QUICK HITS: A Funny Thing Happen To Me on the Way to the GOP Meeting

QUICK HIT #1: Saturday morning was our monthly Lyon County Republican Central Committee meeting.  The room was packed as in addition to all the regular attendees we had several candidates or their representatives for upcoming elections on hand.  After our first two speakers, Dan Schwartz (CD04) and Jim Wheeler (Assembly District 39), our Chairman once again moved to the front.  Dr. Titus then announced that speaking for Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich was none other than Tiffiny Ruegner (better known to me as the Field Director for the Tea Party Express).  I thought young lady looked familiar but had no idea this was “Tiffiny”.

For those who have not followed BBP very long let me fill you in.  I have written many articles about the Tea Party Express.  They are the PAC that brought you Sharron Angle, another 6 years of Harry Reid, Joe Miller, Christine O’Donnell and many more.  The TPX is a group that on the surface appears to be upright and working for the cause.  Unfortunately when you get down to the reality of it they are a front group for Russo, Marsh and Associates who are doing nothing more than lining their pockets at the expense of the real Tea Partiers.  I only wish Tiffiny was able to stick around longer.  That could have been a fun conversation.

QUICK HIT #2: It was good to hear from some of the lesser know candidates on Saturday.  Dan Schwartz was in attendance with his team as he works towards a CD04 bid.  My friend, Jim Wheeler, was there as well.  Jim is running in the primary for State Assembly District 39 currently held by Kelly Kite.  I encourage everyone to listen to all candidates.  You never know what you might learn.  In listening to Jim I found out a couple things I didn’t previously know.

QUICK HIT #3: Getting back to the Tea Party Express and their “ka-ching” money making, everyone should be aware that they have started yet another PAC.  That’s right, the Tea Party Express (Russo, Marsh and Associates) have the newly developed Defeat Barack Obama PAC up and ready to take your hard earned cash.  Of course the claim is that the TPX and the Defeat Obama PACs are completely separate but a quick look at the leadership teams of both show a great deal of co-mingling.  Just one more nightmare, er fantasy, brought to you by Sal Russo, Joe Wierzbicki and all their friends.

An Open Letter to Eric Odom Regarding the Tea Party Express

Eric –

I want first clarify that I and my family have absolutely nothing against you.  I in fact like and respect your work.  I feel you are a true patriot working for the cause.  It was apparent though, that despite your denials, you were upset by the statements made on Facebook in regards to the Tea Party Express.  More specifically the statement that referred to the TPX as “bottom feeders”.  Your response in return was:

“As a person who will be traveling with and speaking on the tour I have to say I resent your comment. I do not get paid by the group and volunteer my time to do this. A tour such as this is costly, but trust me when I say no one is getting rich off of it. Please avoid the talking points that tear our movement down and try to stick to known facts.”

Let’s make some clarifications.  First, our opinion is that the “bottom feeders” of the Tea Party Express are those at the top of the food chain.  Specifically people like Joe Wierzbicki and Sal Russo.  I have not ever called into question the motives or efforts of such people as Lloyd Marcus, Diana Nagy, the Rivoli Review or yourself.  I believe those that are the “worker bees” and those that volunteer do so out of a love and respect for the Tea Party and America.  Your intentions are honorable

Moving on, you also stated that “the suggestion that something is happening that shouldn’t be is downright outrageous”.  But you immediately follow that up with “I too used to make assumptions”.  It seems you are saying that you had the right to question and assume things but now that you are on board with the TPX no one else can.  I think that is the outrageous statement here.

You asked that we “Please avoid the talking points that tear our movement down and try to stick to known facts.”  I have done the research.  In fact I would suggest I may have done more research than anyone in regards to the TPX possible mis-deeds.  I, via Twitter, attempted to address this with you and offered to send you the evidence.  You denied you were upset and never responded to my offer to supply that evidence.  With all due respect to ask for the proof and then refuse to even look at, much less consider it, is a bit short sighted.  That is why I have chosen to respond to you via this open letter.

Maybe I too, like you, could change my opinion of the Express if I were given proof to back up the statements of Joe Wierzbicki and other members of the TPX staff.  I have compiled complete FEC records of their activities.  I have asked Joe Wierzbicki the tough questions.  What I have received in return from him his name calling and accusations.  What I have never received from him is the proof backing up his statements.  If I am wrong about the Tea Party Express I will accept that.  But I will not accept “proof” that is nothing more than statements by individuals I do not trust.  I will ask you some of the same questions and about the same issues I have raised with Mr. Wierzbicki.  If you can get to the bottom of the issues I will gladly accept the answer.  All I ask is that the answers are facts with proof and not simply statement made by TPX members attempting to defend their actions.

Here are a few items that I have asked about and that have never been answered with any real truth, facts or evidence:

1) Follow the money:  FEC reports from Oct of 2008 to June 2011 show that about $3.7 million has been sent from the Tea Party Express to King Media and Russo, Marsh and Assoc.  That is 41% of all dollars spent by the TPX go directly back to companies owned and operated by Sal Russo and Janet King-Russo.  Add in salaries and commissions paid by the TPX directly to Joe Wierzbicki, Sal Russo and Janet King-Russo and that numbers jumps to nearly 42.5%.

2) Focusing on Joe W.: For every donated dollar to the TPX that Joe Wierzbicki claims to be responsible for, he takes a 15% commission.  This is in addition to his TPX wages.  Of the total monies collected $3.4 million was sent to Russo, Marsh and Assoc. where Joe also takes, I assume, another commission.  In addition he is a Principal at RM&A drawing a salary.  Lastly, more money is sent to King Media where Joe is the Director of Media Relation drawing a third salary.  By my accounting that amounts to three salaries and two commissions on the same donated dollars.  Do you think people who struggle to give $20 to the TPX would be happy to know this?

3) The First BIG Controversy:  One of the first big issues for the TPX was identified in the FEC report from July of 2009.  In the report, Betty Presley and Associates (the TPX accounting firm) shows a line item on 7/31/09 for $1597.29 cents.  The note field clearly states “Meeting Cost – Six Meals”.  This issue has been raised many times by many people.  Joe Wierzbicki just two weeks ago, along with a long inappropriate name calling tirade, stated he had told me before that it was a fundraiser for 75 people.  I suggested, as I did with the FEC report, that he shows a copy of the detailed receipt for that event.  That will clarify if it was for 6 meals or snacks for 75.  The FACT is I have repeatedly supplied the FEC report to prove my side.  He has not responded to my request for a copy of the receipt.  Additionally, I have spoken with a former employee of the TPX.  They said meals and drinks like this were typical for the group when they were involved.

4) Luxury Cruises: When the TPX was working for Joe Miller in Alaska there are line items submitted for over $100K for TPX staff and equipment to travel to Alaska via the Holland America Luxury Cruise Line.  According to statements by the TPX this was done to “save money”.  Do you buy that?  That also didn’t cover any additional cost for meals or lodging while on land.

5) My latest find: On the latest FEC report there is a line item paying $500 to JRuegner Car Rental in Sacramento.  I have done research on the internet and can find no record of a J. Ruegner Car Rental in the United States or anything similar.  The odd part of this is that the “business address” is the same as the home Address for Tiffany Ruegner who is on staff with the TPX.  I asked Joe Wierzbicki to clarify this but have received nothing in return.

6) Reported on Manta.com in 2010 the firm of Russo, Marsh and Assoc. had annual sales of $1 to 2.5M.  Consider that from October 2008 to June 2011 the TPX has sent $3.4M to RM&A.  It seems that RM&A is being funded almost completely from the Express activities.  This seems to follow the statements of Ned Ryun, President of American Majority when he said “I’m concerned they’re using it (the Tea Party Express) as a marketing gimmick to line the pockets of consultants instead of actually helping the Tea Party movement”.

I also think it is only fair to recognize that from day one that the Tea Party Express proposal was developed by Joe Wierzbicki that they saw you as a key player in the Tea Party movement as well as a potential thorn in their side.  Do not forget the words of Joe Wierzbicki:

“… because quite frankly we are not only NOT part of the political establishment or conservative establishment, but we are sadly not currently part of the “tea party” establishment (i.e. Michelle Malkin, Eric Odom of Don’t Go Movement, Smart Girl Politics, Top Conservatives on Twitter, Freedom Works, Newt Gingrich of American Solutions, etc…)

We can probably pull off a phenomenally successful tour without these big-ego establishment types…”

It is clear they know you have influence in the Tea Party movement.  They also know you can cause them great harm.  They of course will continue to play nice with you as they fear your turning on them.

Eric, I can understand that you support the TPX.  I personally believe they have corrupt intentions and are using the Tea Party movement to their own advantage. That is why I clearly state I support the Tea Party movement but reject the Tea Party Express.  But I can assure you I go forth and do my homework.  I have never used a talking point without verification.  I am more than happy to supply you with any of the facts and back-up paperwork I discussed.  But I think you should be fair and accept that I have done due diligence and that it is the Tea Party Express that has repeatedly failed to answer the tough questions.

NOTE: For anyone interested here is a link to the TPX FEC reports: http://bit.ly/9aac76

Bob Hastings

Battle Born Politics

www.battlebornpolitics.wordpress.com

The Randomness of Nevada Politics

So what has Harry Reid’s Depends in a bunch this week?  None other than House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor and all for following the words of Barrack Obama.  Apparently Mr. Reid sees the fact that Eric Cantor is sticking stead fastly to his beliefs and refusing to give President Obama respect that (IMHO) has not been earned.  For that Mr. Reid says Cantor is “childish” and “should not be at the table”.  Funny thing is The Prez himself had this to say about sticking by ones ideals:

“We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it’s easy, but when it is hard.”

So sorry Mr. Reid.

Don’t Call Me a Career Politician: On Monday Nevada Assembly Speaker, John Oceguera, announced he will be running for Congress.  He doesn’t know what district or who he will face but he has already determined he is the best candidate.  I wonder if he will still be able to double dip salary if he is in Washington D.C.?

You Said It Madam Chair: Regarding Oceguera’s bid for Congressional District “who the hell knows which one”, Nevada GOP Chair Amy Tarkanian, released the following statement:

“Today’s announcement by Speaker Oceguera is the sad cry of a career politician looking for a new gig. Oceguera’s bid for Congress, made before even understanding or caring about the constituency he claims to want to represent, is an action of a termed-out assemblyman who is panicking at the thought of losing one of his government paychecks. Speaker Oceguera’s signature achievement in the state legislature is failing to bully through a $1.5Billion tax increase; Ocegeura’s colleagues rejected his proposal then and Nevadans will reject him in 2012.”

Kudos to Elliott Anderson:  Many of the State’s Legislators, both Democrat and Republican, enjoyed Tweeting about their every move during session.  But once session ended they suddenly became “Tweetless”.  I give Kudos to Assemblyman Anderson who has remained very active in the Twitter land even after session.  Anderson seems like a good guy who I would not mind having a beer with.  As long as we don’t talk politics!

Thank You Captain Obvious:  Cut taxes, Cap spending and Balance the budget.  Who came up with that cockamamie proposal?  Gosh darn it! That’s not the socialist values this country was founded on.

You Are Giving Me A Headache: So the latest attack on Presidential candidate, Michelle Bachman, is that she has debilitating migraines that cause her to take medication and this should eliminate her from contention.  Uh, Mr. Democrat – is that the best you’ve got?  Migraines affect 303 million people worldwide.  29.5 million in the United States alone.  So I guess those 29.5 million people should stop working and go on disability.

What Do You Get…: What do you get when you cross Sharron Angle, Edith Bunker and a bottle of helium?   Kate Marshall (buh-dum-bump)!!!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.:  According to Casey Anthony defense attorney and GQ wanna be, Jose Baez, he believes the public needs to get past the jury verdict in his client’s case and accept what the jury decided.  Respect their decision he said?  Curious, do you think if he had lost he would have respected the jury’s decision and waved all his clients rights to an appeal?  It just makes you go hmmmmmm!

Dayton, Nevada: OK – 99.3% of you don’t care but Dayton Nevada now has a Chinese Restaurant and MMMMMM Yogurt is scheduled to open soon.  It may not mean much to you but my life is getting better.  Now if we could just get a Purple Penguin (wink to SB).

Kate Marshall Quote:  I wanted to share what I thought was the best quote I have heard from Kate Marshall.  I tried, I swear.  She just hasn’t said anything worth repeating.

Republican’s For Marshall: Who is Guy Felton and why should I care that he is the leader (and apparently only member) of Republican’s for Marshall?  He apparently sees himself a bit like Harry Reid.  Mr. Felton, I know Harry Reid, and sir, you are no Harry Reid.  THANK GOD!!!

Finding the Real Killer:  Rumor is Casey Anthony is planning on hanging out at dance clubs and wet T-shirt contest trying to find the real killer.

Getting Transparent:  Website “Transparent Nevada” has released most of their 2010 salary numbers.  I have been waiting for those to finally come out. See www.transparentnevada.com

Speaking of Ass. Men: Why are some people so obsessed with Assemblyman Mark Sherwood?  It’s a little creepy if you ask me.

Will Oceguera Pump Joe Heck Up? Question: If John Oceguera is voted into Congress, can our representatives assume they will get a new Congressional gym on the taxpayer’s dime? I’m just asking.

The Doctors In Da’ Houz Part 1: From the Great Dr. Daliah Wachs on Facebook – “My son Broc’s new nickname is Brocamole.  Hope he likes it”

The Doctors In Da’ Houz Part 2: Follow-up from the Great Dr. Daliah Wachs on Facebook – “Older son Stone now wants a nickname too, so his nickname will be Gall-Stone (urethral stone was taken already)”

Classic!!!

USA! USA!! Thank you to Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and the rest of Women’s World Cup Team.  You may not have won the tournament but you did America proud.  We are looking forward to 2015. 

Holy Wal-Mart Batman: A couple from South Carolina said they went to pick up photos at Wal-Mart.  The receipt was thrown on floor of their car.  Later, as they looked at the receipt they said the image of Jesus appeared.  Really?  Jesus showed up on a Wal-Mart receipt laying on the floor board of a car in South Carolina.  Some say that the image looks more like Charles Manson.  I saw the receipt and to me it looks more like a troll.  But it, in my opinion, is definitely NOT Jesus.

In or Out:  General wisdom tells us that Governor Rick Perry will likely dip his feet in the Presidential Primary waters.  But we are not sure.  Sarah Palin is also up in the air.  Nothing personal towards either candidate (or anyone else considering a run) but make up your mind already.  Get in or stay out.  I really don’t care, but make a decision.  The GOP needs to start vetting candidates and deciding who can actually beat President Obama.

I Prefer A Quick Cup of Coffee: The Tea Party Express is about to embark on their latest rendition of the “Fleecing America Tour”.  The latest version starts on August 27^th.  The Express is calling it “The Reclaiming America” tour.  It would be more honest to call it “Reclaiming profits for Russo, Wierzbicki and Kremer” tour.  Folks, I can only lay it out so many times for you.  They use this organization to push money through several companies and pay themselves big salaries at each stop of every dollar.  Remember, this is the group who got Harry Reid re-elected.

And The Survey Says:  According to Rasmussen, Generic Republican Candidate 47%, Obama 41%.  This guy “Generic Republican” is the only one who seems to have good enough numbers to beat Obama.  How can we get this guy to throw his hat in the ring?

In All Seriousness: This issue is dedicated to Command Master Chief Dave Remington.  Chief Remington suddenly and unexpectedly passed last Thursday at the age of 61.  Dave was a 30 year veteran of the Navy, former school teacher, co-worker and friend.  He was my “politics buddy” often coming into my office to discuss the latest issue.  There were two things I could count on Dave saying to me each week:

1)  “My guy, John Thune, won’t be running for President.  I really like him” and

2)  “We can’t afford another four years of this knucklehead (i.e. Barrack Obama)”.

Dave was a good husband, good father, good grand-father and good friend.  He was also a Great American.  It was an honor knowing you sir.

Sharron Angle’s “Crazy Train” Says Nevada’s “Left Wing GOP” Is Against Her

Ozzy Osbourne sang “I’m going off the rails on a crazy train”.  Welcome to Sharron Angle’s world. 

On Friday Sharron Angle sent a letter to her supporters.  In essence it was a fundraising letter.  But like the guy in court trying to defend himself if you allow them to talk long enough they will manage to hang themselves.  Enter Sharron Angle.  We are all aware of Sharron’s run at Senator Reid.  She was the epitome of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  Sharron’s biggest problem was Sharron.  She managed to walk away from her Senate run having been tagged as somewhat of a “whack job”.  Whether discussing Scientology, Latin high school students who look Asian, or telling Reid to “man up” she managed to get herself in deep trouble. 

Angle has now started out her latest campaign, to run for Congressional District 2, no differently.  We all saw the video of Angle at the Tax Day Tea Party in Las Vegas singing “Proud to be an American”.  Angle was one leopard skin coat short of a lounge lizard act.  But through all of this there was still a feeling that she could pull this off.  She could possibly garner enough GOP support to have a real shot?  Then came Friday’s letter.  I wanted to do a little analysis of the letter.  What was Angle really saying?  Here is my breakdown of her breakdown: 

Dear Supporter: 

As you know, Nevada’s US Senator John Ensign has resigned and Governor Sandoval has appointed my Congressman, Dean Heller, to replace Ensign. 

A Special Election must take place in the next 180 days. I must begin to raise money immediately if Republicans intend to hold this seat. Will you make an urgent contribution of $25, $50, $100 or even $250 right now? 

My Comments: So here is where we see this first bit of “bipolar” behavior.  Angel refers to Heller as her Congressman.  Funny, I guess she forgot about that little lawsuit she had against Heller when she lost to him.  But then she tells us “I must begin to raise money” but follows that up with “if Republicans intend to hold this seat”.  She has already started setting herself out as the Golden Child. As the only one who can win.  I’m sure this all is playing well with GOP Chairman Mark Amodei, Lt. Governor Krolicki, Commander Kirk Lippold and State Senator Brower.  The woman who was not popular enough to beat the most hated politician in the United States says she is the only one who can win CD2. She continues: 

When I won the Republican Primary in June of 2010, Harry Reid and his allies outspent me by millions of dollars on attack ads. By the time I had the money to respond, it was too late.  That’s not going to happen again – not with your help. 

My Comments: Minor point Sharron.  You may not want to point out that you were not prepared following the primary.  Even if you say it won’t happen again.  Didn’t you make several comments before the primary that you were ready to hit the ground running and defeat Harry Reid.  Apparently you didn’t even think you were going to win the primary.  Surprise!!!  But there is more: 

Instead of more than a year to prepare, I must now raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in just WEEKS. I must do this so WE can set the agenda, not our opponents. Our message will be first to hit the doors of NV-CD 2 and the airwaves and as a team the last to leave it, but only if we can raise money today to prepare for the launch of the special election contest. 

My Comments: First I’m concerned as to who your “opponents” are.  Are you speaking of the Democrats or the GOP as you call them out in your letter. 

I also ask Sharron, why “weeks” to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars?  The actual election is set for September 13, 2011.  That is a full four and a half months.  The weeks you speak of are to the June 18^th date chosen by the State GOP to select their one candidate.  But that won’t take hundreds of thousands.  It will likely take a few grand.  If the GOP does get to choose their candidate the decision will come down to about 350 voters statewide on the Nevada Republican Central Committee.  Sharron, I believe, is very aware she will have an uphill battle to win the spot doled out by the NRCC. 

At the time Angle’s letter was sent we were unaware as to how the election would proceed.  The GOP wanted it to be a closed election in which the parties choose a single candidate.  The Democrats were looking to make it an election that was open to all.  On Monday, Secretary of State Ross Miller shockingly (sarcasm!) chose to follow the Democrats lead.  Interestingly Sharron Angle was one of the few Republicans asking for the open, free-for-all format.  She wants this because she knows it is her only real chance of winning the CD2 seat.  In addition, it sets up an “if not me then no one” scenario for Angle and the GOP.

 There have been many rumors that Angle might choose to run as an independent should she fail in her bid to fill the GOP spot.  Of course she has unequivocally denied those reports.  But that would explain why she is concerned about raising so much money for a six week race focused on 350 voters.  There is no stopping her now: 

The Democrats want this seat. The left wing of the Republican Party wants it more. Instead of an open process – already they are behind closed doors, choosing one of their own to be the preferred candidate in the race. This is exactly why I am running and why I need your help – to put an end to special interest politics! With your urgent contribution, we can make sure that never happens. 

My Comments: Sharron – “Oh no you di-in’t”.  Did Sharron Angle really have the nerve to bag on the party she claims to be a part of and want support from?  She talks about them acting for the “preferred candidate” behind closed doors.  I’ll be the first to admit I have called out individuals for their “back room” deals, but Angle is going after the Nevada GOP as a whole, or at least a large portion of it.  In part the attack is against the GOP leadership and in part the members (i.e. citizens) who sit on the Central Committee.  

First, the decision at the GOP meeting on June 18^th (should it actually happen) would be in the hands of the three-hundred-fifty Central Committee members.  Exactly how many of those are behind closed doors trying to figure out how to screw Sharron Angle?  Reality is the voting group at present is spread among at least five candidates (Amodei, Angle, Brower, Krolicki and Lippold).  Is she saying the supporters of the other four are in “cahoots”?  Sort of an “anyone but Sharron” mantra.  It’s time to break out the foil beanies folks. 

And who are these behind the scene leaders she is calling out.  Amodei?  Smith? DeCarlo?  Sharron has the guts to make a broad accusation but not enough courage to point the finger at anyone specific.  First, I assume that she must think Mark Amodei is up to no good since he too is running.  She has personally told me in the past she feels he “is not a real politician” and that he is “nothing but an entertainer”.  But who else does she think would try to manipulate her out of a job? 

Lastly, wasn’t it Sharron who owes her entire Senate primary campaign to the Club for Growth and Tea Party Express?  Can you get anymore “Special Interest”?  The TPX has put so much money into the pockets of Sal Russo and Joe Wierzbicki it would make Osama Bin Laden spin in his watery grave. Now the big finish: 

Thanks again for your generous support for me last year. Our noble cause fell short, but with your help we can win this race and make our conservative voices heard. 

Please make a contribution today. It will make all the difference for our American future! 

For the cause,

Sincerely,

Sharron Angle

Republican Candidate, US Congress

Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District 

P.S. We need to raise at least $150,000 online this quarter. Will you commit to being one of our first contributors for the special election? With your help we can be ready to fight the good fight! 

My Comments: Gimme, gimme, gimme.  How many times can you say it? 

This letter seems to me to be doing the exact opposite of its intent.  While Angle strives to increase her votes and to get back in the good graces of some of her former followers, it instead calls out and attacks those very individuals. 

But then again maybe Angle, with this letter, is doing exactly as she intends.  With the subtle attacks and finger pointing Angle can create a serious separation with the GOP.  If that were the case she could claim that the GOP never gave her a fair shot and therefore justify her right to run as an independent. 

What Sharron Angle fails to see is that her time has passed. When you get to the point of having to manipulate your own party to gain any chance of winning – then your time is done.  Sharron owes the members of the state GOP a lot.  She owes them for past support.  She owes them for past efforts but mostly she owes them an explanation as to why she is attacking “her own”. 

Sharron, you should never bite the hand that feeds you.

Should The Nevada GOP Be Done With Sharron Angle?

Courtesty of Google

On Monday evening Laura Myers (h/t) of the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that should Sharron Angle not be chosen as the GOP Representative to run in Congressional District 2, she would consider running as an independent for the seat.  Let me be very clear.  IF, and that is a very big if, Sharron Angle is even considering that as a possibility – her political career in Nevada should come to an end and Republican’s should never again support her in any race.

We must start the remainder of this article and realize that Laura Myers has only referenced our favorite person “anonymous sources” for her article.  Additionally, this report has not been confirmed by the Angle camp.  I assume that there is some substance to the story as I would hope that Myers would not run with a story like this without solid evidence.  There are also several other reasons we may not have to deal with this issue in the future:

1) We do not know for sure that Governor Sandoval will choose Heller to replace Ensign in the Senate seat.  Should the Governor choose someone else – this whole argument is moot.

2) It has still not been determined if the state parties will choose a candidate to represent their party or if the process will be a complete election free-for-all.

3) There is always a chance, should the GOP be able to choose, that Sharron Angle would get the nod from the state’s Central Committee.  Of course I am now picturing pigs with wings high above the clouds.

There are several reasons that this would be an extremely bad idea for not only Sharron Angle but the Nevada GOP.  First, if we were looking to the Nevada Republican Central Committee to appoint a representative for the race it would be an open and free run for all Republicans.  That would include Lippold, Brower, Amodei, Krolicki and yes, Sharron Angle.  If Sharron cannot garner enough support within the party’s Central Committee what would make her think she would win the election.  So to then ignore the wishes of the Central Committee only shows an arrogant and self-serving attitude and a disdain for the GOP voters.

That self-serving attitude would be apparent to everyone.  We are all well aware that should Angle jump into the race as an independent, she would then split the Republican vote which easily could lose the GOP the election.  The only way that the Republican’s hold power in a split Republican vote situation would be if the Democrats also ran two or more strong Democrats.  Despite all the names being bandied about (Jill Derby, Kate Marshall, Nancy Price ….) I suggest that when push comes to shove there will only be one “real” Democrat in the race.  Say what you will, this is one area that the Democrats far outpace Republicans.  When necessary, the Democrats manage to circle the wagons and find a way win.  We saw this in the 2010 Presidential election.  The Obama and Clinton camps hated each other.  The Clinton-ites threatened to not vote for Obama.  But in the end they all voted for Obama and the rest is history.

We also must realize that if Angle is considering an independent run and if she is allows that to be known now it is only for one reason.  Essentially, she is blackmailing the GOP.  She’ll deny that but everyone is well aware that a split Republican ticket could easily cost the GOP the election.  Angle may feel that if that fear grows large enough within the GOP she may be given the nod to protect the party.  That would be a very dangerous game to play.

What all of this would point to is a serious need by Sharron Angle to further her political aspirations over what is best for Nevada?  It is not as though we have not seen signs of this before from Angle.  We often speak of Governor Sandoval being a “job jumper” but at least he is successful and moving forward.  With Angle we see a similar pattern in her political party affiliation.  We found out during her Senate run that she has often changed political parties to further her ambitions. 

Though records are a bit mucky it appears her party affiliation goes something like this.  Early on she was a registered Republican.  In June 1984 she changed and register as a Democrat to work for friend’s campaign.  What is ironic here is that Angle often brings up Ronald Reagan despite the fact it was in the middle of his term she turned to the Democrats. Somewhere in the late eighties or early nineties she re-registered and filed with the American Independent Party.  She remained with the A.I. party until 1996 when she re-registered as a Republican.  This preceded her run for state assembly.  It appears her party affiliation always coincides with how she can best serve her career.

We often speak of the ills of Washington DC and politicians.  We talk about how they no longer do their job or how they are worried more about their next election then they are about protecting the Constitution.  If Sharron is looking to follow the path laid out by Myers in her article, are we not seeing the same behavior?  I understand this is all speculation.  But if this behavior turns out to be real it is my belief that the GOP and voters should be done with Sharron Angle and her aspirations.  It is time to refocus and win.

And by the way – that goes for any of the potential candidates who might try a similar tactic.

Is The Tea Party Express Calling It Quits???

Let’s start this with one very simple concept.  Political Action Committees need money to exist.  No money, no PAC.

As you are well aware there is little love lost between the Tea Party Express and myself.  I have long since believed that they are the corrupt arm of the Tea Party Movement.  I believe their intention is to create wealth for Sal Russo, Joe Wierzbicki and others.   I believe they did this through a series of associated companies where they funneled donated money from one company to another while taking their cut at each stop.  I have spent a good portion of my time over the last year trying to convince others that this is the case.  I am not the only one who believes this.  Many other Tea Party groups have called out the Express for their questionable practices.  But now I believe my crusade may be coming to an end.  Why?  Because I believe that the Tea Party Express may be positioning themselves to end their run.  The profits have been maximized and the Tea Party Express may be calling it quits.

I didn’t get this from any newspaper column or report on FOX News.  There have been no rumors or quotes.  I don’t even have an inside source.  My belief comes from my research and what I believe that it is showing.

Part of my research has been to follow the Express’ financial activities through their required FEC filings.  These are detailed reports and are available on the internet showing where and how they spent their money.  I have been reviewing the filings that occurred over the last two years.  Specifically my research begins around October 1, 2008 just prior to the Presidential election.  It is also not long before the time that the Tea Party Express and Our Country Deserves Better PAC began filing as a single entity.  In general it is a lot of numbers that will make your eyes cross.  But here is what I find EXTREMLY interesting.

On December 2, 2010 the “Report of Receipts and Disbursements” was filed with the FEC for the Tea Party Express.  The period covered on this report was October 14 through November 22 of 2010 (about 5 ½ weeks).  This is the period just before and after the recent mid-term election.  Following the November 2 election we see a massive amount of activity and payments being made by the TPX.   But here is the long and short of it.  The Tea Party Express has a grand total of $1519.67 in the bank.  Take away the $776.04 in debts owed and the total drops to a balance of $743.63.  The Tea Party Express has enough money to pay Tiffany Ruegner, the TPX Director of Field Operations, for about four days of work and nothing else.  As I said a PAC cannot operate without cash on hand.  They cannot send emails or pay staff.  They can’t even afford to pay support groups who help them process their donations.   The Tea Party Express is essentially broke. 

No one, including the Tea Party Express, could argue that this is typical behavior.  That a PAC would intentionally blow all they had on an election.  Leave it all on the table as the saying goes.  But that is not true, at least for the TPX.  Look at their financial statements following the 2008 Presidential election.  An election that one could argue was more important than this year’s mid-term elections.  In that FEC report we can see that the Tea Party Express maintained a bank balance of $132,042.70 with outstanding debts of $26,271.19.  That meant their actual operating balance following the election was at $105,771.51.  You must also remember the Tea Party Express was only about six months old at this point so they were raising far less money in total at that time. 

Why would the Tea Party Express/Our Country Deserves Better PAC drain the accounts so?  Especially as we prepare to go into a Presidential election cycle that is so important.  I have been in contact with Kelly Eustis, former TPX Political Director, and he gave me his thoughts.  He stated that while he was at the Tea Party Express, Joe Wierzbicki would make statements to the effect that “if worse comes to worse, everyone will get paid as a last hoorah”.  Eustis stated it came across as a “well, it’s been good, but it’s over” kind of thing.  It does appear that just about everyone has been paid.  Hip, hip, hoorah!

What also brings on suspicion is the fact that the Express has been virtually silent since the election.  There have been one or two emails, none of which has asked for donations.  When does a PAC stop asking for donations?  The Our Country Deserves Better website doesn’t appear to have been updated in months.  The last news item was from August 17, 2009.  I then went the Tea Party Express site.  The TPX store is selling only items for the Express IV tour which ended a month ago.  The last blog posting was on August 16, 2010.  The websites are virtual ghost towns. 

What are particularly disturbing for me were the payments made to staff insiders over the last five weeks to help close the books. 

*Amy Kremer made $6500

*Holland America Cruise Line was paid an additional $12K in addition to the earlier $100k plus

*Joe Wierzbicki made an additional $5500

*Tiffany Ruegner was paid an additional $7800

*Russo, Marsh and Associates, home of Sal Russo and Joe Wierzbicki, was paid an additional $389K

I could be wrong but I believe the Tea Party Express is coming to the end of the line.  I believe Sal Russo and Joe Wierzbicki have decided this train needs to be retired and I think they are trying to fade into the night quietly so no one notices. 

Did the Express do anything illegal?  Likely not.  Sal Russo is too smart for that.  Did they do things that were corrupt and immoral to put money in their pockets?  I believe that is the case.  If I am correct and this is the end of the Tea Party Express I have mixed feeling.  On one hand I will be so happy to see these people go away so the Tea Party Movement can get on with what they are meant to do.  But on the other hand I am sad for all the people who put all they had into backing a group that was not doing the right thing.

One thing I can promise is that if the Tea Party Express/Our Country Deserves Better PAC go away, Sal Russo, Joe Wierzbicki and others will be back with a new money making scheme very soon.

SO WHO MADE THE MOST MONEY FROM THE TEA PARTY EXPRESS?

Here are the top 25 payees over the last two years.  Note how many are directly associated with the Tea Party Express and/or Russo, Marsh and Associates.

1)      Russo, Marsh and Asso, $3,224,653.16, Owner: Sal Russo, Principal: Joe Wierzbicki

2)      Donationsafe, $400,018.48, Credit Card Processing

3)      King Media Group, $286,167.15, Owner: Janet King Russo (wife of Sal Russo), Senior Advisor: Sal Russo, Director of Public Relations: Joe Wierzbicki

4)      FOX Business Network, $234,151.20, Media Buys

5)      Paramount Communications Group, $232,989.27, Internet and email fundraising

6)      Newsmax Media Inc., 208,516.29, Internet and email fundraising

7)      Premiere Transportation, $197,425.00, Bus rental and wrap

8)      Frontline Strategies and Media, $184,371.22, Consulting, commissions, fundraising

9)      Complete Campaigns, $168,995.51, Credit Card Processing

10)   Courtyard by Marriott (various), $134,556.90, Travel and lodging

11)   Fox News Channel, $120,544.20, Media Buys

12)   Facebook, $101,725.23, Web and online advertising

13)   Human Events, $93,799.99, Advertising and Email

14)   Joe Wierzbicki, $90,353.90, Coordinating Manager of the Tea Party Express, Wrote the Proposal for the Tea Party Express, Principal at Russo, Marsh and Associates, Director of Public Relations King Media Group, Grass Roots Coordinator for Move America Forward

15)   Endeavor Media Group, $86,000.00, Internet newsletters

16)   Betty Presley and Associates, $82,942.49, Accounting firm for Tea Party Express, Russo, Marsh and Associates and Move America Forward

17)   Thomas J. Studer, $81,000.00, Tour bus, bus wrap and driver

18)   Tiffiny Ruegner, $80,547,20, Director of Field Operations, first payment not until August 28, 2009 for wages and travel

19)   Holland America Cruise Line, $71,516.96, Cruise fees for Tea Party Express staff for Joe Miller Support trip

20)   The Rivoli Review, $68,224.26, CDs/DVDs, Travel

21)   Itouchpublishers.com, $58,983.00, Printing

22)   National Cable Communications, $54,723.50, Advertising

23)   Amy Kremer, $54,723.50, Tea Party Express Chairperson, first payment not until November 3, 2009 for wages and travel

24)   Amsterdam Seattle, $45,661.46, Cruise fees for Tea Party Express staff for Joe Miller Support trip

25)   Bryan Shroyer, Tea Party Express Political Director, first payment not until March 3, 2010 for wages and travel

UPDATE: After publishing this article I was contacted by Tiffiny Ruegner of the TPX.  She felt there was a need for clarification in the numbers attributed to her.  So I submit the following:

Where I wrote she received $7800 over the last five weeks of reporting, the actual numbers were as such:

Actual Total: $7762.90

Breakdown:

Wages $6450.00

Travel and Meals $1312.90

Where I listed her two year income and reimbursements totals I listed it as Wages, Travel and Meals as is done on the FEC report. The actual numbers were as such:

Actual Total: 80547.2

Breakdown:

Wages: $70,739.00

Travel and Meals: $8746.03

Other: $1062.17

LEFTOVERS: Nevada’s Top Ten Turkey’s Of 2010

So now we are all stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner.   We all over ate and are uncomfortable.  The pants are unsnapped and Black Friday is upon us.  There is only one thing left.  Leftovers.  Sometimes I actually prefer the leftovers to the original meal.  But you are about to see that sometimes the leftovers are not that good.  With that I now offer to you my leftovers.  Or as I like to call it “Nevada’s Top Ten Turkey’s of 2010”:

First I bring you the side dishes.  Those are the ones that no holiday would be complete without but don’t quite rise to the level of the main course:

Side Dish #1: Dina Titus – This woman got a little too cocky and didn’t think she could lose.  But a young doctor from down south snuck in and took the Congressional seat from perennial politician.

Side Dish #2: Bob Cashell and Gino Martini – The Mayor’s of Reno and Sparks respectively or as I like to call them, Laurel and Hardy.  These two “Republicans For Reid” couldn’t figure out who, what, where or when they should be.

Side Dish #3: Bill Raggio – The senility has started to set in or the Depends are too tight.  At one time he was a Republican but rumor are that Hillary Clinton now thinks Raggio is too liberal.

THE TOP TEN:

10) Chris Comfort – He took over the Nevada GOP after Sue Lowden stepped down as chairman.  He was going to unify the party.  He was going to bring us together.  He did all of that for 4 ½ months before he quit and step down.  You have to love dedication.

9) Catherine Cortez-Masto – Yeah she won her race but it is not as though the GOP put a strong contender up against her.  She managed to trash Brian Krolicki with her false accusations and then refused to back Governor Gibbons in the state’s lawsuit against Obamacare.  She just has the best for Nevada oozing from every pore.

8 ) Governor Jim Gibbons – Where to start?  He is being sued for attacking a waitress.  He was divorced from Dawn Gibbons (though some see that as a win for Jim), he then became the first sitting Governor to lose the primary.  Just as thing started to settle and he was about to ride off into the sunset – the horse threw him – literally.  Word is his next job will be as a Wal-Mart greeter.

7) Scott Ashjian – Were we really afraid of this guy?  He was the founder and leader of the Nevada Tea Party party.  He tried to fool the voters with his trick play but in the end pulled off less than one percent of the vote.  The only thing his run for office gave him was a light shining on his financial problems.

6) Rory Reid – What can I say?  Can you actually lose a race before it starts?  Everyone wants to believe it was his association with his Dad, Harry.  I believe he just sucked.  Sufferin’ succotash!!!

5)  The Tea Party Express – The group that brought you Sharron Angle.  Angle could not have won the primary without the TPX.  She had $40K and virtually no votes.  Then the TPX stepped in and spent loads of money over the last five weeks and Angle became GOP winner.  Of course I think the next day the TPX figured out what they did because during the General Election they were rarely heard from.

4) Sue Lowden – Or as Bob Cashell called her “suicidal Sue”.  She had the establishment behind her, $50M in the bank, and a lead in the polls.  She then had to open her mouth.  She managed to get caught in donations to Reid, Bus Gate and Chicken Gate.  If the primary lasted another two weeks she would have had negative votes. She then proceeded to abandon Sharron Angle and the GOP.  What a team player!!!

3) Nevada Voters: Harry Reid won another term. ‘Nuff said.

2) Senator John Ensign: This guy had it all. He was considered the 4^th most powerful Senator.  He was good looking and a great speaker.  There was even some talk of his running for President in 2012.  But he forgot one thing.  To keep it in his pants.  He was found to be having an affair.  If that wasn’t enough he paid off his mistress and her husband (or gave them a gift).  I get confused.  Either way that is one great career floating in the toilet.

Now (Drum Roll Please) – The number one, numero uno, top of the heap Nevada Turkey Of 2010:

1) Sharron Angle: Now that I think about it compared to Sharron, the Rory Reid’s campaign might not have been that bad.  Harry Reid was one of the most hated politician’s ever.  Despite that Sharron lost by 6%.  The more she talked the worse it got.  She could not adequately explain her positions, she refused help and she tried run her campaign out of her living room.  I think Sharron must have been on Saturday Night Live because she was obviously “A Not Ready For Prime Time Player”.

The GOPs “Man Of Steele”

Earlier this week Michigan Republican Party Chairman, Saul Anuzis, announced his intention to oppose Michael Steele for the position of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman. Anuzis is likely to be the first of several who are being prodded to run against Steele. Steele himself has not confirmed that he will run for a second term though it is expected. So does Steele, the one term chairman, deserve to be ousted or is this just another case of a fickle Republican Party making changes for change sake? That is the question.

First we can look at the history of the RNC chairmanship. Since 2001 the RNC has had a total of seven chairmen. Not one has lasted more than about two and a half years. Comparatively the DCN has had only three chairmen since 2001. That includes Terrance McAuliffe and Howard Dean who each served four year terms followed by Tim Kaine who took over in 2009. It reminds me a bit of the San Francisco Forty-Niners who have had somewhere in the area of six offensive coordinators in six years. The lack of offense by the Niners over that time is not solely because of the changes but it is a large part of the problem. Has the RNC changed their “coordinator” so often that creating a cohesive effort becomes far more difficult?

Let’s be honest, Michael Steele is not an innocent bystander in all of this. He has managed to create some of his own drama. In early 2009 there was the much publicized battle with Rush Limbaugh. On CBS’s Face the Nation a question came to Steele about who the “voice” of the Republican Party was. Rahm Emanuel had stated he believed it was Rush Limbaugh. When the question was posed to Steele he stated he felt that he, as RNC Chairman, was the real voice of the party. Steele, in a follow-up interview, stated that Limbaugh was an entertainer. Limbaugh responded on March 2, 2009 by saying that “Steele is not fit to lead the Republican Party”. Steele later apologized for his comments regarding Limbaugh but one has to wonder if the bad blood still lingers? I also must ask are we really going to take the position that Limbaugh is our “voice”. Personally I am uncomfortable with that.

There is also the fact that Steele charges fees for appearances as the RNC Chairman. Many believe that public appearances should be part of the standard duties of the RNC Chairman. Three former chairs (Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., Jim Nicholson and Richard Bond) have all voiced strong opposition to this type of behavior. There appears to have been no violation of rules on the part of Steele but others continue to push the point. Steele also wrote a book in which some feel put him in the position of being more concerned with making money than growing the party.

Of the “larger” offenses that Steele has committed the last was his statement regarding the Afghanistan war. Steele was quoted as saying that the war “was a war of Obama’s choosing” and “not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in”. This has caused great angst with some in the Republican Party. Karl Rove referred to the statements as “boneheaded” and John McCain withdrew his support of Steele. Conservative author William Kristol called for Steele’s resignation. Steele has also taken heat from Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham over the comments. However Congressman Ron Paul did come out in support of Steele’s statements.

In addition to the missteps listed Steele has taking hits for the RNC ground game not being all it should during the recent mid-term elections. This is mainly focused on the lack of donations to the RNC. I must take issue with this. What those in the RNC must realize is that Michael Steele has had to deal with something that past chairmen did not have to deal with – The Tea Party Movement. One would think that the RNC and the Tea Party would somewhat be moving in the same direction so how is there a conflict? Steele took over as party chairman in January 2009. What people seem to forget is that is about the same time the Tea Party was just getting up and running. It was in the March through June timeframe of 2009 that the Tea Party really saw its greatest growth. The fact is there is only so much money to go around. There has been tens of millions of dollars donated to the likes of the Tea Party Express, Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Nation as well as hundreds of local Tea Party groups. Much of that money would have been earmarked for the RNC had the Tea Party not grown. Steele cannot be blamed for this. In fact he is actually one who seems to be reaching out to the Tea Party crowd. Something the Haley Barbour’s and Karl Rove’s of the world don’t want to do. If the two groups cannot find a way to co-exist they will both find the road in the future very rough.

Speaking of the Tea Party Movement it appears that Steele has started to create alliances that could help him retain his position. Most notably is an alliance with Sarah Palin. Palin and Steele have appeared at several fundraising events of late together. Some see this as a bit of an odd team as their politics do not always match up. But this could be a win-win for both. Palin knows if she is going to make a run in 2012 she will need support from within the Republican Party. She also knows that support likely won’t come from the established players such as Rove. Steele on the other hand knows that there needs to be an embracing of the Tea Party and who better to help him do that then the Tea Party darling, Palin. Support has gone as far as Steele coming to Palin’s defense when several “unnamed Republicans” stated that a 2012 run by Palin “must be stopped”. Steele response was loud and clear telling the unnamed critics to “shut up”. He also stated that “those persons should put your name next to a quote and then have a conversation with Sarah Palin”.

In addition also favoring Steele and his reelection bid were the recent mid-term elections. With a pickup of sixty-five Congressional seats and nearly creating an even split of the Senate the mid-terms were a huge success for the RNC. Like it or not one must give at least some credit to Steele and the RCN for these wins.

The election will be held in mid-January. At this point there are 168 voters in the RNC pool. A person needs 85 to secure the chairman position. It is believed that Steele has 40-50 voters firmly in his corner. There appears to be about the same firmly against a second term for Steele. As usual those in the middle will decide this is the end. I am not taking sides but I will ask – does it make sense to make a change – AGAIN? Are the mistakes by Steele unforgivable? Do those mistakes outweigh the successes the RNC has had? I can’t and won’t try to answer that for any individual. But one has to ask “when does unity become a priority”.

GOP: Stepping Aside With Dignity

I am “of that age”. What age you ask? The M.A.S.H. age! I remember watching that show week after week with my Mom. It was on from 1972, when I was seven until 1983, when I was a senior in High School. First the important stuff. I prefer Henry over Potter, BJ over Trapper and Charles over Frank. I think, over the years, I have seen every episode a million times. Like any show there are moments that stick out. One in particular is when Hawkeye, BJ and others are trying to save a young soldier. After a long time of trying and feeling like they were winning the young soldier goes south and dies. Hawkeye refuses to let go. He starts yelling commands and pounding on the young soldier’s chest. Margaret and others look on in disbelief. Finally BJ has to yell something to the affect of “Hawk, stop, STOP. It’s over. He’s gone. Let him rest in peace”. I couldn’t tell you why that one scene is emblazoned on my brain. A young soldier died in almost every episode of M.A.S.H. it seemed. I think maybe it was the desperation of Hawkeye. It was Hawkeye’s inability to let go. He knew it was over but someone had to bring him back to reality so could see the truth. It’s over.

I now have some words of advice for Joe Miller of Alaska. Joe it’s over. Give it up. The patient is gone. Accept your defeat with dignity and move on. That goes for all your supporters as well. I understand that giving up is hard. But for the patient’s dignity, your dignity and the dignity of the party – walk away.

Let me be clear. I wanted Miller to win in Alaska. From all I have seen and heard Lisa Murkowski is far too liberal for my blood. But she has won fair and square. You don’t have to like how she did it. You don’t have to like the rules. You can even try to get the rules changed – for next time. But this time she won. Should Murkowski have accepted her loss in the primary – sure. But the rules were such that they could not stop her from running as an independent. She used her smarts and she won. Murkowski out foxed Joe Miller. She out foxed the Tea Party Express. She did what we did not think could be done.

At this point Alaska has come down to fighting over petty ballots. Miller tried to get one ballot nullified because the voter used a cursive “L” and then printed the rest of the ballot. In other cases Miller is challenging ballots that spelled Murkowski with a “C” instead of a “K”. Joe Miller says that it is about the letter of the law and he wants it upheld. The Alaska Secretary of State is using past elections to show it is fine to determine voter intent. Joe – a “C” and a “K”? Is that really how you want to win? If you get enough “controversial” ballots thrown out will you truly feel like you won knowing full well what the voters wanted? All the while the Democrats are sitting back and laughing as they see further splits in the GOP.

But for the GOP this is starting to become common place. As I said Murkowski refused to accept the win by Miller in the primary. Now Miller cannot accept a loss to Murkowski in the General election. Mike Castle would not back Christine O’Donnell in the General Election after his defeat. In Nevada only one of eleven Senate primary candidates actively and publicly supported Sharron Angle after Angle’s primary win. The list goes on and on. This is one area where we see a huge difference with the Democrats. In 2008 many of the Hillary Clinton supports vowed to not support Obama in the General election. But in the end, for all their talk, very few rejected the Democratic ticket.

I must admit I am in the same boat as others. I don’t like how many of these races went down. But in the end the results were the results. People used the rules to their advantage and on Election Day they had more votes. It was plain and simple. The more we fight the results. The more we try to disregard the truth. The more we continue the infighting, the more that the Democrats win.

Also, I think this all starts to show who is in it for America and who is in it for themselves. If a candidate, such as Miller, refuses to walk away with dignity and instead shows they are willing to do anything to win it shows it is personal. They show it was about “their” winning. Use Mike Castle as an example. One has to ask does Mike Castle feel the politics of Chris Coons, the Democrat, is more similar to his own than those of Christine O’Donnell. Assuming he is closer to O’Donnell why would he not support her? The only answer is pride. Castle was willing to allow the GOP to take a Senate hit rather than back the person who beat him.

What I find funny about all of this is it appears this has turned into the entrenched establishment versus the young upstarts. Those candidates, that if they are not part of the Tea Party Movement, at least lean in that direction as far as policy. And in something rarely seen in American history it is the younger crowd that has wanted to move to the right. They are the ones who want the party to become more conservative.

No matter what side you are on you need to admit we cannot continue on this path. Regardless of the great steps made by the GOP on Election Day it will take much more. More than anything it is going to take unity. We need to stop talking about reaching across the aisle until we can reach across the party. The first thing that needs to happen is to accept when we did not win, move on and support those who beat us.

Call Me A Lunatic

Many people thought that I went after the TEA PARTY EXPRESS during the primary because I was bitter that they did not choose “my candidate” to endorse. Many of those same people thought I continued to hammer on the TEA PARTY EXPRESS during the General Election, again, because I was bitter that Sharron Angle defeated “my candidate”. The General Election is now over and I promise you I am still not bitter. But I can also assure you that I am not going to let up on the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. Not now, not ever. Now some people just think I am a LUNATIC!

They ask why I would continue to go after the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. They tell me it appears the TEA PARTY EXPRESS supports the Tea Party Movement. They believe the TEA PARTY EXPRESS is not doing anything wrong. Others PACs do the same thing. It is called Capitalism. They ask me “As a Conservative, don’t you support Capitalism?” Yes I do. But when it is brought to us under false pretenses it then, in my mind, is corrupt. When I see a little old lady, who is on a fixed income, standing in 40 degree temperatures in Carson City’s Fuji Park at a TEA PARTY EXPRESS rally and she is handing over her only spare $20, it drives me nuts (and yes I have witnessed this). Especially when I know that the money very well may go to pay for expensive dinners and drinks for the TEA PARTY EXPRESS staff or fund a cruise on a Holland America Cruise Ship or line the pockets of Joe Wierzbicki or Sal Russo.

Done properly anyone can make what they say or do appear legitimate. Just ask Harry Reid. So I will continue to hammer on the TEA PARTY EXPRESS because each time I do it might make one more person question the TEA PARTY EXPRESS motives. It may make one more reporter put a line in a story that questions what and how the TEA PARTY EXPRESS does business. It may be the one final piece of information that helps someone put all the pieces together. It may make one more person realize the TEA PARTY EXPRESS is not the Tea Party Movement. It may show that supporting the movement does not mean you need to support the TEA PARTY EXPRESS by default.

So today I will present some more information in hopes of opening some, maybe your, eyes. For one to understand the corruptness of the TEA PARTY EXPRESS process one should understand what they do. As I always say “follow the money”. Below I am going to share an example of how the TEA PARTY EXPRESS “handles their money”. For ease of explanation I will use “made up” numbers but I can assure you the process can be seen through the dozens for TEA PARTY EXPRESS FEC filings found at:

http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00454074/

My example is going to focus on one of my favorite TEA PARTY EXPRESS people, Joe Wierzbicki. Joe is a busy, busy man. First he is a Principal at Russo, Marsh and Associates (RM&A). That essentially means he is a big muckity-muck. He is also the Coordinator for the Tea Party Express/Our Country Deserves Better PAC. In fact it was Wierzbicki who wrote the original proposal explaining how the TEA PARTY EXPRESS could be developed and be a piggy-back group of the Our Country Deserves Better PAC – another Russo, Marsh and Associates creation. In addition Wierzbicki is listed as the Public Relations Director for the King Media Group, a mirror company to RM&A. Last he is shown in some places as the Grassroots Coordinator for the Move America Forward PAC which is also associated with RM&A. So let’s look at an example of how the money currently flows.

One of Joe Wierzbicki’s responsibilities at the TEA PARTY EXPRESS is to help raise donations. That seems logical. So let us say that he, through businesses and personal contacts, raises $100,000 in donations for the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. What the TEA PARTY EXPRESS filings show is that Mr. Wierzbicki is then paid a “PAC Fundraising Commission Fee” by the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. Because the FEC filing does not have a dollar for dollar accounting of this, knowing the exact percentage is difficult. For the sake of argument let’s assume 10%. So from the original $100K Wierzbicki receives a fee of $10,000. That leaves $90,000 for the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. Now assuming the TEA PARTY EXPRESS has endorsed a candidate Mr. Wierzbicki will need to do “Media Buys”. Well who better than Russo, Marsh and Associates to hire for your media buys? If the contract with Russo, Marsh and Associates is for say $60,000, then RM&A will also charge back to the TEA PARTY EXPRESS a 15% commission for services above the actual buys. That means in reality the TEA PARTY EXPRESS pays RM&A $69,000. This of course raises the sales totals and profit for RM&A. Those sales and profit increases will then go to pay the salary and any bonuses of RM&A staff such as Joe Wierzbicki. Remember he is a Principal at RM&A. It will also go to paying salaries and bonuses to Sal Russo the founder of RM&A. But of course we are not done. Then Mr. Wierzbicki chooses with the remaining TEA PARTY EXPRESS funds ($21,000) to hire the King Media Group. Assume he sends $15,000 in business to KMG. They too will then charge their commission of 15% so an additional $2250 goes to KMG. This raises KMGs profits and bottom line. By the way KMG is owned by Janet King-Russo, wife of Sal Russo. Sal Russo also holds an executive position with KMG. Lastly, as previously stated, Joe Wierzbicki is the Public Relation Director for KMG. I see another salary for Joe. But we are still not finished. Betty Presley of Betty Presley and Associates is the accounting firm for the TEA PARTY EXPRESS/OCDB PAC, RM&R, the Move America Forward PAC and one could assume KMG. So her firm is triple, and possibly quadruple, dipping.

So let us tally this up. Joe Wierzbicki gets paid for the same fundraising dollars by the TEA PARTY EXPRESS, RM&A and King Media. Sal Russo, who has also received payments from the TEA PARTY EXPRESS, also makes money on the same dollars from King Media and RM&A. Janet King-Russo receives payments and salaries on the same dollars. Betty Presley makes accounting fees on the same dollars through a minimum of two and as many as four companies. All of that allows all companies to pad their bottom line to pay salaries and potential bonuses to the same people multiple times. WHAT A DEAL!!!

This example was based on $100,000 in donations. But when you look at actual numbers we see the following:

1) In a twenty-four month span (Oct. 08 to Sept 10) Joe Wierzbicki was issued salaries and commissions in excess of $83,000 from the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. This is in addition to any salaries and bonuses paid by RM&A as a Principal or by KMG.

2) In the same time period in excess of $2.5M in fees and services went from the TEA PARTY EXPRESS to RM&A.

3) Again, in the same time period Betty Presley and Associates received in excess of $79,000 from the TEA PARTY EXPRESS. This does not include fees or services paid by KMG or any other entity.

4) King Media Group during this time received commissions and fees in excess of $286,000.

But what is the big deal – right? It is business and they are just being clever – right? But this is where I can show how “clever” the TEA PARTY EXPRESS really is. You see they were one of the few “Tea Party” groups that chose to pick a specific horse in many of the primaries. If you recall they are the ones that chose Christine O’Donnell over Mike Castle. They also chose Joe Miller over Lisa Murkowski. But those make sense you might say. Both were more liberal than the Tea Party would like. The TEA PARTY EXPRESS chose the true “Tea Partiers” to endorse. But what about in Nevada? In the GOP primary there were no less than four Tea Party worthy candidates running. Possibly more? But the TEA PARTY EXPRESS chose to back Sharron Angle to the chagrin of other groups in the Tea Party Movement. Twice the Tea Party Nation issued statements speaking of inappropriate behavior by the Express. First for their endorsing of one Tea Party candidate over others. Second by publicly asking a candidate to drop from the primary and publicly attacking his staff. Ned Ryun, President of American Majority stated “I’m concerned they (the TEA PARTY EXPRESS) are using it as a marketing gimmick to line the pockets of consultants instead of actually helping the Tea Party Movement”. Criticism of the TEA PARTY EXPRESS such as this is common.

But you may ask how does simply endorsing a candidate in the primary cause the TEA PARTY EXPRESS to make more money? Actually it is very simple. If the TEA PARTY EXPRESS, like the other national Tea Party groups (Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Nation, etc.), didn’t back a candidate in the primary there is little need for fundraising or for media buys. At that point it would be too early to go after Harry Reid. But instead the TEA PARTY EXPRESS chose to back candidates in all three of the primary races I mentioned as well as others. This meant from the day they endorsed a candidate in the primary they needed to fundraise. They need to run ads. They needed to create business. They needed to collect commissions. Also, if you look at all three races not only did the TEA PARTY EXPRESS back a candidate, but they themselves turned the election negative. In Delaware and Alaska they pushed the point that Murkowski and Castle were nothing but RINOs. In Nevada they called out one of Sharron Angle’s opponents, Danny Tarkanian, and asked him to drop from the race. They then made public accusations about Tarkanian’s staff with no proof or backup. The TEA PARTY EXPRESS drove these races into the toilet and the more negative the battle got the more need for funds and ads and therefore more money in the pockets of Sal Russo, Joe Wierzbicki, Janet King-Russo and others.

Am I saying that an organization such as the TEA PARTY EXPRESS can never endorse one Republican candidate over another? No – assuming there is only one candidate that is worthy of the Tea Party label. But if you follow the bouncing dollars with the TEA PARTY EXPRESS what you find is an organization willing to sacrifice good Tea Party worthy candidates and even the GOP for their own financial gain.

Support the Tea Party Movement. Disregard the Tea Party Express.