Denver Post reporter Karen Crummy was featured on the front page of Sunday’s paper with an article that shows the Colorado Democrat PACs spent almost 150 times that of their Republican counterparts in 2010 state elections. Maybe the “worst reporter in the world” Allison Sherry could take a lesson from Crummy on how to do some actual reporting.  

In her piece, Crummy lays out different scenarios where money was funneled from liberal political funding groups through their complex infrastructure to impact targeted races. One such funding vehicle, the 501(c)4 was utilized by the Democrats in 2010:

During the 2008 and 2010 elections, Democrats spent roughly 70 percent of the $23 million shelled out by all 527s. The top contributors included a handful of unions, Gill and Stryker, and, especially in 2010, a few "social welfare" organizations, known as a 501(c)4s under the tax code. They included America Votes, which gave $464,250 and Progressive Future ($425,000).

Ironically, this report from Crummy comes on the heels of Senator Michael Bennet's February letter to the IRS asking for investigations into the nature of "social welfare" 501(c)4 organizations. Many considered the letter, from some of the most liberal members of the Senate, a direct attack on conservative and tea party organizations. Several national conservative organizations have received detailed questionaires about their operations from the IRS as a result.  

But if almost $1 million dollars was spent on just the two 501(c)4s that Crummy mentions, then Bennet, who was in a very highly contested race, is showing his hypocritical side with the IRS letter.

America Votes says their mission is to: “advance progressive policies, expand access to the ballot, coordinate issue advocacy and election campaigns, and protect every American's right to vote.” The Progressive Future (which is now known as, and we are not making this up, the “Fair Share Alliance”) said in 2010: "Progressive Future is a nonprofit organization that promotes progressive values through grassroots action."

These organizations, both directly and indirectly, helped Michael Bennet's election to the U.S. Senate by registering and activating progressive voters, progressive issue advocacy, and voter day turnout operations.

In addition, many other progressive 501(c)4 organizations dropped into the state with negative advertising against Ken Buck, Bennet's opponent. People for the American Way bought air time all over Colorado and ran "educational" ads like "Ken Buck: Too Extreme for Colorado" and the bizarre piece "Ken Buck The Corporate Manchurian Candidate."  

Now that Bennet has the luxury of four more years in office before he once again has to benefit from the organizations he's attacking, he's attempting to appear as if he's above the fray that got him elected in the first place.

It's not working.