RELIGIOUS RIGHT GROUP URGES RNC DONOR BOYCOTT…. About a month ago, after the release of an RNC fundraising presentation filled with donor insults, offensive caricatures, and an admission that the party will rely on little more than “fear” to win, prominent evangelical advisor Mark DeMoss said he would no longer contribute to the Republican National Committee.
Yesterday, the RNC lost another evangelical heavyweight, who’s urging like-minded allies to cut off the party, too.
The head of an influential social conservative organization urged members and supporters Wednesday to stop donating to the Republican National Committee and instead contribute to its own coffers or to candidates with like-minded goals.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, made the plea in his “Washington Update” column posted on the organization’s Web site following the revelation that the RNC paid for a night out at a risque Hollywood nightclub.
“I’ve hinted at this before, but now I am saying it — don’t give money to the RNC,” Perkins said in his column. “If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values.”
When the party covers a nearly $2,000 charge at “a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex,” I guess there are consequences.
“This latest incident is another indication to me the RNC is completely tone-deaf to the values and concerns of a large number of people they are seeking financial support from,” Perkins said.
It’s hard to know just how big an effect calls like these are going to have. And if donors are still contributing to Republican candidates and campaign committees directly, the practical result may be limited.
But the RNC has already been struggling financially under Michael Steele’s leadership. And as Jonathan Martin noted, “If social conservatives — the core of the party base — withhold contributions, the RNC’s money problem could become far worse.”
