College Republicans getting in trouble for bilking senior citizens

[starroute]

This story about the College Republican National Committee has been building up over the past couple of weeks. Bozos for Bush got onto it first, because his mother was sent a scam letter by another right-wing organization using the same direct-mail solicitation firm, Response Dynamics. At that time, the College Republicans were still denying they were doing anything wrong, but on Thursday, there was a story in the Seattle Times that blew their operation wide open.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002075044_repubs28m.html


Now the ripples are starting to spread. There's a new story in the Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), which was linked to by Talking Points memo just a couple of hours ago:

http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-538630.html
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_10_24.php#003863

Local and national GOP officials are distancing themselves from a Washington, D.C.-based college Republican group that has used aggressive and misleading tactics to raise millions of dollars from elderly people.

Meanwhile, a top state official on aging said she would address the group's fund raising at the next meeting of the N.C. Senior Consumer Fraud Task Force so that more families are aware of the issue. She said the pattern of its donations -- with seniors repeatedly giving money several times in the same day or week -- raised questions about the group's tactics.

<snip>

The Herald-Sun reported Thursday that the College Republican National Committee has received at least 87 percent of its North Carolina donations from people who list their occupation as retired. Most of those contacted by The Herald-Sun were in their 80s.

<snip>

Because the CRNC solicits under different names, such as the National Republican Task Force and the National Republican Victory Campaign, many seniors have donated to the group repeatedly, often several times in a single day or week. Many had made more than 50 donations since January, sometimes totaling thousands of dollars.


This story is potentially huge, because the groups running these kind of operations reach right into the heart of the dirty-tricks wing of the Republican Party. (As just one example, Karl Rove was in the College Republican National Committee thirty years ago and still retains friendly ties with the organization.) Here's a link to one thread touching on the matter -- earlier ones are now archived, but will be available again after the election.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2554633

[aquart]

1. These sweeties need to be expelled, charged, tried, jailed.

Maybe the girls can serve with Martha. Maybe the boys can be friends of Gotti.

[madrchsod]

2. they learned this trick from

lyndon larouche people -they scamed several old ladies in a town near here for about 60,000

[Bozos for Bush]

3. This goes way beyond Lyndon Larouche

(Star, it wouldn't hurt to put up that roadmap again, even though we have so much more to add to it now)

After the election is over, and DU allows access to archives, look for a major new thread from starroute and myself on a host of evil characters, companies and organizations.

[camero]

4. Just goes to show you

Conservatives are nothing but a bunch of scam artists and like idiots we let them run the government.

[Spinzonner]

5. This just a Republican politician apprenticeship

[rot0r_head]

6. Not too long ago someone started a thread about a senior

in a supermarket donating several hundred dollars to the Republican party, apparently, to "keep the liberals from ruining the country." I can't recall their exact wording, but the thread's author wondered if Bush really needed the money more than the poor old man. The circumstances just smacked of scamming, and now it seems we know where that money likely ended up.

The situation is unacceptable. I'm sending out letters to media outlet today about this. If the GOP won't immediately admonish this group for their criminal actions, we need cram the issue right down their greedy throats. This is indeed a huge development. Seniors need to know exactly who they're voting for when they vote Republican. With just a little bit of press before the election, Eldergate (if you will), could seal Florida for Kerry.

[salvorhardin]

7. What I don't udnerstand...

Why do they not report on the connections between these groups and the Moonies? Why not at least report on Gary Jarmin and Amy and David Ridenour? If a bunch of DU'ers (Bozos for Bush, starroute, everyone :hi: ) can track these connections down in a matter of hours, why can't the media?