Tammy Bruce: RNC Donations Crash on Amnesty Anger

RNC Donations Crash on Amnesty Anger

Your outrage over this issue is not only being felt by individual Senate Moneys, but also by the Republican National Committee. Senate Republican leader (now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one) Mitch McConnell revealed his contempt for you when he declared last week that the amnesty bill...

...[W]on't cost "a single member of either party'' at the polls next year and predicted the bipartisan compromise will win Senate approval next month..."This is a divisive issue'' for both parties, said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. But, he said, "I don't think there's a single member of either party next year who is going to fail to be re-elected over this issue.''

Funny enough, the backlash is already affecting the GOP, in one of the more serious ways--financially. In a surprising act revealing how dire the situation has become, the RNC has called off its entire phone solicitation program, letting go all of its 65 phone solicitors, and shutting the entire effort down.

RNC fires phone solicitors

The Republican National Committee, hit by a grass-roots donors' rebellion over President Bush's immigration policy, has fired all 65 of its telephone solicitors, Ralph Z. Hallow will report Friday in The Washington Times.

Faced with an estimated 40 percent fall-off in small-donor contributions and aging phone-bank equipment that the RNC said would cost too much to update, Anne Hathaway, the committee's chief of staff, summoned the solicitations staff last week and told them they were out of work, effective immediately, the fired staffers told The Times...

There has been a sharp decline in contributions from RNC phone solicitations, another fired staffer said, reporting that many former donors flatly refuse to give more money to the national party if Mr. Bush and the Senate Republicans insist on supporting what these angry contributors call "amnesty" for illegal aliens.

"Everyone donor in 50 states we reached has been angry, especially in the last month and a half, and for 99 percent of them immigration is the No. 1 issue," said the former employee.

To force the RNC to shut its phone fundraising operation is a remarkable accomplishment. Congratulations. This is what hurts them the most and is immediately felt, let; McConnell fantasize about what '08 may or may not bring. What Senate Monkeys like him must face, as Howard Beale made so clear, is we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore.

I want to make one thing very clear--you must not let up. The senate has taken this entire week off, but they resume The Big Screw on Monday, June 4th. Even though Memorial Day weekend is over, our job isn't. The senate and the president are panicking. They've suddenly received a reminder that they're not in charge, you are. Our job will not be over until that bill is dead.

I'll leave you with another comment by McConnell, who perhaps unwittingly, grasped for one moment a Big Truth about what we're thinking:

Some lawmakers were uneasy, however, about trying to explain the complex bill to voters. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, said opposition from the political extremes is "pretty obvious from the phone calls that all of us are getting. However, the American people would like us to do something."

Yeah, we sure would: It involves a swear word and performing a sex act on yourself. Go for it Mitch.

Comments

I agree with you Tammy, I know that I have absolutely no chance of my vote unseating Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein or George Miller. So the only support I can give the Republican Party is some cash.

They're not getting any of it until I see them acting like they deserve it. Secure the borders, deal with the people already here, and fight the Islamofascists like they're a serious threat.

Then we'll talk about my support for the Party.

Posted by: N_Campbell at May 31, 2007 07:34 PM

Ha! This is GREAT news! I am absolutely over the moon knowing that finally we've hit where it hurts them the most. Sadly, the only thing these f(rea)ks listen to is 'cha-ching'. At least we're making them notice just how insignificant & powerless they truly are WITHOUT US!

'We the people' are the ONLY ones holding our country together. We have no representation - it is literally 'us against them' now. Between the senate and president continually insulting us and trying to force this bill through against our will, we are the wall - the only obstacle - they cannot scale. They need our help more than we need theirs - and damn them for thinking otherwise! Every one up for re-election next year better feel terribly vulnerable right now.

At least we can now say with a great deal of certainty that we've narrowed the Republican presidential candidates down a bit - we won't have to worry about McCain getting in. Between John McCain & Jon Kyl - well, their shared first names are indicative of where they reside with voters in Arizona. I hope that's true of McConnell & the rest of the Senate 12-pack that helped start this mess with the administration.

And yes - the last sentence in the original post needs to be applied not only to Mitch but every rep supporting the shamnesty bill. We have the same advice for the administration as well - maybe even suggesting such is done more aggressively in another region.

Posted by: artgal at May 31, 2007 10:14 PM

Wonder if Mitch has ever heard the phrase "pride before the fall"...

Posted by: RagingBullmoose at June 1, 2007 02:19 AM

It is scary to see haw far to the left Bush has moved the GOP in 6 years! Ronnie would have to start a third party to run for office this century!@#!@?@!
However as Peggy says in her WSJ column today Bush and Karl may have killed the GOP and we may in fact get a third party and soon!
For 60 years the GOP was the conservative party. It now isthe radical left party. Or at least the RNC, W, Karl, et. al are radical left.
I strongly suggest all Ronnie folk read Peg's column on how W and Karl have slimed Ronnie and destroyed his party.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010148

Of course theNixon/Rockefeller Republicans will cheer W and Karl on!

Posted by: Rod at June 1, 2007 04:26 AM

You're getting through to them, Tammy. HotAir catches another wonderful female TRN talk show host (and registered Republican) reading the President the riot act.

Posted by: ashleymatt at June 1, 2007 05:17 AM

Count me in as a Republican that got a membership renewal form in the mail and promptly threw it in the trash.

I never thought I'd get so angry at my own political party that I'd turn my back on them but they made the decision easy.

Posted by: PeteRFNY at June 1, 2007 10:43 AM

PeteRFNY, if the trash hasn't been picked up yet at your house, you might try this:

1. Fish the RNC junk mail out of the trash. If it's a little crumpled or torn up, so much the better. Tape it back together -- badly. :-)

2. See if the envelope is already franked with "Business Reply Mail." If so, great -- the RNC will be paying to see the response you are about to make. If not, it's probably worth the [strike]$0.37[/strike] $0.41 stamp.

3. Fill out the donation form with "zero dollars and zero cents" and scrawl across it with a Red-State-red felt tip pen, "ZERO DOLLARS, ZERO CENTS, TILL YOU BUILD THE FENCE*!" or some similar heartfelt sentiment.
*Yes, I just made that up. You will now nominate me for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Thank you.

4. Add stamp as necessary. Mail. Sleep well tonight. :-)

Posted by: Mary in LA at June 1, 2007 02:14 PM

It's been over five years since I donated to the RNC. My donations have gone to individual candidates I can support. Why give to the RNC and have it decide who is best for me? When Bush and the RNC supported Snarlin' Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey, it spoke reams about where their heads were. RINO Specter acts conservative when he needs our votes; Toomey is conservative!

Posted by: Bachbone at June 1, 2007 02:18 PM

This suddenly changes the dynamics of the Republican primary. All of those candidates who were relying on RNC money in any way, go to the bottom of the list of likely winners. Those who have great resources, such as celebrity or, of course, friends with money, go to the top. Those who have both will win. I'm thinking Romney and possibly Giuliani. (Fred Thompson's celebrity is not great enough and I don't know of any friends with money.)

Posted by: BA in LA at June 2, 2007 08:43 AM

I jumped off the donation bandwagon back in 1986.

I almost got back on when the GOP took the House in 1994 but saw the folly when most of the points of the Contract with America were shelved.

Even without my donations the GOP acquired the Senate, the House, and finally the White House.

And then......nothing.

Congress and the president spending like LBJ (and I don't mean war funding), border defense going nowhere, and true tax reform put to bed forever.

When the begging calls would come, I always said "When is my rep going to talk about the FairTax, HR25? Then we can talk donation"

The last nail came when the House, Senate, and White House moved inside of 24 hours to protect me from my own telephone by creating the do not call list.

1 day

But tax reform languishes.

Now the GOP can feel the love, maybe they will get back in touch with their former supporters.

Fred in '08 will be a good start

Posted by: Neil A Russell at June 2, 2007 12:39 PM

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RNC Donations Crash on Amnesty Anger

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