don't ask him why he's rubber stamping corporate and pieces of legislation from the american legislative exchange council alec why is it why is he promoting those as governor several groups including common cause people for the american way center for media democracy or out with a new report showing that christie and you jersey lawmakers have introduced twenty two bills in the two thousand and ten that are current copies of official corporate written legislation coming out of the american legislative exchange council or alec so perfect question for gregory would have been governor you think it's ok the corporations and lawmakers are right in the was a new jersey or maybe ask the governor why he's diverting critical funds millions of dollars they were supposed to help struggling homeowners in his state toward filling budget holes created by his tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. unfortunately those questions are never asked they don't fit in with the horse race selection agenda that the corporate media is now so committed to so what do we learn that's the question we should be asking ourselves aft

. >> the american legislative exchange council, or alec for short. >> the american legislative exchangeec is a nationwide consortium of elected state legislators working side by side with some of america's most powerful corporations. they have an agenda you should know about, a mission to remake america, changing the country by, changing its laws, one state at a time. alec creates what it calls "model legislation," pro-corporate laws its members push in statehouses across the country. alec says close to a thousand bills, based at least in part on its models, are introduced each year and an average of 200 pass. this has been going on for decades, but somehow alec managed to remain the most influential corporate-funded, political organization you'd never heard of -- until a gun shot sounded in the florida night. >>> trayvon martin unarmed, but for a bag of candy and iced n that he was carrying. >> you'll recall that the shooter in trayvon martin's death was protected at first by florida's so-called stand your ground law. that law was the work of the national rifle association. there's its

model legislation is being drafted by another koch affiliate organization called the american legislative exchange council they helped to pen this bill in one thousand nine hundred two this is this group's been around for almost forty years now. and they helped to pen this bill back then and right now what they're doing which is the most egregious we have to actually do with whistleblowers is some of the stuff that you talk about is they're drafting bills called agag bills and ag gag bills are bills in individual states that prohibit the use of undercover video footage in factory farms that document abuse it says that if you're partake in being involved in undercover investigation you could be charged either with a felony or crimes tantamount to terrorism in that state and that's something that's been lobbied for by you know agribusiness and they utilize alec the american legislative exchange council as a middle agency to help them write this draft legislation and then they push it through local legislators and so that's a huge problem in my exchange with koch industries we had a kind of back and forth on

there are connections to the american legislative exchange council, when you fall and connect the dots. she is putting stories together about who is behind all this legislation. it is very similar. we have seven ultrasound laws on the books. so many more are racing to the legislature. yesterday, democratic women senators in georgia staged a walkout to protest to measures that would limit access to services and contraception. i want to read a couple of headlines. ohio remains on the front lines of the abortion debate. michigan legislature passes a partial birth abortion bans. you talk ok's 72 hour waiting period for abortions. -- utah ok's 72-hour waiting period for abortions. i could spend the entire lunch talking about this. the good news is that women are organizing, and rallies are taking place on a regular basis. a lot of young women are getting involved. we had a caller to date asking, how do i talk to my male students in high school about this? that is the good news. there are a lot of solutions and we are making progress, but it is difficult. i would like to introduce the woman

and that was paul weyrich one of the co-founders of the american legislative exchange council alec and the heritage foundation and that at that time at the time of the that tape was made he was working on the reagan campaign now thanks to the nationwide efforts by conservatives to keep democratic voters away from the polls and rig the election for mitt romney. foreign election observers will be on hand to make sure that the voting rights of minorities in america are protected come election day more than forty four observers with the un affiliated organization for security and cooperation in europe will be deployed at polling stations all around the nation to monitor the election and potential disputes at polling stations is observers were asked for by civil rights groups in the united states and raise concerns over systemic efforts to restrict the votes of minorities ahead of the election including voter suppression id laws joining me now to discuss more about the need for these observers on election day is hilary shelton washington bureau director of the end but it's great to have you

disproportionately affect minority voters here's paul way rick one of the founders of the american legislative exchange council alec which has sponsored so much of this voter suppression legislation this is paul way way back in one thousand nine hundred eighty speaking to a group of christian republicans on why republicans should want to suppress the vote. how many of our christians have what i call the syndrome good government they want everybody to vote. i don't want everybody to vote elections. by a majority of people they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not no amount of leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up only populist goes. attorney general eric holder has called such laws poll taxes which are explicitly prohibited by the constitution the debate over voting rights has become partisan with mostly republicans pushing for more voter suppression laws and democrats fighting back again with a five to four conservative advantage on the supreme court really a republican advantage the right's efforts to kick democratic voters off the rolls could be up al this term will o

of the republican party here's this is paul weyrich he is the guy who founded the american legislative exchange council was one of the co-founders the heritage foundation and in one thousand nine hundred at a ronald reagan event in a church in texas actually speaking to a group of republican activists in syria. somebody of all across. good government they want everybody. i don't want everybody to vote elections are not won by a majority of people they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now as a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candid like go up owning populist go down. so this is been the official policy the republican party for a long time i mean you know the former supreme court justice chief justice rehnquist made his chops down in arizona frightening literally i mean he was a big tall guy back in the sixty's. native americans at the polling at the polling places challenging. i mean look if the more people who are watching american polling places on election day as long as they're not interfering with americans right to vote you know a lot of these r