"Talk about big wallets: Since June 29, six shadowy right-wing groups opposed to health care reform have spent more than $21 million on television ads. You read that right. $21 million, or close to a quarter million dollars per day.

Money talks. It's no wonder Republicans say political momentum is moving their way.

Republican leaders are happy to have such wealthy interests backing them up. A recent memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee boasted that right wing anger - as seen at town hall meetings and "Tea Party" protests - will translate into wins at the ballot box in 2010.

These organizations have spent $21 million to rile the right wing, but they are just getting warmed up. We need to match their intensity. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has kicked off its end-of-quarter fundraising, and we need grassroots help to make our goal. Each dollar you give by Sept. 30 will be matched by a group of senators.

These hit squads - with their patriotic-sounding names and undisclosed funding sources - say they're fighting to protect our health care system. But in reality, they just want to stop the change we all voted for in November. Here are some of the biggest spenders among the shadow groups:

Americans for Prosperity: $4,648,644. Americans for Prosperity is one of the main groups behind the "Tea Party" protest movement. It's also the cash cow behind Patients United Now, which purports to help patients by preserving the profit margins of insurance companies.




Conservatives for Patients' Rights: $4,385,071. Conservatives for Patients' Rights has hired CRC Public Relations to fight President Obama's plan to reform health care. You may not have heard of the company, but you know their work: CRC was behind the infamous "swift boat" attacks on 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry.




League of American Voters: $411,665. This group's sole reason for being appears to be spreading lies about health care reform. Its website warns that President Obama's "government takeover" of health care will "ration health care, limit important medicines and surgeries for seniors and end Medicare as we know it." According to PolitiFact.com, none of this fear mongering is true.


Money does matter. And as you can see, they're spreading around a ton of it. That and misinformation."

(Democratic PArty circular)