If you think there’s any chance someone would actually pay $2,500 per person and $5,000 per couple to attend a cocktail reception — not even dinner, or several dinners — with newly-official GOP nominee Mitt Romney, you’d think that there wasn’t much of a need to give them the hard sell when you send them the invite. You could probably save the rallying cry.
One group raising money for Romney’s campaign seems to disagree.
Here’s one of the Aw-Snap!™ bits that that the Romney Victory, Inc. folks put in the email attached to the invitation they sent to supporters for a June 29 event at the Buffalo Historical Society:
Our way of life, American exceptionalism, entrepreneurship, jobs and more are under attack from the far left. The current Administration seems to believe that the European model is best for America. We can all see how it is working there! …
Is it time for each and every one of us to stand up, be counted, and help our presumptive nominee to get his message of change and the American Dream — out to all Americans — yes it is!
With these thoughts in mind we have assembled a strong committee of volunteers to work with us to raise money for Governor Mitt Romney who is running for President of the United States!
Big ups to “American exceptionalism,” free enterprise, mere employment, and an “otherizing” shot at President Obama using Europe. That’s pretty standard Republican-presidential-candidate-in-today’s-Republican-Party stuff. It’s so standard that it’s more boring than clever, more talking points than dozens. What isn’t so standard for folks like Romney is how a group like this — Romney Victory, Inc. — is raising cash for him, and what they’re telling the public.
First, his June 29th Buffalo event won’t benefit a single New York Republican running for office. The fine print on the invitation says monies raised will be split between the Romney campaign, the Republican National Committee, and the rest “split evenly among the federal accounts of the Republican Parties of Idaho, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Vermont” — states that are hardly general-election battlegrounds for Romney. This Deseret News report says it’ll be the same deal for a Romney fundraiser next week in Utah: not a cent for in-state Republicans.
The Obama campaign, by contrast, funnels such cash to states considered “up for grabs” in November. Romney Victory, Inc.’s strategy has some folks simply saying, “I don’t get it”:
[Center for Responsive Politics senior fellow Bob] Biersack said similar funds in past elections have funneled money to key battleground states. In the case of Romney’s fund, he said, “the states that are participating are a little weird.” Remember the big deal made over Romney’s April fundraising numbers? Expecting, since it’s now June, to hear big news of his May numbers? You won’t get it. From Bob Biersack’s non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics website, OpenSecrets.org: One committee isn’t following the monthly pattern, causing confusion in the way the April numbers have been reported. Romney Victory Inc. — a committee raising funds for Mitt Romney‘s campaign, three national Republican party committees and several state GOPs — registered with the FEC on April 5 but has announcedthat it will be filing quarterly reports. That means we won’t see its first report until July 15. You might be familiar with Romney Victory, Inc. because they’re the folks inviting you and yours to send them money (not quite $5,000, but still) to them so you can (have the chance to) meet Donald Trump (who isn’t Mitt Romney). “Dine with the Donald,” they’re calling it. You remember “The Donald,” the rich, birther reality host whose endorsement Romney happily accepted back in February, and whose company Romney continues to seek? If you’d put the embarrassment of Trump’s grandstanding and race-baiting over the President’s birth certificate out of your mind, we’ve had plenty of reminders as recently as this week, when Romney appeared with Trump at — what else? — a fundraiser. There is entirely another post to write about that; we’ll try to do so later today. For now, check out this segment on Wednesday’s edition of “The Rachel Maddow Show,” below the jump.
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