According to a Center for American Progress report, there seems to be a common goal among all these shadowy PACs that are spending tens of millions of dollars in our elections this year -- they want to protect polluters' profits! CAP has identified 13 Republican backed organizations run by the likes of the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove, and Ed Gillespie that have spent nearly $70 million to derail clean energy legislation and elect politicians who have the same goal. On top of that, $242 million dollars have already been spent by big oil in lobbying efforts to defend their right to pollute. Time and time again, as energy reform is debated and pressure is put on big oil to take more responsibility for their pollution, you hear the same excuse: "We can't afford to be crippled by government regulations, we can't afford to invest in new, cleaner technology, we'll have to pass on our high costs to the customers." This is absurd. They can't afford to pay fines when they pollute ecosystems, yet they can afford over $300 million dollars to pollute our politicians and elections? The sad thing is, this is not a coincidence. As we discussed earlier in the week, most of these groups will all get together again in Palm Springs in January to plot how to rig the game beyond 2010. Simply put, this is a conspiracy to buy elections, buy politicians, and to buy legislation for the primary reason of preserving polluters' profits indefinitely -- no matter the cost to the American's national security, American's health, or the commons.