Posted on 04/09/2014 12:18:15 PM PDT by thetallguy24
The philosopher Eric Hoffer once remarked that “every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
Is this the current trajectory of the Tea Party and the conservative movement more broadly?
People who care about liberty, opportunity, and preserving the constitutional system bequeathed to us by the Founders are frustrated with the path American politics is treading. They want a course correction. Since Barack Obama’s assumption of the presidency, and all the dreadfulness that has entailed, lots of organizations have gain prominence promising to take action against the administration and its enablers on Capitol Hill. They have raised money from concerned, patriotic Americans for that purpose, promising to support congressional candidates who share their conservative values through Political Action Committees, or PACs.
PACs have been influencing American politics since 1943, when the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), a labor union now part of the AFL-CIO, organized to spend money to support the reelection of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Not all right of center PACs are created equal. Before giving to just any group which sends an advertisement or an email, conservatives need to verify the sort of work that they do and how they are spending their money. By doing just a bit of homework, donors who care about freedom and the future of America can promote those groups which really are doing important work on behalf of liberty, and prevent the sordid degeneration of the conservative movement into a racket.
Here’s a breakdown of the financials for a few leading conservative movement and Tea Party PACs, except for Karl Rove’s American Crossroads PAC which is considered more establishment. Figures are for the 2011-2012 cycle unless specified.
| Raised | Spent | % Spent - Operations | % Spent - Independent Expenditures | % Spent - Candidates & Campaigns | |
| Club for Growth PAC | $18,253,913 | $17,931,937 | 7% | 92.5% | 0% |
| American Crossroads | $117,472,407 | $117,044,325 | 10% | 89.9% | 0.1% |
| FreedomWorks for America | $23,453,198 | $22,621,967 | 12.9% | 86.8% | 0% |
| Senate Conservatives Fund | $15,944,858 | $15,882,748 | 36.6% | 22.3% | 40.9% |
| Our Country Deserves Better PAC- TeaPartyexpress.org | $10,166,906 | $9,347,615 | 88.8% | 7.3% | 2.8% |
| Madison Project, Inc. | $1,990,483 | $1,779,968 | 92% | 0.5% | 5.5% |
| Sarah PAC | $5,007,860 | $5,186,776 | 93.6% | 0% | 5.9% |
| Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund (2013) | $6,405,087 | $5,335,162 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Clearly, there is huge variation about how PACs choose to tackle this task. Club for Growth, American Crossroads, FreedomWorks, and to a lesser degree Senate Conservatives Fund are injecting large sums of money into campaigns either through direct donations or independent expenditures.
Our Country Deserves Better PAC, the action arm of Tea Party Express, says its mission is “identifying and supporting conservative candidates and causes that will champion tea party values.” However, almost 90% of spending went to operating expenditures on salaries, consulting fees, travel, and postage and shipping. Almost all of the advertising and fundraising efforts promoted the PAC, with only limited independent expenditures on media buys on behalf of actual candidates.
The Madison Project believes in “recruiting and supporting candidates who will not only effectively articulate all the tenants of constitutional conservatism, but have the courage to fight for those values in the face of opposition from Republican Party bosses.” But FEC records show the great majority of operating expenditures went to travel, consulting fees, mailings, advertisements on behalf of the Madison Project, and renting lists of potential contacts. The directors of the PAC, Jim and Drew Ryun, receive consulting fees from their own organization.
Sarah PAC tries “supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.” But, most of the budget has been eaten up by operating expenditures on travel, consulting fees, mailers and online advertisements on behalf of the PAC, and legal fees. It gives proportionally little in direct contributions to campaigns.
The Tea Party Patriot Citizen Fund “is committed to equipping grassroots activists at the state and local level with the tools and resources needed to hold elected officials and government accountable and elect new and qualified candidates.” But, a staggering 100% of outlays from 2013-2014 went towards operating expenditures, of the same type that is by now familiar; consulting, renting mailing lists, and advertisements on behalf of the PAC.
Unfortunately, some of these groups fundraise off of anxious, well-meaning Americans who want to make positive changes in Washington. However, these organizations aren't actually doing anything substantial towards that purpose. Others hew more closely to their stated goals and spend money trying to actually influence candidates and campaigns.
The donor’s task here is to separate the wheat from the chaff and find groups which align with your intent. Be leery of giving to just any group with an attractive name and flashy website.
As conservatives should know all too well, good intentions just aren’t good enough.
Good thing I didn't donate to Sarah Palin's PAC. It might have gone to Bristol for more plastic surgery.
I definitely won't donate to major PACs like those anymore, unless I know for sure where the money is going.
*
People should only donate to specific candidates
its discouraging isn’t it.....
Honest question.
Who can vouch for the veracity (and conservatism) of ‘hardhatters?
In their ‘news section:
http://www.hardhatters.com/2014/03/democrat-senate-hopeful-makes-tea-party-look-moderate/
I found this:
“Media attention has focused on the 2014 Texas Republican primaries as a parade of terribles featuring extremely extreme Tea Party candidates, and the scary implications this carries for the party as a whole.”
I am unaware of them - but if that’s not their usual style of sarcasm...
they’re just another front, imo.
“People should only donate to specific candidates”
Shouldn’t people fall for whatever they want to do?
If they want to support a bunch of clever political hacks, right, left or center, shouldn’t they be free to do so?
Can’t they send their money to Joseph Farah, Brent Bozell, Glen Beck or anybody that dangles a tantalizing provocative headline or cause?
The Tea Party Express spends a lot of money on travel and operating expenses because they’ve been having two or three nationwide bus tours per year holding Tea Party rallies and directly supporting Tea Party candidates in their home districts and states. And they’ve been pretty successful in directly raising support for Tea Party candidates. I know, because I’ve traveled with them on several tours. Attended rallies in as many as 100 cities or more all across the USA.
People should only donate to specific candidates
**********************************************************
Well, you certainly have that option at the Senate Conservative Fund site. When donating to a specific endorsed candidate at the SCF 100% of your donation goes directly to the candidate (the SCF even covers the cost of the donation charged by your credit card company). Before the SCF does a final endorsement of a candidate, it thoroughly vets his/her conservative bona fides and requires that the potential nominee go through training on how to deal with the mainstream media’s attempts to sandbag conservative candidates (to prevent any future Akins).
Or you can donate directly to the SCF and let them use the donation where most needed at the moment. It’s a choice.
http://www.senateconservatives.com/site/endorsements
All good...then why the quoted drivel?
<<<<(honestly not trying to cause trouble)
Maybe it is sarcasm. Idk. Ask the author lol
They do have a contact page
I give to individual candidates.... I am not rich enough to be able to donate to PACS.
The ‘Hardhatters’ mission statement
“In the wake of a U.S. Presidential Election filled with angry rhetoric, red herrings, repugnant attack ads, and outright lies, Hardhatters.com was created as a means for the public to wade through the muck and mire of politics and discover the truths concerning our country and government. Hardhatters employs a team of writers dedicated to looking beyond the superficial and sensational provided by politicians, pundits, and the drive by media. From all angles, Hardhatters.com objectively researches current events and important issues pertinent to our country’s future and ensures voters are informed with truth.”
That sounds like a whole bunch of liberal baffle gab.
Jordan Long is a STUDENT at A&M..... Sorry if you are a young person but this little wet behind the ear twit has no idea what he is talking about
It says he worked for Heritage. Not bad.
Not impressed. More over his so called data have NO citation. I would like to know where it comes from.
I am of an age where I have become more cynical. Experience and having lived through enough things gives one a very very different understanding and perspective.
No where does he suggest that expenditures might have been made for travel to support a candidate (which by the by seems to be Mrs. Palin’s heavy lifting). He has lots of words.... no wisdom
I like the way it balances out in respect to the Tea Party Express.
They are the highest profile Tea Party org out there and bring attention to candidates and issues by taking part in tea parties along their routes
I've been to most of their rallies, over 200 personally as I travel with them.
Karl Rove’s American Crossroads PAC isn't the only group listed that strays away from hardcore Tea Party conservative.
Tea Party Express may have a “small” amount used for media buys, but they are researched and targeted quite well, and have had a great deal of success.
Last year they spent a lot of time and energy vetting and meeting with candidates across the country, but no National Bus Tours.
Of course a large portion of their money is spent on operating expenditures (Always one bus, sometimes 2 and they ain't cheap) but they bring a lot of attention “on the ground” and in the belly of the beast in order to bring about the Tea Party Movements goals.
The TPX Nationwide Bus tours generate a lot of attention to tea party candidates and issues. They have a proven track record.
Ted Cruz got a great boost from them, as well as from Sarah Palin.
Both of them have participated in several tea party events in conjunction with the TPX.
Watch of some more high profile tea party action from them in the near future.
Oh btw, the article was right on about the Tea Party Patriots...
Nifster made a good point in his post #17, "No where does he suggest that expenditures might have been made for travel to support a candidate"
The kid needs to do better research.
So Sarah needed $5 million to travel? Holy crap.
$179,000 of her own money?
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