November 2, 2011 9:08 AM
"Americans for Herman Cain" not affiliated with Cain
On Tuesday, Americans for Herman Cain, a super PAC that is unaffiliated with his campaign, sent out a fundraising letter that called the allegations a "high-tech lynching" to "take down any black man who stands up for conservative values."Do not contribute to Americans for Herman Cain - this is a group with a history of setting up PACs which benefit themselves and their cronies first - sending only a portion to the candidates.
Yesterday, despite - or perhaps because of - the media frenzy aimed at toppling Candidate Cain, his campaign received a record amount of contributions. I hope these were made directly to his campaign and not for these profiteers.
Conservatives need to use caution when giving. Give directly to the candidate you choose through their official website. Read the following article from Monday's Washington Times so you can give wisely. And spread the word:
Operatives raise cash for Cain, themselvesHT: TrippLack affiliation with campaign
Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain arrives at a campaign stop in Talladega, Ala., on Friday. Its name notwithstanding, the group Americans for Herman Cain is not affiliated with the campaign.
An independent group raising money in the name of Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has close ties to operatives with a history of enriching themselves by drawing money from conservative donors that goes largely to the fundraisers and not the campaigns.
A collection of political professionals in a downtown Washington suite has perfected the art of aligning itself with Washington outsiders with poorly run campaigns and raising large amounts, which are then paid primarily to direct-mail and consulting firms they control. The donors, most commonly retirees, are often unaware of exactly to whom they are giving.
Now, they are sending solicitations that look like official Herman Cain materials, but which fine print shows to be from an independent group.
Despite a low profile, about 45 candidates and committees have paid $32 million to groups associated with Scott Mackenzie and Jordan Gehrke for fundraising and financial-compliance services in recent years, including a direct-mail firm called Base Connect, of which Mr. Gehrke is a former director, and several related entities with the same address.
This month, the two men launched Americans for Herman Cain, a committee seeking donations to ensure the election of the former business executive.
GRAPHIC: A complex network -- The Base Connect universe
The operation typically works something like this: Reliable conservatives receive a letter asking them for a donation to a generic-sounding political committee. The committee pays most of that money to direct-mail companies and donates some to little-known candidates, who appear to be so wowed with the money that they contract with the direct-mail firms responsible for the original letter.
Read more at the Washington Times
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