'Populist' billboard message comes from GOP playbook

If you've been down New York Street, you've already seen it. A stark black billboard with a broken yellow line across the top making it appear to be some sort of hazard warning.

The sign consists of just a web address, "DoNotLetBillFosterKillJobs.com." If you happen to have a pair of binoculars, you might be able to make out the "Paid for by the Economic Freedom Alliance" (EFA) at the bottom.

Dutifully typing in the URL, I found myself at a Web site castigating Congressman Bill Foster for being one of 250 co-sponsors of the "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA). This pending legislation would make it easier for employees to form unions so factory owners oppose it. The EFA says the EFCA will mean the loss of 600,000 jobs by 2010.

Buried somewhere on the third page was an actual link to the EFA Web site. Without specifically targeting Foster, it was more of the same. Ironically, they defend a worker's right to a secret union ballot while trying to undermine the very unions to which they belong. And they have plenty of meaningless statistics to prove their point, too.

But when I tried to find a contact name, there was none. Only a Chicago Wacker Drive suite was listed. As it turns out, at least 12 separate entities claimed that suite as their mailing address.

Whenever anyone goes to those kind of lengths to cower behind a Web site it always piques my interest. And thanks to the diligence of Beacon-News reporter Paul Dailing, who went to that address, we have some answers.

Dailing discovered the EFA is one of those "527 groups" that file with the IRS as tax-exempt political organizations. Ostensibly, these groups can legally criticize or support a candidate's record, but they can't tell you who to vote for.

Unlike PACs, which allow only individual donations limited to $5,000 a year, corporations and private citizens can bestow any amount upon a 527 group.

When making his journey to Oz, Dailing found the "man behind the curtain" is none other than former Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz. And each one of those Wacker Drive "businesses" happened to have a Gidwitz family member at the helm.

When Dailing dug deeper he found, this year alone, the EFA already paid slash-and-burn Republican strategist Karl Rove $100,000 in consulting fees and forked over another ten grand to former House Speaker Denny Hastert.

And who might conceivably be Foster's April opponent? That's right -- Denny Hastert's son, Ethan.

Through his mouthpiece, Denny disavowed any notion of being anything more than an EFA fundraiser. However, EFA treasurer Greg Baise told Dailing Hastert was specifically asked to strategize, and Gidwitz said Hastert's involvement was ongoing.

Now, you may recall Ethan Hastert previously gave me his word he would not resort to the kind of negative campaigning for which Rove is famous. The younger Hastert seemed genuinely surprised and annoyed by the billboards and his father's involvement.

"The EFA is a private organization and it's their right to put up those signs," Ethan said, "I'm not going to second-guess their motive, but that's not how I would go about running a congressional campaign."

At least one Hastert has the good sense God gave him.

While Ethan may not second-guess them, I will. This is just another ploy right out of the Karl Rove unprincipled political playbook. First, rename something like the estate tax the "death tax" or call a Constitution-busting move the "Patriot Act." Then hide your involvement and try to make it seem like some sort of grass-roots movement.

Everyone's gotta love an alliance for economic freedom. But anyone with half a brain already knows it's just a thinly veiled Republican attempt to take back the 14th District.

The problem is, given our chronic national ADHD, I can't imagine many billboard viewers taking the time to type that 30-letter URL. It's so much easier to simply think, "What? Bill Foster wants to kill jobs? The heartless socialist scoundrel!"

I finally did track Mr. Gidwitz down and he told me, "We're not trying to hide. We are following the law. We are going after politicians whose minds might be changed on the EFCA." When I questioned their marketing methodology, he said "it gets people's attention." So does yelling "fire," but I wouldn't recommend going that far whenever someone strikes a match.

I'm not going to argue the efficacy of the EFCA because that's not the point. All we have here is another clique of Republicans trying to fool us into believing these anti-Foster billboards are some sort of populist message.

Nice try.

jeffwardsun@sbcglobal.net