Ending Spending

Ending Spending was originally formed in 2010 as Taxpayers Against Earmarks, a group that advocated against congressional earmarks. In 2011, the group changed its name and expanded its focus to include the nation’s overall fiscal outlook.

Although Ending Spending is officially registered as nonpartisan, it's founder Joe Ricketts has spent over $2.4 million since 1999 on predominantly conservative candidates and organizations.

Campaign Ads
Without naming specific politicians, Ending Spending ran ads attacking "Budget Bandits", who they view as those who are guilty of supporting irresponsible spending.

An Ending Spending video titled, "Next Time" attacks personal controversies regarding John Edwards, John Ensign, Christopher Lee, and Anthony Weiner, suggesting that these individuals represent those in congress who are not taking the reported debt crisis seriously enough.

"On the Trail" Video Series
During the 2012 elections, Ending Spending invited presidential candidates to answer a series of questions regarding federal spending and national debt. The "On the Trail" website describe their process by saying, "Each candidate was provided with questions in advance and conversations with the candidates followed a typical campaign event, such as a debate or town hall," with the goal of these questions being, "to hear the candidates' solutions for balancing the budget, reforming entitlements, and ending the reckless spending in Washington."

Through "On the Trail", Ending Spending interviewed:


 * Mitt Romney - On the Trail with Mitt Romney
 * Gary Johnson - On the Trail with Gary Johnson
 * Michele Bachmann - On the Trail with Michele Bachmann
 * Herman Cain - On the Trail with Herman Cain
 * Jon Huntsman - On the Trail with Jon Huntsman
 * Newt Gingrich - On the Trail with Newt Gingrich
 * Ron Paul - On the Trail with Ron Paul
 * Rick Perry - On the Trail with Rick Perry
 * Rick Santorum - On the Trail with Rick Santorum

"Ending Spending" Picks Up Walker Campaign Slogan: "Forward"
The Ending Spending Action Fund, operated by its president Brian Baker, spent around $245,000 on a pro-Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker ad buy in early May 2012, according to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. The group was founded by conservative financier and Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts, who recently came under fire by the New York Times for considering a plan to spend $10 million on attacking President Barack Obama.

Ending Spending Action Fund
In contrast with the negative ads planned for Obama, president of the Ending Spending Action Fund Brian Baker took a positive route with Walker. The feel-good ad echoes the Walker campaign's claims about the value of his limits on collective bargaining rights and education cuts, and even echo's Walker's claims to be moving Wisconsin "forward" (the same term used as proof of President Obama's supposed communist sympathies when he adopted it as his campaign slogan).

Ricketts is also one of Walker's top donors, giving at least $100,000 directly to the recall campaign on January 24th, 2012.