After less than two weeks of <a href="http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/american-future-fund-iowa-futu.php">intense scrutiny</a> from the blogosphere, Iowa Republicans abandoned the Iowa Future Fund and created the Iowa Progress Project.

From the 4/10/08 Iowa Progress Project <a href="http://iowaprogressproject.com/">press release</a>:

Des Moines, IA -- Iowa Progress Project announced today its formal organization and outlined its goals and objectives in the near and long-term.

President David Kochel said, "Iowa Progress Project is the direct result of the response thousands of Iowans have had to ads and issues highlighted by the Iowa Future Fund. While the Iowa Future Fund has been very effective at highlighting important issues in our state, what was also abundantly clear is that a grassroots-centered conservative issues organization is also needed in this state. IPP will provide citizens from all corners of Iowa a voice in their community and state."

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IPP announced the following Board of Directors for the organization:

President: David Kochel
Director: Kathy Pearson
Director: Gary Grant

Be sure to to check the comments here for more on the Iowa Progress Project!

(Crossposted at Daily Kos) 

Everyone in the know agrees that 501(c)(4)s are this year's 527s. David Corn called them the new mudslingers and Paul Kiel wonders which one will emerge as the successor to Swift Boat Vets. Last week, I posted here about two new ones, American Future Fund and Iowa Future Fund, being operated by Holtzman Vogel.

501(c)(4)s are supposed to be non-profit social organizations as defined by the IRS. Key is the fact that donors can secretly contribute unlimited amounts of money. Campaigning is limited to adressing issues but that leaves a lot of leeway for abuse.

The story behind the Progressive Policy Council is an easy-to-follow textbook example of how a 501(c)(4) Republican front operates.

On October 30, 2006, Paul Kiel at the TPM Muckraker asked his readers for help in identifying the people behind the Progressive Policy Council's campaign mailer. The mailer compared the similiarities of the views held by Rick Santorum on certain social issues like gay marriage  with those of Bob Casey and was meant to discourage Democrats from turning out to vote in the senate race.

The next day, Kiel identified Jason Torchinsky, an attorney with Holtzman Vogel, as the one who registered the Progressive Policy Council in Virginia in June 2006.

Torchinsky, along with his bosses, Alex N. Vogel and his wife, Jill Holzman Vogel, are among the dirtiest of dirty Republican operatives. Along with Mark "Thor" hearne, they operated the American Center For Voting Rights and the Free Enterprise Coalition through which they promoted the suppression of Democratic voters by disenfranchisment, redistricting schemes and other hardball tactics.

(See Sourcewatch's entry for the Progressive Policy Council for more information and links.)

For quite awhile, Torchinsky was the only name linked to the Progessive Policy Council. At some point, however, the Virginia corporate registration was changed to include the names of the officers.

Surprise, surprise! All three officers are Republican consultants:

Mike Devanney
Craign Snyder
Corrin Merritt

Devanny is based in Pennsylvania and previously worked on Bill Scranton's failed governor campaign.

Snyder and Merritt are partners in a political consulting firm, Ikon Public Affairs.

The Progressive Policy Council 990 tax return was not filed until November 2007, long after the 2006 election. The delay underscores another problem with 5019(c)(4)s, untimely information.

The Council reported $255k in revenue. $85k was paid to the officers and $117k was spent on postage and mailings which left $1k in the bank at the end of June 2006.

The Council was dissolved as a corporation in June 2007.

The Progressive Policy does appear to have engaged in any activity other than sending out those campaign mailers. It was clearly an election day scam but it was legal. And that's the problem.