Posted on 04/01/2013 3:28:17 PM PDT by markomalley
Not even a million dollars could convince Lady Gaga to perform at last summer's Republican National Convention.
The snub by the pop star is included in a lawsuit filed by a powerful Republican nonprofit fundraising organization, American Action Network, against a vendor whose job was to stage entertainment just outside the doors to the GOP's convention in August.
Documents filed with the lawsuit show that other entertainers also said "no thanks" to appearing at the GOP convention including Dolly Parton and the rapper Pitbull, who Republicans hoped to feature at an event for the Hispanic Leadership Network.
Many entertainers, including Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd, agreed to perform at the convention, but Lady Gaga's offer was the most lucrative, according to an email sent last summer by AAN's director of development, Pete Meachum.
"See what it would take to get Gaga instead of Dolly," Meachum requests of Rob Jennings, who heads Cater America LLC, an event production company based in Wyoming.
Jennings, whose company is being sued by AAN, was instructed by Meachum to try to make the offer to Lady Gaga more tempting by telling her it would be an event "honoring women who run for public office."
Meachum, who is a former aide to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and is now chief of staff for Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., wanted Lady Gaga to perform on Monday, Aug. 27, the evening of the convention's first official day.
"Also, tell them that $150,000 will go towards a domestic violence shelter," Meachum further instructed Jennings in an effort to make the offer harder for Lady Gaga to refuse.
American Action Network is a 501c(4) organization headed by former Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and raises money to support GOP candidates for House seats. The organization is suing Cater America in an effort to recover $350,000 that AAN officials say they lost in part when a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert arranged by Cater America was canceled. The concert could not take place because Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Isaac churned toward Tampa.
In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, AAN says most of the money it seeks represents a loan that Jennings has failed to repay.
Cater America plans to countersue, saying AAN reneged on a deal to pay $500,000 for the rock band Journey, which performed a 90-minute set on Aug. 30, the final night of the convention, and for other expenses incurred by Cater America that it says AAN had promised to cover.
Cater America also contends AAN violated an agreement not to give away tickets. National Republican Congressional Committee Executive Director Guy Harrison was among the NRCC staff who attended a Kid Rock concert put on by Cater America on Aug. 29. American Action Network spokesman Dan Conston told The Washington Examiner that AAN "invited some close personal friends from nongovernmental organizations on a personal basis."
THEY changed the RNC from within into a pro-Shamnesty, pro-homosexual, pro-choice party.
And the ‘68 Communists turned the DNC into something even worse.
NEITHER party 40 years ago would push the left wing policies espoused by these parties today.
Personally, I never understood Rush wanting Elton John to perform at his wedding. To me it was anti-conservative.
By the way Dolly just died to me too.
Why? Why should she want to perform in front of big government Republicans? Are you one? Besides she would have turned down the DNC too.
when you take a stage name from what a gay guy calls you, i think that says it all.
Dolly is a social liberal. She talks about her breasts a lot and is for gay marriage. She may sing gospel but doesn’t walk the walk.
Dolly, are they real?
They're real big and real expensive
Dolly fainted on stage the other night....... She had to be carried out two abreast.
Gaga me with a spoon!
A fool and his money...
Not many people know that Dolly got her start with a jug band.
The GOP is all about party fist, party before patriotism, party over principle.
Those who don't get this are the sultans of stupid.
A strong independent political party, with real genuine people, with leaders willing to stand up and tell the brutal truth and not bend to the big $ insiders was needed like 20+ years ago.
The GOP has a million to throw away on this freak, stop sending me donation garbage couple times a month the GOP will never see a penny from me.
I heard it on Limbaugh too and just assumed it was his own April Fool’s joke. Had to leave before he finished the monologue so didn’t hear him do the gotcha.
Don’t tell me it wasn’t an April Fools joke???????
Precisely. Instead, the GOP-e goes chasing after leftwing losers in a desperate attempt to look "hip" and "with it".
Hey, how could the GOP-e consultants be wrong?
It's April 1st every day in the GOP.
My, how virtuous... /not
Willard and Gag Gag...
Yeah they fit together...
2 liberals made for each other...
For that money, they could’ve gotten Van Halen. They’d take the roof off the joint!
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