Wisc. Rep. Mark Pocan: ALEC is feeling the heat

Wisconsin state Rep. Mark Pocan (D), who attended American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) annual meeting, said Thursday that the organization was definitely "feeling the pressure" of liberal and progressive groups.

"They’re really feeling the heat of their corporate members who are feeling the heat because of this bad legislation that is designed only to empower corporate profits and is bad for public policy," he said on Current TV. "I don’t think they’ve changed what they’re teaching people because it’s just as right wing as ever. But they are definitely feeling enough heat."

ALEC, a so-called “bill mill” that drafts corporate-friendly model legislation for state lawmakers, received little scrutiny until recently. Liberal and progressive groups have targeted the organization’s corporate sponsors — who pay tens of thousands of dollars every year to be members.

On Thursday, Walgreen's and General Motors Company both distanced themselves from the organization, bringing the total number of corporations to have dropped their support of ALEC up to 30.

Pocan said the organization described its current members as "brave souls" and decried the "vicious attacks" against them.

He explained ALEC was advocating "reducing the size of government so that everything is privatized and the only services that you have really are through the private sector."

Watch video, courtesy of Current TV, below: