Americans for Prosperity sets sail for 'final destination' in Anchorage-based disinformation group
Last September, the far-right libertarian political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (Koch Bros.) announced that longtime Save Anchorage member, Assembly screecher, party planner, and former Bronson for Mayor campaign chair Bernadette Wilson had been elevated to state director of astroturfing.
Related: Americans for Prosperity Road Show is Classic Astroturf | PR Watch
In a post made to the Save Anchorage operation last week, Wilson told members of the far-right group that she had witnessed firsthand "the power of Alaskans" when they came together. If one were to measure posts by solidarity, one might conclude that Wilson was referring to conspiracy theorists, mask burners, anti-vaxxers, disruptors, and civil war proponents.
Wilson, claiming she had only decided mere months ago to take the helm of Americans for Prosperity Alaska, wrote that she believed the dark money funded 'non-profit' was just the vehicle needed to help chart a course for the group's "final destination."
Unsurprisingly, Wilson provided no specifics about what the hell she was talking about in her post. Still, we can infer she was referring to a February 5 "Americans For Prosperity Alaska Education Summit," which promises to be a "valuable and inspiring training event" and could be timed to coincide with a right-wing push to change Alaska's election laws. After all, working to steal elections and sowing doubt about the integrity of our elections—in addition to bold gerrymandering attempts — is about all the conservatives have left in their playbook.
Next month's event is being held at Captain Cook. It seeks to equip (god help us) Save Anchorage members with "tools, tactics, techniques, and strategies" AFP says they need to influence lawmakers, effectively communicate, and advance freedom by breaking barriers to opportunity."
The Education Summit is an all-day affair, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and continuing until 4 p.m. After being inundated with a day of far-right Libertarian gobbledygook, attendees may want to attend an optional cocktail hour from 4 to 6 p.m. The cocktail hour should, in reality, be made mandatory for anyone who can successfully muster their way through the day-long reprogramming session.
In 1980, David Koch, who helped establish Americans for Prosperity with his brother, ran as the vice presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. In April last year, Save Anchorage member and Bronson appointee to the Health Department, James Wojciehowski, wrote in the Alaska Watchman that Bronson's libertarian streak was the "new direction" Anchorage needed. By "new direction," he must have meant the steady stream of new scandals we didn't see under the previous administration of Austin Quinn-Davidson.
By the way, and before I forget, as a registered 501(c)(4), Americans for Prosperity can operate for the "promotion of social welfare" and doesn't have to disclose its donors — it's all very anonymous, you see, and clearly, conservatives are fine with anonymity.
