On September 12, 2009, over 70,000 people rallied in Washington, D.C., in support of the so-called 9/12 Movement. This right-wing, anti-tax movement is the brainchild of Fox News demagogue Glenn Beck. For weeks prior to the rally, both Beck and the Fox network relentlessly promoted this event as a grassroots movement of patriotic Americans who are concerned with the economic policies of the Obama administration.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this rally was not the product of a grassroots movement at all. Rather, it was the product of a well-funded corporate campaign organized by right-wing forces opposed to all forms of health care reform, progressive taxation and unemployment relief.
The primary sponsors of the event were FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity. FreedomWorks is a corporate front group that has received millions of dollars in funding from companies like General Electric and General Motors. (Commoncause.org) FreedomWorks is chaired by former House majority leader Dick Armey, a self-described free-market economist who was instrumental in derailing the Clinton health care reform effort during the early 1990s.
Americans for Prosperity is a front group for petroleum interests and is chaired by David H. Koch of Koch Industries. Koch Industries is a large conglomerate with interests in the petrochemical and commodities trading industries. It is the second largest privately held company in the United States, with annual revenues of about $100 billion, (Hoovers.com).