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RNC Tries to Trick Donors with False Membership Expiration Warning

An eager reader forwards a fundraising letter he received from the Republican National Committee, who insist that America is lost if he doesn't send his $25:

RNC Fundraising Letter Feb 2014
RNC Fundraising Letter Feb 2014

Obama shocking, America unrecognizable, shredding Constitution, "government control over all aspects of your life"—yadda yadda yadda.

My friend and I are used to political hyperbole. What sets my readers scratching his noggin is the letter's red-letter warning that his "Republican Membership" is Inactive/Lapsed. "I never joined the RNC," writes my friend, "and certainly didn't send them any money at any time."

That's direct-mail political marketing for you, ignoring the facts, creating a false sense of urgency, and preying on inattentive consumers.

10 Comments

  1. Jana 2014.02.24

    I would ask everyone of our elected GOP officials and the party heads to condemn this activity. Their silence will speak volumes.

    So what was it the Argus was pointing out about Dr. Bos's ethics...I think there's a broader brush to paint with.

    Hoping a reporter follows up on this and discovers how much this scheme has extracted from the elderly in South Dakota!

  2. Jana 2014.02.24

    Cory, they will listen to you. I think you should ask the heads of the GOP and get them on the record.

  3. owen reitzel 2014.02.24

    and as usual they offer NO alternatives. Terrible people.
    Wait, they do say what Rounds has been saying calling for a market-based approach. I think we have that now and of course look how good its working, Not!!

  4. Donald Pay 2014.02.24

    "That's direct-mail political marketing for you, ignoring the facts, creating a false sense of urgency, and preying on inattentive consumers."

    Rather than "inattentive consumers," these sorts of mailings are targeted at the elderly with cognitive impairments---people like my Mom in the last year of her life. My mother got a lot of these from various Republican Party folks, Thune included. Don't these pretend Christian politicians understand these mailings are little more than scams directed at people with a declining ability to ferret out truth from fiction, or to remember they sent a check a couple weeks ago?

    My mother was always a good Republican, but she was also tight with her money. She would never have given as much as she did in that last year if she hadn't been bombarded with these sleazy mailing. It was just lucky her typical check was in the $5-20 range, otherwise she might have been totally wiped out by Thune and the Republican direct mail operators.

  5. Jana 2014.02.24

    Donald is so right. Had a relative that received many of these mailings. Tragic how the GOP treats the Greatest Generation.

    So South Dakota GOP, how do you plead? Or is your silence tacit approval of Mr. Priebus' departure from ethics?

  6. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.02.24

    Great comments above.

    Outright lies in the body of the letter. "Sky rocketing $17 trillion dollar national debt." It's shrinking, not increasing.

    Seems like the baldfaced lying has gotten much worse since the Righty noise machine began attacking the press in the 90s with lies about liberal media when papers and news shows reported the facts.

    Damn. Now we have a timid press. Very bad.

  7. Testor15 2014.02.25

    I had a discussion about a local political issue Monday. I quickly turned to the talking points in this letter. As a life long active registered GOP member, she totally believes this crap. As we tried to discuss our local issue, she would keep linking in Obama. While we talked and she would add these talking points, I would have to stop the conversation telling her "FOX talking points have nothing to do with our battles here". Now I know the talking points were more likely from her morning mail.

  8. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.02.25

    Testor, that kind of conversation bugs me. I'm able to find real common ground with some hard-core conservatives when we talk about local issues. When they start tying everything back to Obama and what they've heard or read from the national press or fundraisers, we lose sight of our local common interests and practical problem solving. South Dakota has had the same bottom-of-the-barrel teacher pay under Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Ford, Nixon, and Johnson (and maybe farther back). Rush Limbaugh never discusses South Dakota issues, yet those issues are the most important and offer a chance to talk in our own terms, without the pre-chewed national-market rhetoric.

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