Originally published on Pam's House Blend.
I recently received a direct mail piece from a reader that is unbelievable. It is from an entity called the "Black Republican PAC," headed up by Edward Cousar. Here is a taste of what's in the mailing:
"Because what we conservatives need right now more than anything else is someone and some group who can speak the truth about Obama without being intimidated by the "racist" label.
I am that man and Black Republican PAC is that group.
I'm dedicated to exposing Barack Obama's liberalism before it's too late for America.
It goes on for four pages of garbage. I decided to surf around and see who Cousar was and what this organization was about. What I found was revealing; a strategy that not only uses black Republicans as a cover for the above, but is at its base a group white GOP operatives using funds raised by this and other web of PACs to line their incestuous direct mail companies' coffers.
I began writing this post as another observation of the really self-loathing slices of the GOP. At the Blend we often discuss how deluded some of the Log Cabin Republicans are. You know, the ones who have convinced themselves to not only personally vote for John McCain, but to go out and proclaim that he's the right option for the country (and LGBTs) despite his anti-gay record.
Well, the LCRs have nothing on the folks at the "Black Republican PAC," which sent out a direct mail piece to Blender Orion45 (who sent me the hard copy) that I've scanned for your perusal.
Remember, nearly 25% of LGBTs cast a vote for Bush, that's hard to swallow, but think about black Republicans like Edward Cousar who are using misleading statements and outright lies about Barack Obama in support of their man McCain (whose record on civil rights is abominable). Look at Cousar's spiel as he readily admits he's a tool to provide cover for the GOP base:
Because what we conservatives need right now more than anything else is someone and some group who can speak the truth about Obama without being intimidated by the "racist" label.
I am that man and Black Republican PAC is that group.
I'm dedicated to exposing Barack Obama's liberalism before it's too late for America.
...I oppose Barack's radical leftist plans for America and I guarantee you I'm no racist!
Orion45 wasn't the only one who thought this mailer was absurd -- this PAC seems like some lame McCain-generated or GOP think-tank propaganda. Here's Hal from one of the Barack Obama community blogs:
Well, my father in law got a mailing from "Black Republican PAC". It was full of mis-statements and bald faced lies. It was so preposterous, full of mis-spellings and grammatical errors, that I believe it was created by an 8th grader. Anyway, the point of the mailing was to ask for money to defeat Obama.
The letter started me thinking. Is there a list somewhere of PAC's who are anti-Obama. Not only a list, but something more, like background information on the organizers, the financiers, that kind of information that would act as truth in advertising.
I found next to nothing on Black Republican PAC or Edward Cousar when I googled them, so more information might be helpful.
So who is Cousar and what is this "Black Republican PAC?"
Googling brought up a Facebook profile and this cryptic description of Cousar:
Cousar lives in Rock Hill, and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1990 with a B.A. in Political Science. He was State Chairman of the College Republicans from 1988-1990. He has worked on numerous Republican campaigns.
If you look up "Black Republican PAC" on OpenSecrets, you get some idea of who's behind this effort. Here are the contributors to the PAC. The only two candidates to benefit from it this year were Robin Hayes (R-NC), and Erwin Roberts (R-KY). They received $1000 each.
The largest recipient of the largesse of the DC-based Black Republican PAC was an outfit called Patriot Partners to the tune of $111,126, and BMW Direct received $44,171. Both of these are direct mail/list management services known for their work with conservative pols, and other recipients of Black Republican PAC funds show you the true meaning of wingnut welfare -- they are all passing the money amongst themselves. The campaign of Deborah Travis Honeycutt, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Georgia in 2006 (she lost by 38 points) and is running again this year, is a beneficiary of the wingnut welfare Ponzi scheme, but it certainly didn't result in much for boots-on-the-ground support for the candidate. From TPM Muckraker's "Conservative Fundraising Firm Takes Hefty Cut From Other Candidate's Haul"
For the most recent quarter, the campaign raised $620,016.72 in mostly small donations from across the country, according to her most recent FEC filing. And she spent $537,622.68 during the first quarter, most of which was to cover the costs of the direct mail campaign.
Only a small fraction of the money went to pay for a campaign on the ground. The total money spent in Georgia was $16,695. That covered expenses listed as political field work, public relations and media.
However, more than $314,000 went to BMW Direct and its affiliates who all work in the same downtown Washington office building.
...For example, Honeycutt's FEC report shows a payment to BMW Direct affiliate Century Data Systems Corp. for $7,430.85 for "data processing" on Feb. 4, 2008. The campaign cut a $23,569 check to the affiliate Legacy List Marketing for "list rentals" on Feb. 21, 2008. And a $19,544 check on March 7 for "direct mail fundraising" went to a company called Patriot Partners, which shares an office address with Legacy List Marketing.
Honeycutt has pulled in four times as much cash as Dem incumbent Rep. David Scott but most of dough recycles into the cash flow of related direct mail operations...
The treasurer of this "Black Republican PAC" is Scott B. McKenzie, a long-time DC insider and head of Client Accounting and FEC compliance for BMW Direct. Would it surprise you that McKenzie is treasurer of Honeycutt's campaign as well as current treasurer of another PAC, Freedom's Defense Fund? Lo and behold, FDF states as its address in its FEC filings is 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 614 in Washington, DC. This is the same address for BMW Direct, Inc. Here are FDF's contributions -- it did better in spreading the wealth...
House
Davis, Geoff (R-KY)$1,000
Hayes, Robin (R-NC)$3,500
Jenkins, Woody (R-LA)$2,500
Roberts, Erwin (R-KY)$2,500
Rohrabacher, Dana (R-CA)$600
Ryun, Jim (R-KS)$4,993
Senate
Gilmore, Jim (R-VA)$5,000
Schaffer, Bob (R-CO)$1,000
However, Patriot Partners, Inc. billed FDF for services of $333,072. BMW Direct nabbed $47,610. You get the idea; it's a cesspool of financial incest. The funds raised by efforts like Cousar's Black Republican PAC are nothing more than a cash generation scheme since candidates like Honeycutt are unlikely to pull off a win despite all the money brought in. Cousar and his crew are being used as tokens for the old bait-and-switch. What is the price for selling out? Pretty darn cheap in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure Courson sleeps like a baby at night.
Look at the FEC documents for the PAC here.
Honeycutt may in fact be a great candidate; that's not the issue, nor is being black and a Republican (or gay and Republican) in itself ridiculous. It may not be palatable at all to be in a party that is currently run by the far right extremists; one can choose not to support those in your party who work against your interests within that already hostile environment. You don't have to advocate for the election of John McCain by putting out garbage like that mailer.
What we're seeing here are the worst aspects of that GOP machinery at work, using some of the black members of its party to hide behind as it launches an attack on Barack Obama. The GOP is able to toss race into the picture from behind the "safe" visage of Cousar's representation.
I will end with another nugget of wisdom from mouthpiece Cousar in that "Black Republican PAC" direct mail letter, as he again touts his race cred:
And frankly, unlike many other conservatives who aren't black, I will not be intimidated by the Liberal Media and their fraudulent cries of "racism."
I will have more credibility to spread our message because there's no doubt that I oppose Barack for his wrong-headed liberal ideas.
Opposing his failed liberal policies doesn't make you "racist" -- no matter thow hysterically the Liberal Media repeats the charge.
I would love to see the membership list of this PAC, and see all of the administrators in this effort. I would be surprised if there are many, if any other black Republicans behind this organization.