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How the Tea Party became as corrupt as the Beltway it loathes
This Week ^ | 8-7-14 | Michael Brendan Dougherty

Posted on 08/07/2014 2:26:34 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

This week, ProPublica released a report on the financial (and moral) corruption of a Tea Party group operating under the name Move America Forward, which was founded by one Sal Russo. Russo also helped start the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, aka the Tea Party Express. Move America Forward has run fake drives to give care packages to troops, stolen images of other charitable campaigns and passed them off as its own, and trumpeted a nonexistent partnership with Walter Reed Hospital — all while funneling very real millions to itself. The group is an industry leader at taking your Tea Party sentiments (if you have them) and turning them into profits.

Unfortunately, the continuing success of Sal Russo and the Tea Party Express is emblematic of a larger failure of the American right — and perhaps the larger project of American self-governance.

Earlier this year, The Daily Caller's Alexis Levinson reported that other Tea Party groups that had raised millions spent up to 80 percent of their money on operating expenditures, salaries, consultants, and mailing list companies, which were often owned by the people who ran the groups themselves. The Tea Party is essentially a landlord class; its fiefdom is the truly felt convictions of others.

There is nothing new about this. The Tea Party gained traction in an environment defined by massive resentment and fear directed at the Obama presidency, disgust at the bailouts of the Bush and Obama eras, and the wreckage of a Republican electoral defeat, all of which was especially conducive to the growth of parasite groups like the Tea Party Express.

In February of 2010, I reported a story from a "Tea Party Convention" in Nashville, hosted by the for-profit group Tea Party Nation. Leader Juddson Phillips left his job as a lawyer to draw a salary. Tickets for this grassroots uprising cost more than $500. The great motive behind it was transforming the organizers into richer men and political kingmakers in their state.

This gross profiteering is not unique to right-wingers. Political consultants do hilariously weird things. John Weaver, a consultant who advises prominent Republican candidates to enact his own distaste for conservatives, pulled an all-timer when he convinced his candidate's campaign to pay him, partly, through a corporation that shared the exact same name as that of another consultant's business. That helped to hide how well he was doing — until it didn't.

People who give themselves to full-time political activism deserve some recompense for their work and expertise. And of course, even the most populist of political movements will attract, and even require, professional leadership from without. After all, even punk rock bands require "the suits" to handle business and arrange for the to-be-destroyed hotel room. Even St. Paul demanded payment for his services.

But there was something especially galling about the level of self-dealing enrichment and deception at the head of the Tea Party movement, particularly because the movement started as a disgusted response to the self-dealing enrichment and deception in Washington.

Profiteering has been an acute problem almost right from the beginning for the Tea Party. It is like the reverse mortgage industry of politics: making money by giving an awful deal to an older, whiter customer base, then leaving town just as the fools realize it leaves them with nothing.

It's easy to write them off as just another bunch of opportunists. But the endemic corruption of this movement should trouble the American right, if not the American conscience. The conservative diagnosis of Washington's brokenness is that Americans have outsourced the task of self-government to a managerial class in Washington, a corruption that has transformed our nation's capital into "the Beltway," a shorthand for D.C.'s toxic culture of cronyism.

The populist right's instinctive response — the Tea Party — immediately became just another added layer of cronyism. A grassroots corruption. Really, a weed. If the American people have outsourced their self-government to Washington, the conservative movement made another dirty deal, allowing itself to be entertained in outrage carnivals run by for-profit activists. Excepting the exceptions, the populist right's response to dishonesty and graft was to generate another set of swindlers who wear flag-lapel pins, lie to their faces, and help themselves to the cash.

Yes, we built that. And H.L. Mencken laughs. Self-government is just another product, and no one can be bothered to read the fine print.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: moveamericaforward; salrusso; teaparty; teapartyexpress; teapartynation
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To: FreedomStar3028
You not voting caused OBAMA.

Sorry; but I refuse to wear your albatross.


Republican 'leadership' CAUSED Obama: TWICE!

101 posted on 08/09/2014 4:45:10 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: FreedomStar3028
There will likely never be anyone as close to the right as Romney is ever again,

Yeah...

Sure...

102 posted on 08/09/2014 4:46:53 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

You won’t admit it but it is true and no amount of rationalization will make it go away.


103 posted on 08/09/2014 4:47:40 AM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc.;+12 ..... Obama is public enemy #1)
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To: Elsie

Romney wouldn’t be issuing executive orders to allow millions of disease ridden, impoverished gang members to enter our country. Romney would not have let ISIS run rampant across Iraq. At least Romney is an American, and not a communist manchurian candidate groomed all his life to destroy the Western way of life. I doubt Romney would be telling Bibi to back off or else. I doubt Romney would be destroying our infrastructure, economy, and foreign relations bit by bit. The manure has hit the fan. One day we’re going to wake up and FR will not be here, we’ll be lucky if we even have electricity at all. The post American world is not a world I will be okay living in. I know and understand your opinion, but Obama and his pals have done way too much damage to America for us to recover, the nail in the coffin is the 20 million or so (that 11 million number is BULLSHIT) criminal leeches that they are going to give it all to.

I truly hope that the damage being caused will be mitigated by someone, or God. But I fear this is it, mankind is at an impasse. It is either fight or die, win or lose. The GOP screwed us again, surprise surprise. But at least Romney would have been about 20 million illegal leeches better than Obama.

I sincerely hope that you never go through the pain, agony and heartbreak that some have because of Obama. You will truly understand the evil behind it all. They want to kill everyone of us, slaughter us, rape our children, and torture us. The slow, long march to the gas chambers has started. I honestly don’t think anyone I talk to realizes the implications of what is happening here.

Keep your powder dry, and your rations stocked. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones who gets to see them all eat their words. I honestly hope so, FRiend.


104 posted on 08/09/2014 6:06:00 AM PDT by FreedomStar3028 (Evil must be punished.)
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To: Elsie; FreedomStar3028; bert

I am sorry it hurts your feelings but they are right. I know you didn’t choose Romney in the primary, neither did I but on Election Day you chose obama by refusing to vote for Romney, That’s the way it works. The primary is the election where you get to vote your principles. The general election gives you one choice and you bailed out and stayed home. Shame on you.


105 posted on 08/09/2014 6:24:47 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Ah yeah, the left attacking the Tea they detest, because the Tea party threatens their grip on power and money.


106 posted on 08/09/2014 8:08:40 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Express your concerns to Ted Cruz and Mike Lee. The tea party requires money to operate like every organization. This is an attack by the left and very transparent.


107 posted on 08/09/2014 8:12:45 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)
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To: bert
You won’t admit it but it is true and no amount of rationalization will make it go away.

You won’t admit it but it is false and no matter HOW many times the LOSER would run; he'll STILL lose.

Hell; he couldn't even beat McCain the first time or Obama the second!

108 posted on 08/09/2014 10:29:10 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: FreedomStar3028
Romney wouldn’t be issuing executive orders to allow millions of disease ridden, impoverished gang members to enter our country.

It's ok to MINDREAD the LOSER; just don't try it with FR posters.

109 posted on 08/09/2014 10:29:58 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: FreedomStar3028
They want to kill everyone of us, slaughter us, rape our children, and torture us.

Don't forget that during all of this the sky will be falling; too!

110 posted on 08/09/2014 10:30:42 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Ditter
I know you didn’t choose Romney in the primary, neither did I but on Election Day you chose obama by refusing to vote for Romney, That’s the way it works.

Only in your world.

The one that I live in votes for NEITHER of the evils.

Sorry that you want to take the slow road.

111 posted on 08/09/2014 10:31:43 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Ditter
The general election gives you one choice and you bailed out and stayed home.

You REALLY don't know how this works; do you...

112 posted on 08/09/2014 10:32:27 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

Don’t be so sure about that as Romney is NWO, they want a North American Union...that means open borders.


113 posted on 08/09/2014 10:33:06 AM PDT by Kackikat (ELECTED officials took an OATH...Time to honor it....be a Patriot.)
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To: Ditter
I know you didn’t choose Romney in the primary, neither did I....

Good for you!

Who will you choose over Romney in the NEXT primary?

We already KNOW that he can't BEAT anyone.

Do you think I'd vote for Romney over Hillary?

I will NOT vote for a man that cannot see that the religion he has chosen to follow is a heresy.

That kind of discernment is NOT what I want in a leader.

If you guys don't like it; call me more names and see what effect it has on me.

114 posted on 08/09/2014 10:36:15 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

At least you understand part of of it. I will always take the slow road and try to turn things around. You on the other hand just jumped off the cliff and we all will crash to the bottom.

I fear that we will not recover from obama, while I think we could have talked some sense into Romney. Try talking sense to V Jarret!


115 posted on 08/09/2014 10:42:21 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Resettozero

Thanks, good idea

I didn’t think you could prove your false accusations towards me.

Sorry you choose not to make it right.

No problem, I’ve had others falsely accuse me who could not back up their statements.

I seriously did not think you were of that mindset.


116 posted on 08/09/2014 10:48:50 AM PDT by Syncro (The Tea Party is Dead---MSM/Dems/GOP-e -- LONG LIVE THE TEA PARTY!)
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To: Elsie

The primary doesn’t usually matter in Texas because by the time Texans get to vote, other states have already decided who our candidate is going to be. That really pisses me off but I don’t know how we can change it.

We agree on the religion aspect. I don’t recall calling you a name. If I did I apologize.


117 posted on 08/09/2014 10:50:05 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Ditter; Elsie
...you chose obama by refusing to vote for Romney, That’s the way it works

Not to familiar with the GOPe huh?

McCain gave the election to Obama the first time he ran. Romney gave it to him for his reelection.

The GOPe wanted to be seen in history as allowing a black president to be elected.

And not be seen as "racist" by taking a second term away from him.

Any GOP politician not getting elected is completely the GOPe's fault as they have a war against conservative candidates and by extension our Constitutional Republic.

As an illustrious political pundit once said "We have met the enemy and he is us."

The Mormons will continue to try to get one of their own in the Presidency for the purpose of setting the country on the "right" track.

The Mormon Church, through its political organization, the Kingdom of God, says John J. Stewart in Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, plans on gaining a political stronghold in the U.S. government. The goal is to “bring the United States Government under the rule of the priesthood.” (6)

118 posted on 08/09/2014 11:23:35 AM PDT by Syncro (The Tea Party is Dead---MSM/Dems/GOP-e -- LONG LIVE THE TEA PARTY!)
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To: Syncro; Jim Robinson; Admin Moderator
Thanks, good idea

I didn’t think you could prove your false accusations towards me.

Sorry you choose not to make it right.

No problem, I’ve had others falsely accuse me who could not back up their statements.

I seriously did not think you were of that mindset.


Just for any record there might be...

Syncro, I doubt you have ever been honest with me in your posts -- including your last one. Your cleverness with turning things around backwards and then sideways has worked for you in the past with some posters, but I emphatically deny making deliberately false accusations against you or any other FReeper at any time.
119 posted on 08/09/2014 11:29:03 AM PDT by Resettozero
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To: Syncro

ANY! US citizen out of the phone book, would have been a better president than what we have.

Thanks a lot LoFo “conservatives”.

They are correct, you are not.


120 posted on 08/09/2014 11:30:34 AM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves" Month.)
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