Are the producers and supporters of the new video alleging the Koch Brothers bought the 2009 Wake County school board elections now backing away from the claim?
As noted in today's article, the message is moving away from the Koch Brothers buying school board candidates in 2009 to saying they backed a long-term campaign to destabilize the school system to make the election results possible.
Robert Greenwald, director of the video, said that its intent was to show that long-term efforts by the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity helped create an environment in which candidates could craft a winning campaign on opposing the school board.
“We wanted to show that the long campaign from Americans for Prosperity was the most important factor and the result was an election win,” Greenwald said.
Bob Geary of the liberal Independent weekly didn't directly back up his statement in the video that AFP poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the election.
“It was a fair statement in the context in which I made it, which was a discussion of the long campaign waged against the Wake School Board by Americans for Prosperity,” Geary said. “It is not my place to defend or rebut (the) thesis in the video, it is their thesis, not mine.”
Dallas Woodhouse, state director of the conservative Americans for Prosperity, accused the other side of changing their story.
“The video accused us of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote, train and nominate candidates,” Woodhouse said. “What they’re saying now is not what they’re saying in the video. They can’t back up their libelous statements.”
Comments
With all due respect Dallas
Fri, 08/19/2011 - 00:38 — WhalerCaneYou have changed your story bubba. You claimed credit post '09 elections for them, and now you say you had nothing to do with them. I agree, you did not directly have any determinative impact on '09 races. . The Koch's absolutely did not buy election, and that was a BS premise by Brave New Films. I also agree you and AFP have helped fan a hostile environment towards public education. Bob's premise does have validity. That said, plenty of liberals entering the public space to influence it as well. Can we move on now.?
Talk about changing
Fri, 08/19/2011 - 08:23 — shearertwTalk about changing stories.....Why are you here Perry? You have no credibility left...you barely had any to begin with. You are who you associate yourself with. You clearly agreed to work with these Brave New Films people and now that you've been called out you're acting like you didn't know who they were and what they were up to. No one truly believes that. AFP is passionate about improving education for children, not hostile. Just because they believe in embracing some more innovative and creative means for education doesn't make them "hostile". Why don't you just go Biden on them and call them "terrorist" or "hostage takers"? I think you're realizing your gig is up...No serious people are buying the race baiting or the other scare tactics you Libs have worn out for decades. It is time to move on....time for you to move on. Now you're just embarrassing yourself.
Todd
So, now the story is AFP
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 11:05 — woodstockSo, now the story is AFP tried to "create an environment" where pro-neighborhood school candidates could win. LOL That is a far cry from the message in the video. Will there be future videos where we learn that the N&O, Goodmon's media empire (WRAL, NC Policy Watch, NC Justice Center, etc.), the Democrat Party, "Friends if Diversity( (led by appointed BoE member, Keith Sutton), the NAACP, GSIW, CCCACC etc. tried to "create an environment" to prevent pro-neighborhood school candidates from getting elected? What a shocking revelation!
My guess is very, very few voters in Wake County even knew what AFP was or even heard of the Koch until recently. I know that before the '09 elections, I was completely unaware either existed. They were a complete nonfactor.
To Mr. Geary, if you are just an extra in a porn movie, you are still in a porn movie and claiming you didn't participate in the "activities" or condone the "thesis" or intent of the movie, doesn't really change the fact that you.... well, chose to be in a porn movie.
Sorry Bob....
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 10:07 — Bob_Sconceit is their thesis, not mine
If they use your image and your words to state their thesis, then it's your thesis as well.