Paying to Play in the Conservative Movement
You probably have seen this article in the Politico today. Basically, the American Conservative Union, the organization that brings us CPAC each years, appears to have involved itself in a “pay to play” expedition with FedEx and UPS.
For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: “Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU’s Chairman David Keene and/or other members of the ACU’s board of directors. (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)” The conservative group’s remarkable demand — black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as “pay for play” — was contained in a private letter to FedEx , which was provided to POLITICO.
You can read the whole thing here.
First, throw no stones at Mike Allen. I know the inclination of some of you will be to attack the messenger and not the message. But what Mike Allen is reporting on is a dirty little secret among a number of organizations, both right and left, in Washington, D.C.
Second, for perspective on the FedEx v. UPS fight and why ACU should have gotten behind FedEx without charging a penny see George Will.
The swamp is not getting drained because the corruption and money is damning up the drain. (spelling was intentional)
And it is not just the American Conservative Union. Left (I’m looking at you MoveOn.org) and right, our progressive and conservative “grass roots” organizations in Washington, DC are a hotbed of “pay to play” scandals waiting to boil over.
Before you decide to purge me from the conservative movement, read on to find out what I’m talking about.