Autopsy 2012: Blame the Consultants? (Skimming money from donor-funded media placements)

National Review ^ | 3/18/13 | John Fund

[jimbo123]

For as long as he’s been president, Barack Obama, has been the top target for attack at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. D.C. But this year, there may have been a close second: the Republican political-consultant class, which many CPAC attendees blame for the party’s poor 2012 showing.

-snip-

Without directly taking on Romney, Republican National Committee member Morton Blackwell, from Virginia, joined Caddell in criticizing the practice of many campaigns of allowing consultants to take a commission when they score media placements, which skews the campaign’s efforts away from grassroots efforts and direct contacts with voters — for which no commission is paid. He blames the overreliance on paid consultants for “the looting of millions of dollars” and the general decline of citizen participation in politics.

[tanknetter]

It should be noted that the Dems have this same issue too. Ashley Judd is being pushed into a KY Senate run by Dem consultants seeing all the Hollywood $$$ she can rake in (then dole out. To them.)

The difference seems to be that Dem consultants ( the tol tier anyways ) tend to be a lot more ideological than their GOP counterparts. They see really good money as a secondary benefit. With GOP consultants it’s the other way around.

[detective]

Finally, people are beginning to figure out what the problem is. The Republicans ignore good American citizens and try to play up to the Washington elite. Pat Caddell, who is so skilled he managed to get political incompetent Jimmy Carter elected president, was the most accurate.

People like Romney and McCain don't represent people like me. They never will. People like John Boehner don't represent me. Neither do any of the Washington elite.