Big Electric Companies Behind ‘Grassroots’ Ad Campaign in Florida | Mother Jones

The dark money group Defend my Dividend is more Astroturf than grassroots.

By Theodoric Meyer, ProPublica

This story first appeared on the ProPublica website.

Since August, a dark money group called Defend My Dividend has spent nearly $90,000 running ads on South Florida TV stations warning seniors about a looming increase in the tax rate on dividends.

“You worked hard, saved for retirement, and dividends are a big part of it,” says one of the ads, which Defend My Dividend has posted on YouTube. “But if President Obama and Congress don’t act this year, tax rates on dividends will spike, almost tripling in some cases.” Time is running out, the ad intones, as phone numbers for Obama and Congress appear on the screen.

For more on this story, visit: Big Electric Companies Behind ‘Grassroots’ Ad Campaign in Florida | Mother Jones.