Where'd That Goofy TV Ad Come From?

There's a series of political advertisements running on television featuring people speaking against the bailout package, using some of the most convoluted logic (not to mention unattractive actors) to make their point. One point is that we must not fund anything that would alter global warming. Another takes a shot against all that green technology that would increase the price of the energy we're using. That reference, I would suppose, would be oil.

The ads are the product of something called Americans for Prosperity, headed by a right-wing zealot named Timothy R. Phillips. thinkprogress.org tells us that Phillips has ties locally here in Western Virginia. "Before replacing Koch Industries lobbyist Nancy Pfotenhauer as president of Americans for Prosperity, [he] had a long career as a conservative operative. In 1992, Phillips managed Rep. Bob Goodlatte's (R-Va.) first congressional campaign and served as his chief of staff for four years."

Phillips also helped co-found Century Strategies, a PR firm, with Ralph Reed. Forbes Magazine has called Koch Industries "the largest privately owned company in the United States, whose multiple holdings make it a veritable global warming pollution factory."