Rieckhoff was called a "xxxxxxx scumbag"from what i've read, Rieckhoff IS a "xxxxxxx scumbag"
Posted on 02/17/2016 12:54:34 PM PST by Elderberry
Veterans who have passed on being the GOP frontrunner's props have found themselves targeted by his legion of trolls.
Veterans groups who stood up to Donald Trump's pandering to their ranks are now routinely bombarded with nasty messages from the mogul's supporters, who want to punish them for daring to challenge their leader.
Paul Rieckhoff, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, learned this firsthand when he stood up to the Republican presidential frontrunner in late January, saying he would decline any donations from Trump's charitable foundation if offered.
"We've gotten a flood of nasty attacks... many scary and threatening emails, [the] worst social media trolling I've ever seen," Rieckhoff told The Daily Beast. "Showing what happens when you simply say no. This is the climate he's created with his followers."
Rieckhoff had plenty of reasons to pre-emptively reject the donation. Trump has repeatedly insulted veterans, but on the campaign trail has tried to use them for political gain. After a squabble with Fox News over the use of Megyn Kelly as a debate moderator, Trump held a competing event, ostensibly to raise money for veterans groups.
The businessman's record hasn't hobbled his candidacy, and he leads in South Carolina despite the massive veterans community there.
So when Rieckhoff said he didn't want his organization to be used as a political prop, and pre-emptively declined any proceeds from Trump's fundraiser, the businessman's fans directed wave after wave of viciousness against IAVA and its CEO on Twitter and Facebook.
Rieckhoff was called a "xxxxxxx scumbag" by one commenter, then told by another to "get off your ass and get the funding or get fired." "Keep your mouth shut and take the money," another Trump fan said. Added a tax-conscious individual: "I hope your asses get audited."
Trump has a long history of controversial, even anti-veteran stances, despite his current claim that he'd be good for veterans if elected president. In the '80s, Trump tried to throw disabled vet street vendors off Fifth Avenue, accusing them of essentially being a blight on the aesthetics of the street. Before his presidential campaign, Trump's charitable foundation gave more to the Clintons than to veterans organizations. Plus, famously, Trump said Sen. John McCain's time in a prisoner of war camp didn't make him a hero: "I like people who weren't captured."
A number of groups in Iowa have benefitted from Trump's fundraiser: Organizations like Puppy Jake, which provides service dogs to vets, and Support Siouxland Soldiers, both received six-figure checks. So did a small veterans charity in New Hampshire.
But when another veterans group went on the record against Trump, their phone lines and inboxes were slammed the next day with malicious fans.
"The next day, people called our office--that were very vile: People were issuing threats, they were calling our members 'xxxxxxx.' We had a very vitriolic response. They were saying things like, 'We're going to take down your group,' even up to what could only be interpreted as physical threats: 'You better watch out the next time you hold an event,'" said the executive director of a veterans advocacy group who wanted to stay anonymous, so as to spare his organization the "annoyance" of enduring it again.
"It was a distraction, and it was an annoyance that made staff incredibly uncomfortable," said the executive director. "It was disturbing."
Liberty House is a small, New Hampshire-based charity that focuses on housing formerly homeless vets and feeding the hungry. Its executive director, Keith Howard, was subjected to a similar experience after declining to appear with Trump at a political rally to accept a donation.
"So....you bunch of losers who can't get on with your life except for bitchin' about how mistreated you are don't want Mr. Trump's money. Well then shut the xxxx up about what you don't have and what you've done for your country. I hope all your funding dries up. You'd rather whine than be men," wrote one angry individual by email, calling organization members "sissies."
Howard sighed: "It's a free country, and people have a right to write nasty emails," he said. And he found that the angry messages were a symptom of Trumpmania that could be reasoned with.
"A fellow had emailed me about how bad I was to turn down the rally. I called and talked with him for about 15 minutes," Howard told The Daily Beast. "The next day, he wrote me a very nice email thanking me for my time... Even the people who were negative were being knee-jerk negative instead of really having a reason for it."
code pink trump & this org have much in common.
IAVA shepherded passage of the New GI Bill in 2008, was instrumental in getting Advanced Appropriations signed into law in 2009, made critical advances in VA Disability Reform in 2010, was a major player in passing the Vow to Hire Heroes Act in 2011 and is focused on defending attacks to the New GI Bill in 2012.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_and_Afghanistan_Veterans_of_America
Looks as if this is your standard organization that lobbies for bigger government. It appears very little of their donations actually go directly to veterans. This is probably why they didn’t make the Trump Foundation list.
Twitter comments are considered unleashing hell.
The few Veteran groups who stood up and denounced Trump for running a fund raiser for Vets were acting politically in a very high profile way. They were trying to hurt Trump. They are getting a political response.
They should not have entered into the political fray if they don’t want politics to touch them. If they did not want Trump’s money, they could have not applied for it and shut their big mouths.
Ah a hard left piece from the blogosphere attacking Trump supporters.
Of course most folks don’t know who these secondary wannabes are.
It is good to know that whiners are still whiners
has been for BFAC for months
I checked out Cruz, he like his daddy are mental cases.
1. Trump never offered this group money. They made a big deal out of refusing it before the veteran’s rally even happened.
2. My husband joined this group when it was first formed. (He’s a member of many military and veterans groups) Over the last few years, he’s watched it move heavily leftward. They are now full-blown leftists that celebrate ‘women’s issues’, gay rights, and their diversity.
3. When my husband first joined, you had to show prof that you were active duty or prior service military. Lately they’ve been signing up people without their knowledge in order to increase their rolls and project political power.
Now that this group’s dirty dealings have come to light, a lot of troops and vets are understandably upset with them and letting their displeasure known.
They opened the can of worms and now people are digging into who they really are.
They deserve all of the backlash that they get, IMHO.
This doesn’t make any sense. I, like most other Trump supporters are strong defendants of the military. I take exception to his demeaning remarks. Some were unhappy that an individual felt so high and mighty he’d turn down money to help veterans based on his own narrow political beliefs. The money was donated by many Americans, including Donald Trump. I’m sorry many veterans in need were left out of the loop because of this guy.
Please see my post #48 and MNJohnnie’s post #23.
Keep posting child. You are doing far more damage to your candidate with your behavior then you could possible realize.
I’m with ya bro!
We used to call them a “PX Ranger - all flash, no bang!”
Code pink trump is damaging his candidacy. Praising plannednotparenthood, wanting to impeach bush & donating to harry reid...trumptoxic
Yeah, leftists do view Conservatives as mental cases.
Trump the clinton reid schumer donor
Rieckhoff was called a "xxxxxxx scumbag"from what i've read, Rieckhoff IS a "xxxxxxx scumbag"
What a bunch of pansies. I'll bet a lot of the calls they received were from veterans, millitary family members or former donors who think they were stupid for turning down a bunch of money. I know I am totally turned off of any charity that wastes money mailing me glossy color recycling paper every month begging for more money to send more glossy full-color recycling.
I researched Paul Rieckhoff and his organization is a leftist political organization in intent, purpose and function.
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