Hildebrand's Attack Group Saved by Cash Infusion

After the last election, in addition to remaining on Senator Daschle's payroll, former Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand took charge of Americans United to Protest Social Security and hired anti-Thune blogger Jeremy Funk to help him.  According to liberal blogger Joshua Micah Marshall, the organization was running out of money and about to lay off staffers until it received a cash infusion from the labor union which endorsed Howard Dean for President.  From Marshall:

Here's a story that is both distressing in the particular and telling as a general weakness of progressive politics in this country.

You may know that Americans United to Protect Social Security is the main umbrella group mobilizing opposition to President Bush's plan to phase-out Social Security. According to an article in today's Roll Call, they were getting set to scale back their field operations and start laying off staff. Those plans have now been called because AFSCME has pledged a new contribution to keep the organization afloat for the time being.

AUPSS has been criticizing Thune for several months and even staging protests in front of Thune's office.  AUPSS-employee Jeremy Funk and other former Daschle staffers and anti-Thune bloggers have been promising yet more jabs at Thune in coming days.  The permanent campaign continues. 

Update: Sibby keeps putting a question to the former Daschle staffer/current anti-Thune blogger: "who is paying you for your consulting work?"  Perhaps it is AUPSS. 

Update: From the 6/27/05 edition of Roll Call:

Facing serious financial woes, Americans United to Protect Social Security received a promise of a critical infusion of funding last week from a powerful labor organization - ensuring that the advocacy group will continue operating in 33 states for the foreseeable future.

The liberal-leaning Americans United was considering recalibrating its political plan by trimming down its field operations and laying off staff in the wake of the group's continued struggle to raise money. But the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees pledged a donation in "excess of six figures," sources said, to keep the organization's grass-roots infrastructure intact.

Chuck Loveless, AFSCME's director of legislation, said he was unable to provide a specific dollar amount because it was not finalized, but noted it could be signed off on as early as today.