Immigration Reform 2014: New Ad From Mark Zuckerberg Affiliate Group Blasts House GOP Inaction

A new ad sponsored by the Council for American Job Growth, an affiliate of FWD.us -- a political lobby group founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- takes aim at House Republicans for their inaction on immigration reform legislation. “Do Nothing” marks a shift to a more aggressively partisan stance on the issue than Zuckerberg’s FWD.us has taken in the past. “No one debates we need to fix our broken immigration system,” it says. “Republican leaders know it … so why are House Republicans "cooling," "retreating," and even privately saying they’d rather do nothing this year?”

It goes on to urge viewers to call Republican members in the lower chamber to express support for comprehensive reform, saying, “Nothing won't do. Call House Republicans today. Tell them we've waited long enough, pass immigration reform.” The Associated Press reports that the $500,000 ad buy is set to run starting on Tuesday in all 50 states. TechCrunch notes that the Council for American Job Growth is one of two FWD.us affiliates, with the other being Americans for a Conservative Direction. The latter has campaigned for immigration reform, too -- in January, when House GOP leaders presented a “statement of principles” on the issue, the group quickly launched a 10-day ad buy praising them for it.

FWD.us has in the past alienated liberal collaborators with its strategy of campaigning for legislation unpopular with many Republicans’ base while simultaneously running ads that seek to shore up their conservative credentials. Last May, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk led an exodus from the group’s ranks after objecting to a Keystone XL oil pipeline-boosting ad campaign meant to provide political cover for Republicans who favored immigration reform with a path to legal status for many undocumented immigrants – a deeply unpopular idea among very conservative voters.