A week after liberals ganged up on a group helping conservative states write voter identification and free market legislation, the organization is fighting back in a bid to stop major donors from following Coke, McDonalds and others from fleeing.
“We find ourselves the focus on a well-funded, expertly coordinated intimidation campaign,” said Ron Scheberle, executive director of the American Legislative Council, or ALEC.
Last week, several liberal groups upset that ALEC has helped to pass voter ID laws in several states began pushing an economic boycott of industries that donate to ALEC. Coke bailed the first day Washington Secrets reported the boycott. McDonalds, Pepsi, Kraft and Intuit have followed.
On Wednesday, Common Cause cheered the actions of the corporations, calling ALEC’s efforts on voter ID and other controversial issues “undemocratic and unsavory.” They also said that it and other groups will be pushing companies like State Farm and Johnson & Johnson to quit ALEC.
“The real motive behind the left’s campaign is to silence a highly-effective, free market organization that has been the genesis of hundreds of pro-growth pieces of legislation. ALEC has been at forefront in helping to reign in Obamacare at the state level. Free market conservatives need to rally around ALEC to show this intimidation won’t work,” said a top Republican strategist.
The anti-ALEC campaign is similar to the economic boycott of Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers, which has also worked.
In its statement, published below, ALEC said that they are being targeted by a “well-funded intimidation campaign.”
Statement by ALEC on the Coordinated Intimidation Campaign Against Its Members
April 11, 2012-Ron Scheberle, Executive Director of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), issued the following statement today in response to the coordinated and well-funded intimidation campaign against corporate members of the organization:
“ALEC is an organization that supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and the vigorous exchange of ideas between the public and private sector to develop state based solutions. Today, we find ourselves the focus of a well-funded, expertly coordinated intimidation campaign.
“Our members join ALEC because we connect state legislators with other state legislators and with job-creators in their states. They join because we support pro-business policies that promote innovation and spur local and national competitiveness. They’re ALEC members because they’re more interested in solutions than rhetoric.
“For years, ALEC has partnered with legislators to research and develop better, more effective public policies – legislation that creates a more transparent, accountable government, policies that place a priority on free enterprise and consumer choice, and tax policies that are fair, simple and that spur the kind of competiveness that puts Americans back to work.
“At a time when job creation, real solutions and improved dialogue among political leaders is needed most, ALEC’s mission has never been more important. This is why we are redoubling our commitment to these essential priorities. We are not and will not be defined by ideological special interests who would like to eliminate discourse that leads to economic vitality, jobs and fiscal stability for the states.”
