RightChange.com
Encyclopedia
RightChange.com is a American conservative political group. It is devoted to electing conservative U.S. Republican Party
candidates, thus the reference to the political right in its name. It spent millions supporting Republican candidates in the 2010 general election.
It defines itself as an organization that "engages Americans through informed, fact-based content delivered in a creative format and through multimedia platforms to allow viewers to develop their own conclusions about the most critical economic and national security policies of our day. RightChange cuts through the political spin by using politicians’ own words, votes and actions to hold them accountable." Its funding mostly comes from Fred Eshelman, a North Carolina pharmaceutical business owner.
During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, RightChange sponsored television commercials and said that "For years, John McCain warned of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s risk to the economy and pushed for reform" while "Democrat
s defended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." RightChange also attacked Democratic candidate Barack Obama
, claiming that his "economic proposals stick small businesses with the Bill for the Wall Street Bailout."
The Associated Press reported on September 16, 2008, that RightChange.com "plans to spend about $1.5 million in the next two weeks on national cable networks including Fox News Channel
, CNN
, and CNN Headline News, said spokesman Tim Pittman. Rightchange.com is financed largely by pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, who has given more than $200,000 to Republican candidates and party organizations since 2002, according to Federal Election Commission
records.
The Tax Foundation
, a tax research group based in Washington, D.C. that has been operating since 1937, analyzed the claims made by RightChange and concluded that they were "spreading nonsense ... so ridiculous that I'm almost at a loss for words ... an outright lie."
, a pharmaceutical research firm in North Carolina. PPD's chairman, Ernest Mario
, gave an additional $1 million. Mario also runs Capnia Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company developing a system to treat migraines using medical gas." NPR noted that "RightChange.com's other directors also have connections to the health industry. Board member Jeff Barnhart is CEO of Cabarrus Community Health Centers, which RightChange's corporate secretary, Fletcher Hartsell, helped found. Both Barnhart and Hartsell are Republican state legislators in North Carolina."
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates, thus the reference to the political right in its name. It spent millions supporting Republican candidates in the 2010 general election.
It defines itself as an organization that "engages Americans through informed, fact-based content delivered in a creative format and through multimedia platforms to allow viewers to develop their own conclusions about the most critical economic and national security policies of our day. RightChange cuts through the political spin by using politicians’ own words, votes and actions to hold them accountable." Its funding mostly comes from Fred Eshelman, a North Carolina pharmaceutical business owner.
Campaigns and actions
In a last-minute campaign ad, RightChange used images from the September 2001 World Trade Center attacks to assert that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would "undermine the terror strategy that protects us".During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, RightChange sponsored television commercials and said that "For years, John McCain warned of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s risk to the economy and pushed for reform" while "Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
s defended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." RightChange also attacked Democratic candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, claiming that his "economic proposals stick small businesses with the Bill for the Wall Street Bailout."
The Associated Press reported on September 16, 2008, that RightChange.com "plans to spend about $1.5 million in the next two weeks on national cable networks including Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and CNN Headline News, said spokesman Tim Pittman. Rightchange.com is financed largely by pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, who has given more than $200,000 to Republican candidates and party organizations since 2002, according to Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
records.
The Tax Foundation
Tax Foundation
The Tax Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank founded in 1937 that collects data and publishes research studies on tax policies at the federal and state levels. The organization is broken into three primary areas of research which are the Center for Federal Fiscal Policy, The and the...
, a tax research group based in Washington, D.C. that has been operating since 1937, analyzed the claims made by RightChange and concluded that they were "spreading nonsense ... so ridiculous that I'm almost at a loss for words ... an outright lie."
Funding
According to National Public Radio, RightChange "reported $2.7 million in contributions from its president, Fred Eshelman, CEO of PPDPPD
PPD may refer to:Computing* Points Per Day is a mechanism for measuring work done in the Folding@home distributed computing project* PostScript Printer Description files are created by vendors to describe the entire set of features and capabilities available for their PostScript printersPolitical...
, a pharmaceutical research firm in North Carolina. PPD's chairman, Ernest Mario
Ernest Mario
Ernest Mario is an American pharmaceutical industry executive and the recipient of the 2007 Remington Honor Medal awarded by the American Pharmacists Association....
, gave an additional $1 million. Mario also runs Capnia Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company developing a system to treat migraines using medical gas." NPR noted that "RightChange.com's other directors also have connections to the health industry. Board member Jeff Barnhart is CEO of Cabarrus Community Health Centers, which RightChange's corporate secretary, Fletcher Hartsell, helped found. Both Barnhart and Hartsell are Republican state legislators in North Carolina."