“Progressive” Group Posing as Tea Party Lobbying Against School Choice

Tom Murse recently investigated the group behind the “NoVoucherTax” web, radio and TV ads. While the ads convey an anti-tax message, mimicking a Tea Party group, the group responsible is really a combination of Democrat party consultants and “progressives.”

The website domain NoVoucherTax.org had been registered to Baltimore-based Democratic media strategist Walter Ludwig and his firm TeamBlue Politics Inc., which does work in Washington. Its owner is now mysteriously listed as “H H.”  …

The only trace of the group in state records is its rather vague registration with the Department of State. NoVoucherTax.org is a new lobbying organization, but it exploits exemptions in the disclosure laws to keep its identity secret.

It does list an employee: Harlan Hill, outreach specialist.

The NoVoucherTax.org is hosted on a Coraloo Studio domain; the South Carolina firm does web design and new media management for Democratic political campaigns and initiatives. Hill is the firm’s proprietor.

What’s the group up to now?  One of my colleagues passed along the alert below, in which NoVoucherTax targets primarily Republican lawmakers, asking people who don’t even live in their district to make calls to specific legislators.

Dear Friend,

We said NO in November to higher taxes and more government, and we say NO now!

But the Senate Appropriations committee has scheduled a vote on SB 1, the Voucher Tax!

Senate Appropriations committee vote now scheduled

for Monday, April 11!

Senators need to hear from you this weekend

This weekend, please call the Senators below and leave a message for them to hear Monday morning saying NO on Senate Bill 1 – the Voucher Tax!

Because we want to make sure they all hear from us, please make at least two calls.

EVERYONE should call the Majority Leader:

Sen. Pileggi                 (717) 787-4712

THEN, use the table below for your second call. Whatever number your ZIP code ends in, call the Senator next to that number.

If we all work together, we can leave hundreds or thousands of messages for Monday morning.

Last #In Your ZIP       Senator                                          Office Number to Call

0                            Joseph Scarnati                         (717) 787-7084

1                            Lisa Baker                                 (717) 787-7428

2                            Mike Brubaker                            (717) 787-4420

3                            Bob Mensch                               (717) 787-3110

4                            John Pippy                                 (717) 787-5839

5                            John Rafferty                              (717) 787-1398

6                            Lloyd Smucker                             (717) 787-6535

7                            Lisa Boscola                                (717) 787-4236

8                            Jake Corman                                (717) 787-1377

9                            Robert Tomlinson                          (717) 787-5072

Progressive groups are pulling out all the stops—including impersonating conservatives—in order to protect the education monopoly.