Right Change

<p>rc.com2 pledged to irs not to do politics </p>

<p>

<b>RightChange.com</b> calls itself "a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping Americans see through the haze of politicians' 'spin'."<sup id="cite_ref-www.rightchange.com.1_0-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-www.rightchange.com.1-0">[1]</a></sup> In fact, it is a clearly partisan organization devoted to electing conservative U.S. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican" title="Republican" class="mw-redirect">Republican</a> party candidates, in particular U.S. presidential candidate <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_McCain" title="John McCain">John McCain</a>.</p>

<tr>

<td>

<h2>Contents</h2>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Campaigns_and_actions"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Campaigns and actions</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Funding"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Funding</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Personnel"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Personnel</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Contact_information"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Contact information</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Articles_and_resources"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Articles and resources</span></a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#Related_SourceWatch_articles"><span class="tocnumber">5.1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch articles</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#References"><span class="tocnumber">5.2</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#External_resources"><span class="tocnumber">5.3</span> <span class="toctext">External resources</span></a></li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Campaigns_and_actions">Campaigns and actions</span></h2>

<p>In a last-minute campaign ad, RightChange used images from the September 2001 <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=World_Trade_Center&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="World Trade Center (page does not exist)">World Trade Center</a> attacks to claim that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would "undermine the terror strategy that protects us." <sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-1">[2]</a></sup></p>

<p>

During the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.presidential_election,2008" title="U.S. presidential election, 2008">2008 U.S. presidential election</a>, RightChange sponsored television commercials and claimed that "For years, John McCain warned of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s risk to the economy and pushed for reform" while "<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Democrat" title="Democrat" class="mw-redirect">Democrats</a> defended <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fannie_Mae" title="Fannie Mae">Fannie Mae</a> and [[Freddie Mac]." RightChange also attacked Democratic candidate <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama">Barack Obama</a>, claiming that his "economic proposals stick small businesses with the Bill for the Wall Street Bailout."<sup id="cite_ref-www.rightchange.com.2_2-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-www.rightchange.com.2-2">[3]</a></sup></p>

<p>

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 <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fox_News_Channel" title="Fox News Channel" class="mw-redirect">Fox News Channel</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/CNN" title="CNN" class="mw-redirect">CNN</a>, and CNN Headline News, said spokesman <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tim_Pittman&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Tim Pittman (page does not exist)">Tim Pittman</a>. Rightchange.com is financed largely by pharmaceutical executive <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fred_Eshelman" title="Fred Eshelman">Fred Eshelman</a>, who has given more than $200,000 to Republican candidates and party organizations since 2002, according to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Federal_Election_Commission" title="Federal Election Commission">Federal Election Commission</a> records.<sup id="cite_ref-www.boston.com.3_3-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-www.boston.com.3-3">[4]</a></sup></p>

<p>

The <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tax_Foundation" title="Tax Foundation">Tax Foundation</a>, 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."<sup id="cite_ref-www.taxfoundation.org.4_4-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-www.taxfoundation.org.4-4">[5]</a></sup></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Funding">Funding</span></h2>

<p>According to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Public_Radio" title="National Public Radio">National Public Radio</a>, RightChange "reported $2.7 million in contributions from its president, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fred_Eshelman" title="Fred Eshelman">Fred Eshelman</a>, CEO of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=PPD&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="PPD (page does not exist)">PPD</a>, a pharmaceutical research firm in North Carolina. PPD's chairman, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ernest_Mario&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Ernest Mario (page does not exist)">Ernest Mario</a>, gave an additional $1 million. Mario also runs <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Capnia&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Capnia (page does not exist)">Capnia</a> 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 <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeff_Barnhart&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jeff Barnhart (page does not exist)">Jeff Barnhart</a> is CEO of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cabarrus_Community_Health_Centers&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Cabarrus Community Health Centers (page does not exist)">Cabarrus Community Health Centers</a>, which RightChange's corporate secretary, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fletcher_Hartsell&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Fletcher Hartsell (page does not exist)">Fletcher Hartsell</a>, helped found. Both Barnhart and Hartsell are Republican state legislators in North Carolina."<sup id="cite_ref-www.npr.org.5_5-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_note-www.npr.org.5-5">[6]</a></sup></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Personnel">Personnel</span></h2>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fred_Eshelman" title="Fred Eshelman">Fred Eshelman</a>, president</li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ernest_Mario&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Ernest Mario (page does not exist)">Ernest Mario</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeff_Barnhart&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jeff Barnhart (page does not exist)">Jeff Barnhart</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fletcher_Hartsell&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Fletcher Hartsell (page does not exist)">Fletcher Hartsell</a></li>

</ul>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_information">Contact information</span></h2>

<p>RightChange.com, Inc.

Registered Non-Profit Organization

PO Box 2259

Wilmington, NC 28402-2259

Phone: 1-800-347-1668

Email: info AT rightchange.com

Website: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://rightchange.com/">http://rightchange.com/</a></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Articles_and_resources">Articles and resources</span></h2>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_articles">Related SourceWatch articles</span></h3>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.presidential_election,2008" title="U.S. presidential election, 2008">U.S. presidential election, 2008</a></li>

</ul>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h3>

<li id="cite_note-www.rightchange.com.1-0"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-www.rightchange.com.1_0-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rightchange.com/about.php">About Us</a>. RightChange.com. Retrieved on October 9, 2008.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-1">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Alicia Mundy, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/11/03/drug-industry-vets-back-group-with-controversial-obama-ad/">Drug Industry Vets Back Group Behind Controversial Obama Ad</a>," <i>Wall Street Journal</i> health blog, November 3, 2008.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-www.rightchange.com.2-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-www.rightchange.com.2_2-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rightchange.com/video.php">Video page</a>. RightChange.com. Retrieved on October 9, 2008.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-www.boston.com.3-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-www.boston.com.3_3-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Associated Press (September 16, 2008). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/09/16/new_ads_target_obama_mccain/">New ads target Obama, McCain</a>", Boston Globe<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved on October 9, 2008</span>.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-www.taxfoundation.org.4-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-www.taxfoundation.org.4_4-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Gerald Prante (September 29, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23693.html">Rightchange.com Running False Ads Attacking Obama on Taxes</a>. Tax Foundation. Retrieved on October 9, 2008.</span></li>

<li id="cite_note-www.npr.org.5-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com#cite_ref-www.npr.org.5_5-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Will Evans (October 2, 2008). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/secretmoney/2008/10/rightchange.html">Pharmaceutical Money Flows To Anti-Obama 527</a>", National Public Radio<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved on October 9, 2008</span>.</span></li>

</ol>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="External_resources">External resources</span></h3>

<tr>

<td style=" width: 100%; padding: .25em .25em 0.25em .25em;"><b>This article is a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch:Find_or_fix_a_stub" title="SourceWatch:Find or fix a stub">stub</a>. <i>You</i> can <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch:Find_or_fix_a_stub" title="SourceWatch:Find or fix a stub">help</a></b> by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RightChange.com&action=edit">expanding it</a>.</td>

<td>

 </td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

</div>

<div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>:

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Organizations" title="Category:Organizations">Organizations</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Stubs" title="Category:Stubs">Stubs</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

Right Change

Attachments