Club for Growth Wisconsin

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This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin.

The Club for Growth Wisconsin (CFGW) is a state arm of the far right-wing national issue ad group, the Club for Growth, which is funded by the wealthiest Americans and supports Republican candidates for office. The Green Bay Press-Gazette, in a March 9, 2011 article, noted that CFGW has ties to New York real estate developer Howard S. "Howie" Rich, who has put millions into Republican and libertarian causes.

Governor Scott Walker's Budget Bill

On February 14, 2011, three days after Gov. Scott Walker introduced his budget bill, the Wisconsin Club for Growth (WCFG) aired a commercial that accused state workers of not having to sacrifice like private sector workers. In an effort to divide the house of labor, the commercial urged private sector workers to support Walker’s budget repair bill and make state workers “pay their fair share.” When the commercial failed to dissuade protesters from going to the capitol, WCFG along with Americans for Prosperity, a group funded by the Koch brothers, organized a pro-Walker rally on February 19.

WCFG criticized protesters for taking off of work because private sector workers “would like [public workers] to contribute more towards their healthcare and pensions,” even though state workers said they were willing to do so if they could keep their collective bargaining rights. According to the Nation’s John Nichols, WCFG is “an organization funded by extremely wealthy conservatives to carry out their budget-stripping goals [and] has been a key player in Republican Governor Scott Walker's move to take out the state's organized workers.” In addition to this, WCFG, in a press release, targeted eight Republican State Senators that did not initially commit to Walker’s budget repair bill. Club For Growth, according to Think Progress, funded several “hard-hitting attack ads” against candidates who supported raising taxes on the rich or “have done anything to hold powerful corporations accountable.”

Budget Issue Ads

During the February 2011 battle over the "budget repair bill", CFGW sponsored a black-and-white television ad that featured working-class faces and superimposed newspaper headlines about the economic downturn which asserted that public employees have made no sacrifices while ordinary people have suffered substantially. The ad cited concessions by workers at Harley-Davidson, Mercury Marine and Sub-Zero while somber music played in the background. The narrator intoned, "But state workers haven't had to sacrifice. They pay next to nothing for their pensions, and a fraction of their health care. It's not fair. Call your state legislator and tell them to vote for Governor Walker's budget repair bill. It's time state employees paid their fair share, just like the rest of us."

PolitiFact Wisconsin reported that "officials with the Club for Growth -- Deb Jordahl and R.J. Johnson -- told us the ad meant to highlight just two issues regarding state employee compensation: pension and health care payments.... The portion of health premiums paid by employees more than doubled under then-Gov. Jim Doyle, from 2.5 percent to 5.6 percent in 2011.... But the most notable change for state workers has come on pay.

"The Club for Growth ad dramatically highlights 'frozen wages' and 'pay cuts' accepted by unions at the private companies -- and then says 'state workers haven’t had to sacrifice.' In fact, state workers have taken a hit on wages -- in the form of furlough days.... Doyle also rescinded 2 percent raises for non-union employees in the 2007-2009 state budget.... Doyle also suspended merit awards in November 2008.... So state workers have in fact given up some pay, which is the definition of sacrifice."

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that as of March 13, 2011, CFGW had spent $805,610 on broadcast TV ads over Wisconsin's budget fight.

Other related ads and endorsements

WCFG also released four other videos promoting Walker’s budget reforms and endorsing Supreme Court Justice David Prosser and Senator Alberta Darling. During the April 5 Wisconsin elections, WCFG provided over $400,000 for Prosser’s campaign. Prosser’s conservative law history ensured that Walker’s budget bill would clear the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In March, when recall efforts achieved over 30,000 signatures for recall, WCFG released another commercial praising Darling for “keeping Wisconsin open for business without raising taxes.”

Electioneering

Recall Election Spending

After Gov. Walker's controversial budget repair bill prompted a massive recall effort by Wisconsin residents to recall both he and other state legislators, 15 recall elections were held. "Overall, the Club spent over $9.1 million supporting Walker and Republican legislators in the 2011 and 2012 recall elections."

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Club for Growth Wisconsin spent more than $1 million on outside electioneering activities in the 2007 and 2008 state Supreme Court races and the 2008 and 2010 fall elections.

The Club for Growth Wisconsin was the first outside special interest group to promote a candidate in the 2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, spending at least $321,000 on the race, and out-spending all candidates combined, and accounting for 70% of all spending in the race. The group has hired the Republican polling firm, Public Opinion Strategies, to health defeat efforts to obtain universal health insurance in Wisconsin.

In the primary for the 2013 elections alone, CFGW spent "more than $300,000 on television advertisements in support of incumbent Justice Pat Roggensack."

Local Judicial Elections

Most recently, Club for Growth Wisconsin has also had a hand in 2013 local judicial elections. In the Milwaukee county race, Club for Growth has spent $167,000 on TV ads in support of incumbent Judge Rebecca Bradley. "Club for Growth is also reportedly spending on a judicial election in Ozaukee County, where lawyer Joseph Voiland is challenging incumbent Judge Thomas Wolfgram," and attacking him for signing a petition in support of Walker's recall.

Previous Negative Ads

"Club for Growth Wisconsin spent an estimated $950,000 on negative broadcast advertising and other electioneering activities in the 2007 and 2008 Wisconsin Supreme Court races and the 2008 fall elections," according to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. "The group sponsored a radio ad about three weeks before the November 2010 elections against Democrat Elmer Monk of Kimberly, who is running for the 1st Senate District open seat against Republican Frank Lasee. The ad criticized Monk for voting to raise property taxes as Kimberly school board member."

Issues

Pro-Corporate, Anti-Worker

The Club for Growth Wisconsin "seek[s] to extinguish the voice of public labor unions... because those unions... provide the most important bulwark of campaign-season defense via volunteers and dollars against the corporate interests' unimpeded domination over elections." The Club for Growth Wisconsin's other efforts are aimed at helping corporations "avoid... their fair share of taxes, blocking minimum wage efforts and preventing any 'mandate' in environmental or workplace regulation they find inconvenient." The Club's overall strategies are aimed at splitting the middle and working classes by "pitting unionized workers against non-unionized workers, public-sector workers against nonpublic, older workers within sight of Medicare and Social Security against younger workers who don't believe these programs will be there for them, and the poor against the working middle class," according to former labor secretary Robert Reich. Reich said, "By splitting working America along these lines, Republicans want Americans to believe that we can no longer afford to do what we need to do as a nation. They hope to deflect attention from the increasing share of total income and wealth going to the richest 1 percent while the jobs and wages of everyone else languish."

Climate Change Denial

The Club for Growth Wisconsin calls global warming/climate change a "fraud."

Backing "Tort Reform"

The Club for Growth Wisconsin supports and works to advance tort reform, a "movement" propagated by companies and entire industries -- such as the tobacco and asbestos industries -- that are vulnerable to legal actions seeking damages for the impacts of their products. Proponents use the term "tort reform" to refer to legislative measures designed to limit the ability of individuals to sue companies and to restrict the amount of potential damages available to individuals who take legal actions against companies.

Ties to Wall Street, the Kochs

Almost all of the board members of Club for Growth have extensive ties to Wall Street and Energy companies. Media Matters lists several donations and connections CFG board members have with the Koch Brothers’ charities, Exxon Mobile and other right leaning organizations. According to ThinkProgress, CFG collected funds from “employees of J.P. Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, while being buoyed by large donations like a $1.4 million contribution from investor Stephen Jacksons of Stephens Groups Inc.” Furthermore R.J. Johnson, one of WCFG’s main organizers, was a strategist for Walker’s campaign.

Club for Growth does not just back just any GOP candidate, Rep. Steve Latourette (R-OH) referred to the group as the “Spanish Inquisition” after their campaigns ousted moderates from the GOP. In May 2010, the group “organize the GOP uprising in Utah … that toppled three-term Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R), and …Florida Gov. Charlie Crist out of the GOP as well.” With strong ties to Wall Street and the Tea Party, Club for Growth has already endorsed over 20 candidates and provided funds and organizers for their campaigns. Their goal, according to the Washington Post, is “to capitalize on the Republican-dominated "tea party" movement that has coalesced in opposition to President Obama's health-care overhaul, the Wall Street bailouts and other fiscal concerns.” “They just like to take money from anonymous donors, fire shots at folks without any accountability,” said Mike Huckabee to Fox News.

Some Republicans have accused Club for Growth of backing right leaning candidates that lose to democrats; however, the endorsed candidates have already begun the work they were hired to do. Candidates such as State Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Lee (R-UT), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Sharron Angle (R-NV), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Mike Pompeo (R-KS) are supporting big businesses such as BP and “rushing to defend the rights of corporation over the American victims of the [BP oil disaster].”

Staff, Board, Personnel and Advisers

R.J. Johnson, a former political strategist for Wisconsin's embattled Governor Scott Walker, is a key adviser to the Club for Growth Wisconsin. In the 2008 tax year, R.J. Johnson's eponymous consulting business made $33,791 on activities performed for the Club for Growth Wisconsin. In 2010, Walker paid RJ Johnson & Associates, Inc. $30,000 for "Consulting Fees- General."

Eric O'Keefe is also a board member of the CFGW. O'Keefe is part of the Koch Brothers' political network, having attended the Kochs' 2010 Aspen strategy soiree. He is also the chair and CEO of the Sam Adams Alliance, and a board member of the Institute for Humane Studies, which has taken millions from the Kochs and for which billionaire Charles Koch serves as chairman.

The Club for Growth Wisconsin webpage has a "Congressional Corner with Congressman Paul Ryan" featuring links to various statements made by him 2007-2010.

Contact Information

Wisconsin Club for Growth Inc.
1223 West Main Street, #304
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590

Phone: (877) 707-0571

Resources and Articles

Sourcewatch Resources

• Club for Growth
• R.J. Johnson
• Eric O'Keefe

External Resources

• Organizational web site: http://wicfg.com/index.cfm
• Mary Bottari National Right-Wing Spin Machine Gears Up In Wisconsin, PRWatch.org, March 3, 2011
• Club For Growth Commercials: http://www.youtube.com/user/clubforgrowthwi?feature=mhum#p/u/0/im9DfnOW8XM