Freedomworks
Based on a merger in 2004 between Citizens for a Sound Economy and Empower America,[1] and chaired by Dick Armey, Freedomworks is an American conservative political organization that trains and supports local activists; it describes it mission as being to mobilize, in real-time, a large "grassroots army" to promote smaller government, tax reduction, and "freedom to compete."[2] The current president is Matt Kibbe. The board of directors of the associated Freedomworks Foundation includes Forbes magazine editor Steve Forbes.
Both of the founding groups received considerable corporate support. Citizens for a Sound Economy was a conservative think tank and Empower America an issues-based lobbying group.
Freedomworks and its predecessors received in excess of $10 million in funding from groups associated with the owners of Koch Industries. [3]
Network neutrality
It supports the position of a number of telecommunications carriers, in opposition to network neutrality, and has accepted funding from carriers including Verizon and AT&T. It has run ads for its position, and also testified before federal and state legislators, as well as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). At the FCC, its position was that network neutrality would stifle innovation. [4]
Tea Party movement
While it has existed for some time, it has gained greater prominence when it trained early Tea Party movement activists such as Keli Carender. [5]
Manifesto and organizing
Armey and Kibbe published a 2010 book, Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto, containing positioning and organizing techniques. [6]
References
- ↑ Freedomworks, Common Cause
- ↑ About Us, Freedomworks
- ↑ Freedomworks, Conservative Transparency: MediaMatters
- ↑ Wayne Brough (15 January 2010), Proposed Regulations Pose Threat to Internet: Free Market Coalition Comments on FCC Net Neutrality Proceedings, FreedomWorks
- ↑ Unlikely Activist Who Got to the Tea Party Early - NYTimes.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-26.
- ↑ Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe (2010), Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto, William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins, ISBN 9780062015877