Zuckerberg supports immigration reform. So three weeks ago he officially launched a pro-immigration reform group. And now that group has got Zuckerberg in some hot water with progressives and environmentalists.
Several dozen protestors chanted on the lawn in front of Facebook's headquarters Wednesday afternoon. They demonstrated against Zuckerberg's financial support of political ads supporting Sen. Mark Begich, D-AK and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC.
One ad for Graham features an attack on the president's healthcare law. Nowhere in the ads is there a mention of immigration, just conservative attacks on the president's stimulus or and support for the Keystone pipeline. The purpose of the ads build up support among conservatives for Graham and Begich and blunt any right wing attacks they might get for supporting immigration reform.
"It's a really cynical and odd strategy," said Ben Simon of San Francisco.
Simon accuses Zuckerberg of appearing to support conservative causes in order to garner support for immigration reform.
The Sierra Club has posted a picture on their Facebook page saying "Zuckerberg promoting dirty fuels? DISLIKE."
Simon used Facebook to collect 18,000 signatures on a petition asking the Facebook founder to rethink his priorities.
"To stop running ads in favor of the keystone pipeline and drilling in Alaska," said Simon.
A couple of years ago Zuckerberg had dinner with president Obama. The president later visited the Facebook headquarters.
The vice chair of San Francisco's Republican Party says conservatives are a little skeptical of the Facebook founder's new message.
"I see a lot of conservatives who are wary of some of these Silicon Valley companies because they have been known for more of their progressive points of view," said Jason Clark, the vice chair of the San Francisco Republican Party.
Facebook declined to comment on our request for comment from Mark Zuckerberg and the political organizations he's bankrolled went unanswered.
