Like all patriotic Americans I say thank heaven for campaign finance reform, else wise we would have to suffer the hideous prospect of money being involved in politics. Worse still, we would have to put up with the spectacle of people stooping to the lowest forms of spectacle to try to make their political points. But thanks to the philosophes McCain and Feingold, all such concerns are behind us.

To illustrate this brave new world one could point to almost any campaign advertisement run by those noble souls on the Democrat side. But let's just choose one—the current ad that features the bereaved families of soldiers who have died in Iraq trying to prevent another 9/11. (Try not to confuse these ads with those by the widows of the families of 9/11, which have practically the same provenance and say practically the same thing.)

The ad is tastefully called 'A Mother's Tears'

It is put out by a high—minded 527 group—Real Voices—which perforce has nothing to do with the Democrat Party or perforce any campaign to elect or unelect anybody. That would be illegal, don't you know.

(Despite that fact that Real Voices openly admits they 'advocate the election of John Kerry' — they are not affiliated with his campaign, you see.)

So who is behind this noble non—profit band who have 'had it with George W. Bush? (And who claim non—profit status while they are still awaiting their non—profit approval):

For Media Contacts:
Trevor Fitzgibbon 202—822—5200
Michelle Mulkey 415—987—7377
Fenton Communications

In case you don't recognize the name, Fenton Communications are the folks who brought you the Alar scare and countless other bogus health claims over the past twenty years or so:

"Their practices combine junk science with a hidden agenda to scare consumers away from safe products, supposedly all in the name of protecting public health and the environment." ... including scares about Alar and apples, swordfish, leaky breast implants, Health Care Without Harm ("danger of phthalates, chemicals used to make plastic flexible for products such as IV bags, teethers, nipples, and toys"), the book "Our Stolen Future" ("alleged that synthetic chemicals were causing developmental and reproductive problems in humans, such as low sperm counts, impotence and even homosexuality"), Bovine Growth Hormone," Cohen wrote.

"If you have been scared about food or pesticides in the last 10 years, chances are Fenton Communications played a key role in provoking that fear. The scares just don't ever stop. But they all have one thing in common —— a lack of evidence and abundance of deceit. The claims involved in the scares have all been refuted in public. By the time the scares have been debunked, however, the campaigns have taken such a strong hold that the truth usually is irrelevant," he wrote.

So it is only natural that Fenton Communications would list so many Democrat front groups as their clients, including those lovers of truth, MoveOn.org.

In fact, the same names listed for 'Real Voices', Fitzgibbon and Mulkey, show up on countless Moveon.org press releases, such as this and this and this.

But Fitzgibbon, Mulkey and Fenton Communications don't stop there. They are also behind 'Win Without War' which is another front group for Moveon.org.

So, like 'Win Without War,' the group calling itself 'Real Voices' is almost certainly just another Moveon front. Which means that the 'real voice' you hear is that of the billionaire Bush—hating megalomaniacal crackpot, George Soros.

It should also be noted that Fenton Communications was behind "Peaceful Tomorrows" the notorious leftwing activists 9/11 widows group I mentioned in passing.

"Peaceful Tomorrows; which is coordinated by leftwing public relations specialist David Fenton, and funded by the left grant—giving Tides Foundation; is an antiwar support organization founded by individuals who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of September 11th."

Isn't campaign finance reform grand?

UPDATE:  link
The Tides 'complex' has established itself as an important funding nexus for movements and causes aligned with leftist ideology. Everyone who's anyone in the big—money activist world now has some connection to Drummond Pike and his deputies.

Consider that as early as 1989, when the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wanted to promote the now—infamous health scare about apples and the chemical additive Alar, the Tides Foundation was used as a financial conduit to allow NRDC to pay Fenton's fees. NRDC was itself set up by Tides, and has since incorporated on its own, one of over a dozen other multi—million dollar former Tides projects to do so.

Fenton Communications, itself a touchstone for radical political campaigns, made use of the Tides Center to set up its Environmental Media Services (EMS) in 1994 (it has also since emerged from under Tides' protection and formally set up shop in Fenton's offices). The fact that Tides originally ran EMS' day—to—day operations provided PR spinmeister David Fenton with 'plausible deniability' —— a ready—made alibi against charges that this supposedly 'nonpartisan' media outfit was just a shill for his paying clients. Now, of course, we all know that it is just that.
Similar stories can be told about SeaWeb, the Environmental Working Group, the National Environmental Trust (formerly known as the Environmental Information Center) and the Center for a Sustainable Economy, each of which received millions while under the Tides umbrella. Besides having been 'incubated' in this fashion, the other principal commonality among these organizations is a client relationship with Fenton Communications.

The depth and financial implications of the Tides/Fenton connection is truly impressive, if not surprising. After all, long—time Fenton partner and recently—departed Environmental Media Services chief Arlie Schardt has sat on the board of the Tides Center/Tides Foundation complex since the very beginning. At present, the Fenton Communications client list includes at least 36 Tides grantees, as well as 10 big—money foundations that use Tides as a pass—through funding vehicle just about every year. In some cases, the Tides Foundation has been used to funnel money from one Fenton client to another.
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There is more on David Fenton and his radical past in this highly informative FrontPage article by Jennifer Verner.