The Economic Freedom Fund (EFF), based in Sacramento, California, is a "new deep-pocketed" conservative 527 committee, according to TPM Muckraker's Justin Rood. [1]
R. Keith Olberg, a former California Assemblyman, is EFF's president, according to the disclosure report filed October 1, 2006, by EFF with the Federal Election Commission. In October 2002, LA Weekly described Olberg, who was then running for California Secretary of State, as a "veteran Republican wonk and legislator." Olberg's wife, Delette Olberg, is "a $99,000-a-year official on the [California] Assembly GOP caucus staff." [2]
The group works with Meridian Pacific, Inc., "a two-year-old California consulting firm", Rood wrote September 14, 2006. As "further testament to its GOP bonafides," Meridian is "headed by" John Peschong, a "onetime senior Republican National Committee official [who] joined Meridian Pacific in 2005, after seven years as the Western States Director for the RNC," Rood wrote.
On September 14, 2006, EFF's "sole backer" was Texas millionaire Robert J. Perry, "who founded the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group during the 2004 elections," Rood wrote. [3]
Perry was joined September 21, 2006, by Carl H. Lindner, "part owner of the Cincinnati Reds and No. 133 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, [who] has ponied up $50,000 to EFF. More precisely, EFF has recorded a $50,000 donation from the same address as Lindner uses in other FEC reports," Josh Marshall wrote October 4, 2006.
Marian Ilitch has employed Olberg since January 2006 and paid him nearly $200,000 to convince Sacramento lawmakers to approve her unorthodox plan to relocate two tribes clear across the state so she can open two Indian Casinos in Barstow, Calif. Marian's husband Mike Ilitch is owners of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and No. 242 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. They have ponied up thousands to former congressman Richard Pombo which landed them at #9 on Pombo's list of Top Ten Donors -- beating out Jack Abramoff who was #10.
EFF hired Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm, an Arlington, Virginia, "media firm, to prepare ads against" Democratic incumbents Reps. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and Jim Marshall (D-GA), Paul J. Nyden reported September 14, 2006, for McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
SRC&P "also prepared the Swift Boat ads attacking [John] Kerry's military service in Vietnam, where he won a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts," Nyden wrote.
By the time the Economic Freedom Fund was only a month old, it had already been very active, dropping half a million bucks on negative TV ads against" Mollohan and Marshall, Paul Kiel of TPM Muckraker wrote September 14, 2006.
R. Keith Olberg, a former California Assemblyman, is EFF's president, according to the disclosure report filed October 1, 2006, by EFF with the Federal Election Commission. In October 2002, LA Weekly described Olberg, who was then running for California Secretary of State, as a "veteran Republican wonk and legislator." Olberg's wife, Delette Olberg, is "a $99,000-a-year official on the [California] Assembly GOP caucus staff." [2]
The group works with Meridian Pacific, Inc., "a two-year-old California consulting firm", Rood wrote September 14, 2006. As "further testament to its GOP bonafides," Meridian is "headed by" John Peschong, a "onetime senior Republican National Committee official [who] joined Meridian Pacific in 2005, after seven years as the Western States Director for the RNC," Rood wrote.
On September 14, 2006, EFF's "sole backer" was Texas millionaire Robert J. Perry, "who founded the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group during the 2004 elections," Rood wrote. [3]
Perry was joined September 21, 2006, by Carl H. Lindner, "part owner of the Cincinnati Reds and No. 133 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, [who] has ponied up $50,000 to EFF. More precisely, EFF has recorded a $50,000 donation from the same address as Lindner uses in other FEC reports," Josh Marshall wrote October 4, 2006.
Marian Ilitch has employed Olberg since January 2006 and paid him nearly $200,000 to convince Sacramento lawmakers to approve her unorthodox plan to relocate two tribes clear across the state so she can open two Indian Casinos in Barstow, Calif. Marian's husband Mike Ilitch is owners of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and No. 242 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. They have ponied up thousands to former congressman Richard Pombo which landed them at #9 on Pombo's list of Top Ten Donors -- beating out Jack Abramoff who was #10.
EFF hired Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm, an Arlington, Virginia, "media firm, to prepare ads against" Democratic incumbents Reps. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and Jim Marshall (D-GA), Paul J. Nyden reported September 14, 2006, for McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
SRC&P "also prepared the Swift Boat ads attacking [John] Kerry's military service in Vietnam, where he won a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts," Nyden wrote.
By the time the Economic Freedom Fund was only a month old, it had already been very active, dropping half a million bucks on negative TV ads against" Mollohan and Marshall, Paul Kiel of TPM Muckraker wrote September 14, 2006.
