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Remember the Tea Party Express, that Tea Party bus that drove around raising money for the cause (such as it is)? It even stopped in C'ville? Yeah, that consulting firm that established that thing just went ahead and kept most of the money. The free market has successfully separated these dopes from their money. Yay Adam Smith!
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This is, of course, how the vast majority of “grassroots” campaigns work (cf. grassroots). The lobbying or law firm that creates the “Citizens for Really Awesome Policies” group is then counsel to and lobbyist for the group. The firm will do just as much work for that group as its fundraising allows, and not a penny more (or penny less).
I think the *form* here is a completely legit approach to deal with some issues. There are lots of, say, regulatory issues that affect small businesses that couldn’t afford a full time effort individually, but if some enterprising lawyer identifies and bundles them up into a group, their interests are affordably represented.
But there are, as I expect is the case here, plenty of BS groups out there that are created exclusively for the fleecing of the interest group members.
MB,
Examples?
Well, it’s not quite as eggregious, but the National Right to Life Committee raised about $3 million during 2008 but only spent about half that amount on voter contact and organizing, for example. The rest was spent on payroll, administrative fees, and buying fundraising lists from other PACs so they could rake in more money they didn’t spend on the Presidential election.