Ralph Reed, paying cash for supporters

January 23, 2006

At some point in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to look back at the Jack Abramoff scandal and see whose career was ruined most by their Abramoff ties. Tom DeLay and Bob Ney are clearly the early favorites, but let’s not forget our friend down in Georgia, former Christian Coalition director and current Lt. Gov. candidate Ralph Reed.

Reed, who harbors presidential ambitions, has fallen so far, he’s actually been reduced to using cash handouts to bolster his support. (thanks to reader J.C. for the tip)

Ralph Reed wants a good crowd at today’s annual gathering of the Christian Coalition of Georgia. And he’s willing to shell out cash for it.

His Republican campaign for lieutenant governor sent an e-mail to supporters this week offering to pay the $20 entrance fee and — for out-of-towners — an overnight stay in a hotel.

Reed campaign manager Jared Thomas characterized the offer as routine. “Certainly, we want our grass-roots people to be well-represented,” he said.

Well, sure, every political candidate wants to see their activist supporters at a campaign event. But consider the context here: we’re talking about a Christian Coalition of Georgia meeting. In a church. Reed, the religious-right golden boy, should be in a position in which he’s turning away supporters at the door because there’s just too many of them. Instead, he’s sending out last-minute emails offering to pay people to show up.

What’s more, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the crowd at the rally ended up drawing about 350 activists — who were “evenly divided” between Reed supporters and backers of Reed’s primary opponent, state Sen. Casey Cagle.

And there’s no indication that Cagle had to pay anyone.

You can just not say it enough.

Abramoff hires Reed to lobby against a casino for one tribe to help the casino operating native americans of another tribe.

SLIME!

Did you catch the Sunday morning programs showing the Abramoff clients having given $1.5 M to democrats versus $3.1 M to republicans?

The Republican Spin machine is certainly working overtime on this.

What’s the difference between giving Democrats money directly and giving Abramoff money to pass onto Republicans? When you give money to the Democrats they are on your side. When you give it to Republicans through Jack A, the Republicans are laughing at you behind your back and taking money from another tribe to lobby against you.

  • They can’t even spin it right–Abramoff still gave double the money to Repubs.

    Sounds to me like the treads are starting to fall off the tank …

  • “They can’t even spin it right–Abramoff still gave double the money to Repubs.” — Darrell

    Nope, that’s the sick part of the spin. Abramoff DID NOT GIVE that money to the Democrats. That $1.5 M is from Native American Tribes that Abramoff BILKED, but which they (the tribes) had given directly to Democrats like Harry Reid (D-NEV).

    So, apparantly to the Republicans, if you are an Abramoff client, you have no legal right to lobby or fund Democrats ;0

  • Whats the difference between paying for supporters and paying for voters?
    Has Reed crossed the line?

  • To be fair… he didn’t PAY them to attend (I am fairly certain that would be illegal), rather he offered to make what was supposed to be a fundraising event into a free event for supporters to attend. While this doesn’t indicate a fantastic amount of support for him at this point it hardly seems unethical, wheras the title most certainly does. It is this kind of needless spin that reduces creadibility across the board. Had the title (and the first paragraph) talked about what actually happened, and perhaps emphasised the hotel rooms for out of towners which is to me the much more suspect act, I think it would hold a lot more credibility.

  • If it’s ethical or unethical, it doesn’t really matter. If you have to pay people to show up, it’s over. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

  • There was no assertion or insinuation that this was either illegal or unethical. The point is that for Ralph Reed, of all people, to have to reach out his public and offer them free hotel rooms and free admission to what is supposed to be a fundraiser is hilarious.

  • I only skimmed through this article, so perhaps I missed the answer to my question?

    This event being held at the church. Was it a political event?

    In a church?

    And if so, is that, so to speak, kosher?

    If it just so happened to be your average get-together of good Christian folk who wanted to congregate together and hear tales of inspiration & triumph from a variety of speakers, one of them who just so happens to be a prominent Republicn, well, that’s one thing. But if this was a political event at a church, that really stinks.

  • “This event being held at the church. Was it a political event?

    In a church?

    And if so, is that, so to speak, kosher?”

    As long as the candidates’ campaigns paid for the use of the room at the prevailing rate, it’s legal.

  • I think the use of the word “church” was unsupported. This was a meeting of the Christian Coalition. Although its based in religious belief, it’s an “affinity” organization and not a “charity.” Donations to it are not tax deductible, and so it is free to support or oppose candidates.

    I think it is a despicable organization, and I love to see it turn on its “founder” Ralph “the Antichrist” Reed, but it cannot be criticized for being political.

  • I thought holding political functions at a churches was against the IRS rules. Seems to me they went after a few liberal churches for holding functions during the last election. According to the Atlanta constitution the Christian Coalition was holding Georgia’s annual political forum:

    Georgia lieutenant governor candidate Ralph Reed was welcomed by Christian conservatives Saturday in a homecoming of sorts, but he didn’t necessarily win all of their votes.

    A crowd of about 350 at the Christian Coalition of Georgia’s annual political forum at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta was about evenly divided between groups of people wearing red Reed T-shirts and the T-shirts of his opponent in the GOP lieutenant governor’s race, state Sen. Casey Cagle (R-Gainesville).

  • Holy sh*t! A motel stay and $20?!? Did he just inadvertantly solve the Georgia homeless problem?

  • Oh, this fine Christian gentleman would never do something as unseemly as pay people to show up at his little psychodramas. Heavens, no. That was God who willed that be done. Little Ralphie is just his tool. Amen.

  • Check out articles in Wall Street Journal Online. They point out Abramoff only worked with Republiscum. He never donated to Democrats nor instructed his clients to do so. Before Abramoff Indian money usually went to Democrats. Even Abramoff could not change that habit overnight.

  • Yes, in many states it is illegal to give something of value to potential voters, but I suppose his lawyers could argue that meeting with Ralph Reed has no value.

  • Paying their entry fee is not paying them to show up. While a sign of his weakness, you are FOXNews-ing this story and over playing the events.

  • $20 and a hotel room would not have gotten me into the same church meeting room with Ralph Reed. Once he starts throwing in hookers and a 12 pack of Ice House back in my room I might start biting.

    “They promised me the money wasn’t coming out of tribal gambling income! I thought it was coming out of blanket sales at the gift shop.” Ah Ralph, we hardly knew you. And hardly kept ourselves from Ralphing when we did.

  • Wasn’t there some big scandal about Al Gore and a Buddhist temple?

    I think if the press gave that kind of treatment to every one of the Republican misdeeds, there wouldn’t even be enough room in the newspaper for classified ads.

    At least, I’m sure that’s the only reason the media doesn’t slam Republicans as it did Clinton and Gore, right?

  • Could the day actually be approaching when the so-called religious right realizes how they have been seduced and manipulated by the agenda of the Republicans? It always struck me as bizarre that the Christians could put up their name and their money for guys who are now revealed to be so dirty. I’m not talking about Christian leaders, of course, who have their own hunger for power to satisfy, but the rank and file churchgoers. It would be delightful to watch these folks jump ship in disgust and leave the scumbags high and dry

  • I can’t imagine Reed needing to pay for very many people to show up to obtain the desired meda effect.
    Our “liberal” media, particularly TV, usually goes to great lengths to get a shot that maximizes the number of adoring fans. After all, no “crowd,” no story.

  • oh this is rich.

    Its sure a departure from the his buds in the WH who frisk, and screen citizens into their infomericials.

    The choir boy image belies a snake, a conniving individual who will consort with thieves to further his agenda. He calls himself a stealth organizer, he hits, and the body bags are left as evidence of his presence.

    He is being investigated in Texas for lobbying. He organized 4,000 people to call the governor causing the Coushatta Indian tribe to shut them down. He apparently was not a registered lobby. He says he wasn’t lobbying. Suuuure Ralph.

    This is how they operate, indicted Scanlon did the same when they influenced tribal elections to keep leaders friendly to Abramoff and Scanlon ensuring their obscene lobbying fees”in Washington.

    Being from Calif. this is how they tossed our elected governor and got the Terminator, an actor.
    Pathetic.

    Add liar to his resume.

  • I’ve attended many political rallies for candidates I supported. I was never paid. DAMN YOU DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!!!

    Well, At least wi know that Mr. hypocracy ( Ralph Reed to narrow it down) kept some of his 4.2 million from Abramoffs gambling clients to close down gambling clients who were not his clients at that particular time but became paying clients at a later date.

  • This brings to mind an old Stanley Elkins story which I reconstruct from memory. It’s the one about the bailbondsman who can find an excuse for anybody.

    –You’d better watch out for that guy, he really did a number on his wife’s boyfriend.
    –Ah, hearth and home, a defender of family values.
    –He covered the guy with lighter fluid.
    –Arson, he replied, is a bailable offense.

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