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VoteVets.org is organized as a progressive political action committee (PAC) and non-profit 501(c)(4) status in the United States. It was co-founded in 2006 by Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard. Initially composed of United States Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the organization views defense policy as an American priority. The stated goal of the PAC is to put in Congress Afghanistan or Iraq war veterans who are critical of the execution of the war in Iraq. According to the VoteVets.org, the goal of the 501(c)(4) is to educate the American public on the war and military issues, and hold politicians accountable. In February 2007, a VoteVets.org spokesman told ''The Washington Post'' that the group had 20,000 members, including 1,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan'.〔 Accessed via Lexis Nexis.〕 According to the group's website, the group has over 220,000 supporters. Although organized as nonpartisan, it has been described as "partisan", "closely aligned with Congressional Democrats," and "liberal" in news stories. In a June 2011 press release, the organization specifically identified itself as the "largest progressive group of veterans in America."〔http://www.votevets.org/news?id=0448〕 ==2006 elections== During the United States 2006 election cycle, VoteVets.org PAC spent between $1.2 and $2 million (sources differ) trying to influence the outcomes of various congressional races.〔 Accessed via Lexis Nexis.〕 Senators targeted by the VoteVets' campaign for their support of the Iraq War include: Republicans George Allen, Rick Santorum, Conrad Burns, and Jim Talent.〔 For each congressional campaign, they released a television advertisement criticizing the (now former) senators for their vote against body armor for US troops in 2003.〔(YouTube ) Vote Vets PAC television advertisement against George Allen.〕 VoteVets claim was based, in part, on the Republican senators' vote against an amendment offered〔 Accessed via Lexis Nexis.〕 by Democratic Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, in 2003, to boost National Guard and Reserves equipment funding by $1 billion.〔 Accessed via Lexis Nexis.〕 The group FactCheck.org (a self-described non-partisan project of the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania) stated that the ad was misleading because the 2003 Senate budget amendment (on which the criticism was based) made no specific reference to "body armor".〔 Accessed via Lexis Nexis.〕 However, the progressive Media Matters for America repeatedly pointed out what it said were "misleading" statements about the ads by FactCheck.org. The group also ran ads targeting now-former Republican Representatives Melissa Hart, Gil Gutknecht, John Sweeney, John Doolittle, and Jon Porter. In that ad, an Iraq veteran, Tomas Young, who was paralyzed in Iraq, criticized the members of Congress for voting against increases in funding for veterans’ health care, while, in some cases, voting themselves a pay raise. The group also made a number of contributions to candidates, but only to those candidates who served during the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. In 2006, out of all the Iraq or Afghanistan veterans running for Congress, VoteVets.org supported all but one of them (Van Taylor, Republican in Texas). Those endorsed candidates were: Patrick Murphy (D-PA), Joe Sestak (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sam Schultz (R-IN), Andrew Duck (D-MD), and David Harris (D-TX). The group also supported Tim Walz (D-MN), and Chris Carney (D-PA). Murphy, Sestak, Walz, and Carney were all elected to Congress, and VoteVets.org’s site indicates they have been endorsed for their 2008 reelection. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「VoteVets.org」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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