly speaking which requires his disclosure. Maybe someone needs to empanel a blogger’s ethics panel. But the cat is now out the bag that Hinderaker and the big shot law firm of Faegre and Benson are fronts for the bankrollers of the right wing and part of their media Wultizer.
Is Hinderaker a lobbyist? This is what is becoming the practice of law. I wonder how much time this guy spends actually practices law?
Yeah, the “call in and ask your congresscritter to slit your throat” thing was a bit too much. and the lemmings just lit up those switchboards! Kill me first! ME!
It’s a long handled butt scratcher.
His hair is lighter in the summer.
really. i couldn’t believe that,, Compromise!! To the phones!!!! Jeez.
A lot of people have wondered how much time he has to practice law, J.
And while he hasn’t got into hot enough water to cause him to have to choose between his blog and his job, his buddy Paul “Deacon” Mirengoff has dropped from the blog after this little incident.
i need some coffee and i need it now
John Hinderaker is one among many who are selling out our country in exchange for a couple of bucks.
When the Revolution starts, it would be well to remember John Hinderaker, as he and his Faegre and Benson law firm are certainly among those who have to go.
His self-bestowed blog nickname was “Hindrocket”, which progbloggers promptly turned into “Assrocket”. Co-founder Mirengoff was “Deacon” and co-founder Scott W. Johnson was “Big Trunk” (or “Big Drunk” to his enemies).
Here you go….
Or Wal-Mart greeter.
How can I worry about the wingnuts when the one and only thing my Senator wants to do is compromise anything and everything with them?
“Klobuchar Calls for Compromise on Budget
Klobuchar reads letter from Minnesotans urging compromise during speech on Senate floor; Klobuchar: It’s time for us to work together to show the American people that we’re willing to put aside our politics to do what we were elected to do, to do what’s right for America”
“None of us want to see our economy crippled. Democrats don’t want it, Republicans don’t want it. …”
Sorry, Amy, Republicans DO want it.
http://klobuchar.senate.gov/newsreleases_detail.cfm?id=333694&
“It’s time for leaders to lead.”
Obummer, our leader is MIA and hiding behind his desk. He has talked senile Reid into buying into his crap and propose a bill which will destroy SS as we know it. Obummer has never led but constantly shirked his duties under the guise of compromise. The Dems maintain they are protecting the big 3 for the people. However, if they vote for the Obummer-Reid proposal they leave the big 3 vulnerable.
The republikoch organization is so busy taking over the party that they have little time for governing. The fight in the house represents this point.
If we had a true leader he would stand up and use the 14th and pay our countries bills and dare the house to stop him. If we had a leader…..
much, much better. you have no idea how much better. thanks so much
Mornin’, PW, pups
Lemme get this straight. Some bozo attorney who works for a law firm that handles primarily Native American matters also writes on a reichwing blog proceeds to trash Yaqui spirituality on said blog.
Is it possible that there’s one of these reichwing assholes who isn’t clueless? Rhetorical question.
How do the other Right Wing Blogs make money? CNN, Fox News appearances explains some of it funny they get on tv all the time despite their small audience its obviously not profit that motivates the MSM to put them on tv so much but Atlas Shrugs, Ann Althouse how do they get cash?
I like broom pusher because he could be put to work for the public good. Otherwise, as a greeter his hard work just assists the Goldman Sachs connected-Waltons (hat tip Teddy, July 21, 2011) in their collective wealth-transfer shenanigans.
Aside from a conflict of interest, tainting the jury pool with lies, both of which seem illegal to me isn’t this also lobbying illegal lobbying?
County fairs. Blowjobs, 2 for a dollar.
He does seem to have lots of free time for a lawyer I wonder if he is filing billable hour’s to the Koach Brothers when he blogs if so then his lying to taint the jury pool again might be illegal.
So. McConnell tells Reid that he(McConnell) won ‘t negotiate with him (Reid) and will only negotiate if Obama is there. Why would he do such a crazy thing? Could it be becaause he knows Obama will do it? Next. McConnell won’t go to WH. Obama has to come to Senate. And bring some sanwiches for lunch.
I just looked that up (syntax: site:powerlineblog.com yaqui). Yup.
Seriously we do need to find out how they are getting paid and by whom maybe a lawsuit the next time they attack the Lake could lead to discovery.
He wants no agreement, he wants Obama to surrender even more and he wants Harry to look even more weak.
Obama if he accepts these terms would make Harry look even more weak and so I hope he is not dumb enough to accept.
Good!
It’s been a few minutes since the last comment. I just want to say thank you Phoenix woman for all you do for us. You are always right on top of what’s going on and have a great depth of info. As a former Minnesotan who has wondered in recent years what the hell has happened to my state since the eighties I particularly appreciate you.
It’s easier for empathetic people to pretend to be heartless than for heartless people to pretend to be empathetic. Heartless people literally don’t know what it’s like to give a shit about anyone other than themselves, so when they try to fake decency and empathy they fall flat. Instead, they fall back on using hatred to communicate.
Thanks!
The dims have already surrendered, but are trying to put up a smoke screen that they tried but had no choice but to do it the repug way. If you are choosing at election time, which is the lesser of two evils?
Note to SouthernDragon: I’m in town for a few days, but I didn’t bring the book with your email address. If you have mine, give me a note, or answer this and I’ll give you an email address.
Oh, exactly. But here’s the good news: Nothing that passes the Senate will pass in the House, both because of the Tea Party types and because House Dems have telegraphed to Obama their intention to dump it in his lap and make him do an end run around the debt ceiling (there are at least three ways he can do it) that would avoid the Wall-Street-pleasing, economy-wrecking cuts he craves.
The irony is that Teeps won’t accept the surrender — which is why Obama is probably going to have to do the right thing and do an end run around the debt ceiling. He will have no other options available.
Get me at gulfportfreepress at yahoo dot com. Just looked at my address book and I need to clean that sucker up, big time.
A-Klo is A-Klo. I prefer Franken, myself.
But what A-Klo won’t tell you is that it doesn’t matter what the Senate does, because the House won’t pass it anyway.
Prolly right, Senator Murry from my state will not give me a straight answer on cuts through email exchanges, nothing but weasel words.
he is