The Party of No and Obstruction not only despises jobless and uninsured Americans, apparently it also loathes its donors, both big and small.
According to Politico, The RNC Finance Director gave a 74 page power point presentation to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Florida a couple of weeks ago. The presentation mocked at its donors urging fundraisers to appeal to their egos and play upon their fears.
The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
Go ahead Republicans. Keep on emptying your pockets for those who disrespect and ridicule you.
The reason we know about this no longer secret strategy is because someone attending the retreat had left behind a paper handout of the presentation. As we can see, the handout is now making its way through the tubes and Internets. The mainstream media, including FOX "News" has covered this.
Thanks for making our day you careless and irresponsible silly ones.
As we saw, the GOP fear and smear campaign includes a poster that depicts President Obama as the joker from Bat Man. The President's face is painted white. Underneath is a cartoon of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shown as Cruella de Ville and Senate leader Harry Reid as Scooby-Doo.
It looks like the work of eighth graders to me.
RNC Chair Michael Steele defends it.
Politico reveals that the RNC intends to launch a campaign charging the Obama Administration and Democrats with driving the country toward socialism. The purpose of course is to confuse and evoke fear among voters.
The fright fest frenzy is a strategy the Republicans have used for decades. From its 1950's hysteria over communism through the 2008 election cycle in which Republican attack ads warned about impending and imminent terrorist attacks should God forbid, Barack Obama, were to win, a party of little or no ideas seems real comfortable operating from a sewer.
Republican smear and fear campaigns are not new. We see them every election cycle, though some are more over the top than others. I predict the 2010 cycle will be one in which Republicans win an Oscar in the beyond the pale of anything remotely decent or true category.
But what is truly weird and strange this time is the RNC's blatant contempt for its donors.
From Politico, cited above, below are the RNC's categories of donors.
Visceral giving. Those to manipulate and scare.
The most unusual section of the presentation is a set of six slides headed "RNC Marketing 101." The presentation divides fundraising into two traditional categories, direct marketing and major donors, and lays out the details of how to approach each group.
The small donors who are the targets of direct marketing are described under the heading "Visceral Giving." Their motivations are listed as "fear;" "Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration;" and "Reactionary."
Appealing to deep pocketed fat cats. Whose butts to kiss and how.
Major donors, by contrast, are treated in a column headed "Calculated Giving."
Their motivations include: "Peer to Peer Pressure"; "access"; and "Ego-Driven."
If my party had shown such cynical disrespect and scorn for me it would be a cold day in hell before I'd ever vote for one of its members or give any of them a dime.
Update: The fall out from the offensive, insulting and juvenile pitch has begun. A major GOP contributor said he is ashamed of the presentation and he will no longer give to the RNC.
A prominent Evangelical figure and Republican donor says he will end his contributions to the organized Republican Party in reaction to the leaked fundraising presentation that advised using "fear" to solicit contributions and displayed an image of President Obama as the Joker from Batman.
Mark DeMoss, who heads a major Christian public relations firm in Atlanta and served as a liaison to the Evangelical community for Mitt Romney in 2008, wrote Chairman Michael Steele yesterday that he was "ashamed" of the presentation, calling depictions of Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid "shameful, immature and uncivil, at best."
DeMoss rightfully calls out the RNC for its current culture and mindset.
While I realize your office made steps to distance you from this presentation I'm afraid the presentation is representative of a culture and mindset within the Republican National Committee; consequently, I will no longer contribute to any fundraising entity of our Party-but will contribute only to individual candidates I choose to support.
Finally someone called the GOP out for what it is. Maybe the mainstream media will finally do the same.
