Little did we know when the MSM was speaking of Astro-turfing the Tea Parties by the Republican party that Ron Paul and his Campaign for Liberty was knocking at the back door, having already laid the sod for a take-over. With only a few hours digging, I found the following bits of information that strongly suggest that Campaign for Liberty and Ron Paul seek to exercise control over the message that is put out through the Tea Party efforts, and why any true grassroots organization or organizer should exercise extreme caution.
In an April 14th, 2009 interview, Montel Williams spoke with Ron Paul, Honorary Chairman of the Campaign for Liberty, “You know, I wanted to ask you what you think about this tea party phenomenon.” Mr. Paul replied by stating “Yeah. You know, in one way, it’s a mixed blessing because if you start something, you like to see it spreading. You like to see a lot of people join, but if the people who are joining are going to dilute it and change the message, then that wouldn’t be very good. So I think our job is to make sure that the people who are joining now and claiming that they are unhappy with the government, say the right things and do the right things and support the right positions.” [i]
On the same day, John Tate, President of Campaign for Liberty, a Ron Paul front group, stated “Thousands of tea parties and protests will take place tomorrow in opposition to the dangerous policies being pursued by the federal government. If you are attending any of these activities, I encourage you to distribute our educational and action-oriented handouts to fellow citizens also disaffected with the current economic situation. Additionally, be sure to read some very helpful advice for effective grassroots activity at these events from our very own Adam de Angeli.
“It is critical to make those attending the tea parties aware of the culprit behind our country’s economic woes – the Federal Reserve. While the elimination of the income tax is a noble and necessary goal, we must understand that our efforts will be in vain if we do not deal with the silent, destructive tax of monetary inflation. Dr. Paul’s bill, HR 1207, requires a legitimate audit of the Federal Reserve System.” [ii]
Then we have the following press release was distributed by Campign for Liberty to be release on April 15, 2009-
“For Immediate Release
April 15, 2009:
ARLINGTON, VA – As activists across the country hold national tea parties, Campaign for Liberty president John Tate issued the following statement:
“The concept of the modern day Tea Party began on December 16, 2007 when supporters of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign came together and raised over $6 million online in one day. The tremendous success of that event led activists in the freedom movement and members of the Campaign for Liberty to begin planning today’s Tax Day Tea Parties.
“Success always brings company, and it is very positive that so many conservatives, libertarians, Republicans, constitutionalists and even progressives have come together and joined our efforts. All Americans who are sincere about cutting out of control government spending are welcome to stand with Dr. Paul and the Campaign for Liberty as we fight to take our country back.” [iii]
Referenced above is the State Coordinator for Michigan, Adam de Angeli. In his powerpoint Creating a Successful Proposal, he lets his constituents know that “…it is a major—not ancillary—goal that this project serve as a recruitment vehicle for the Campaign for Liberty.” [iv]
And then there is this, an absolute must read, posted on Campaign for Liberty’s website-
“Success with these new groups, start with how you approach the leaders. If you have the thought in your head that you are going to take over right from the start you will run into big defensive walls and will outcast yourself rather than make your self a credible leader! Go to the meetings and start to lay the ground work and show them that you are in this to work hard for the cause, and they will put you in a leadership position. They will start to respect you and listen to your experiences. Let them benefit from your experience and then lead them to the Campaign For Liberty.
“My experience thus far has been very rewarding and I’m in my first week working with this “New Blood”. When you begin to work with them don’t throw the C4L down their throats right from the beginning this is something that will take patience. You are so excited to tell them what they are looking for is right here, but let them get through their meetings with their agendas throughout the meeting you can through (throw?) little nuggets in the conversations that in your experience over the last few months or years that you have been involved with various other movements. Let them ask you don’t tell them. Just give small amounts of information that peaks their interests.
“The bottom line is take advantage of this new movement! They need us and we need them! If you establish yourself as a true patriot and leader you will have enough influence to direct our new friends towards the C4L and make a larger more successful impact next time you talk with your local politicians. Good luck and enjoy the new relationships you will create while you involve yourself into their agenda’s. With a little bit of time you will be helping to create the Agenda!” [v] (posted by Jake Mabus, IL 19th Regional Coordinator, Campaign for Liberty)
We must not allow Campaign for Liberty and the Ron Paul organization take control of the Tea Parties or 9-12 events. Restoring the constitution to its original size and scope must be our goal, and it must be pure and true without intervention by any politician’s organization. Do not be led astray!
–
Kelly Knight
Copyright, 2009
[i] (retrieved 05/08/2009 from http://www.ronpaul.com/2009-04-15/tea-parties-and-the-role-of-government/)
[ii] (John Tate, President, Campaign for Liberty, retrieved on 05/08/2009 from http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=node/27785 ) Please note that the website referenced here has been “suspended.” However, I found the same quote at http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/gm-going-into-bankruptcy/ You will need to do Ctrl-F and type Angeli to get to the quote; the page is quite long and this is the fastest method.
[iii] (Official Statement from Campaign for Liberty as retrieved on 05/08/2009 from http://joerobertson.com/ron-paul/ron-paul-and-tax-day-tea-parties, with a link to http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view= that requires a membership login to read.)
[iv] (retrieved on 05/08/2009 from http://www.campaignforliberty.com/user/Adam_de_Angeli/successfulproposals.pdf
[v] (retrieved on 05/08/2009 from http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=16803 )
Incompetence!
You people are incompetent. I’ve requested a certain someone to stop sending me the unrequested spam regarding your projects and it has continued. Stop talking about politics and laws if you can’t follow them yourselves…
Just a couple more thoughts about C4L. In an email I received from the Interim State Coordinator for Alabama excoriating me for my stand in opposition to C4L, the author made this statement- “The Campaign for Liberty is an offshoot of Dr. Paul’s primary campaign in the republican presidential primary” and “The Campaign for Liberty is no more a “Ron Paul” organization than the *** is a “Republican” one and we both clamor for conservatives.” In his email to supporters on June 13, 2008, Dr. Paul refutes this with the following statement- “With the primary season now over, the presidential campaign is at an end. But the larger campaign for freedom is just getting started. Therefore, I am happy to announce the official launch of the Ron Paul Campaign for Liberty.” (Statement from Ron Paul by email on June 13, 2008) Sounds like a lot more that an offshoot, and it certainly is a Ron Paul organization.
In the same email to me was the statement regading C4L- “It is a 501c4 lobbying group which is to ‘promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity.’ and cannot endorse a candidate.”
In the previously mentioned email from Dr. Paul we read ““We’ll identify and support political candidates who champion our great ideas against the empty suits the party establishments offer the public.” (Statement from Ron Paul by email on June 13, 2008) Now perhaps “support” and “endorse” are not the exact same words, but in at least one Thesaurus I consulted, “support” is a synonym for “endorse.”
This is what troubles me about C4L. Double-speak seems to be the order of the day. On the one hand Mr. Mabus states ““The bottom line is take advantage of this new movement! They need us and we need them! If you establish yourself as a true patriot and leader you will have enough influence to direct our new friends towards the C4L” and on the other he states that C4L’s efforts are just coalition building. I might believe this if he didn’t also say “…involve yourself into their agenda’s. With a little bit of time you will be helping to create the Agenda.” This sounds more like usurpation than coalition building. But that’s just me.
Mr. Mabus,
Thank you for your lengthy explanation. I am the author of the original post, and the individual that stirred up such a fuss. I should tell you a few things for clarification, however.
First, I was invited/nominated to be treasurer of the Rainy Day Patriots by the Chairperson. I was hesitant within, but accepted. I subsequently resigned that position prior to taking up the issue of C4L. I was not in this for prestige or pride, but to restore our constitutional republic. Had I been in it for pride or prestige, I would not have resigned, but stayed a member and fought from within. Indeed, pride is not the issue on my part.
However, some concerns were raised by associates who had small parts in the original Tea Party event, and in my own dealings with Mr. Munoz shared some of those concerns. It became evident to me as I did my research, as it did to others, that the words used by C4L representatives, including yourself, seemed to point in a direction that C4L members should nudge their way into Tea Party organizations, gain their trust, accept leadership positions, and then lead those groups to C4L (re: my article bold print).
This is troubling to me, and I raised the issue wanting to ensure that our organization did not fall prey to this endeavor. It troubles me less that I was excoriated for the specifics of my concerns and more that I was excoriated by my own group for daring to raise the issue at all.
In any event, I have left the organization, though my wife remains, at least for now, vice-chairperson. The point has become mute to me, and I am frankly surprised the Ms. Green continues to research the matter. She deemed it over, and I have tried to pull back from the arguement.
In the end, we all have agendas, and we all seek to further our agendas. I will be doing so separate of the Rainy Day Patriots, but wish them, and you, all the best in the efforts you put forth.
Warm Regards,
Kelly Knight
Thank you for contacting me about a fellow patriot who may be some what miss-informed of the intent of my blog posting that has raised such a problem in your area.
First let me say I am very impressed with the work you are doing down there in Alabama! It is extremely important to have leaders like yourself willing to put in the arduous hours it takes to implement action for true change within our Country. I’m sure you have a large amount of support as well who are working just as hard. It truly is inspiring to see so many like-minded individuals coming together to restore our Government to its original intent.
One thing that I have noticed over the years from my political involvement is the individuals that find themselves in positions of leadership. We tend to take a movement like this to heart, so we love and cherish it so much that we don’t want to loose control of it. So we throw up many personal walls of defense that isolate ourselves from growing the organization and sometimes cause more harm than good. It may be hard for us to see this in our own points of view and even harder to have them brought up for discussion. We all hate to be wrong, especially when we feel we have good intentions. Sometimes it’s due to jealousy and we find ourselves fighting for who will get credit for the work performed. I feel the only credit due is due to our Founding Fathers. The work is done it is up to us to maintain our civil obligations and duty to support our own Liberty.
In regards to the blog I wrote on my personal Campaign for Liberty site. I wrote this blog for other people within the Campaign for Liberty in hopes that they themselves get over their own apprehensions about reaching out to other groups, mainly the 9-12 groups and Tea Party groups. You see, within the Campaign for Liberty we have a tremendous amount of talented individuals who can take on important roles of leadership who have years of experience with political organizing. The point of the blog is “CoalitionBuilding”, if the point was not clearly made, we can blame that on my lack of writing experience and lack of being able to properly express my opinion on paper. I don’t claim to be a writer. At best, I’m just a “Passionate Patriot” for our Country.
I don’t know Marcelo Munoz but he is probably a prime example of the type of leadership that we need in our quest to take back our Country. The only thing that I can be sure of is that he is committed to “promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity.” This is the Campaign for Liberty’s Mission Statement and as a leader we all adhere to this statement.
You must understand what the Campaign for Liberty is before someone starts to tear down our efforts or purpose. We are a 501(c) 4 organization. We are a lobbying organization. We lobby for policy change through our current political system. Currently we are working on HR 1207, This Bill in short is considered as the “Audit the Fed” Bill. There are many other issues we work on within our own states as well.
As I mentioned in my blog, “They need us as we need them!” meaning the 9-12, and Tea Party groups need us as the Campaign for Liberty need’s the 9-12 and Tea Party groups. What creates change in our current system of Government? Numbers and Size of organizations create change or influence. This is how we work as a Country. Unfortunately the only people capable of creating the influence in WashingtonD.C. are well organized Associations or lobbying firms. These Associations and lobbying firms are mainly corporations, not all, but a lot of them are.
This is what the Campaign for Liberty has done. They have created a lobbying group based largely on the work of volunteers like myself, Mr. Munoz and roughly 150,000 (and growing) other “Freedom Loving” individuals trying to take our country back!
The most important part or intention of my blog was to encourage other C4Ler’s to introduce the “wheel” that has been invented by the Campaign for Liberty and to show the impact and effects the Campaign for Liberty are creating within our system, and that the new people speaking up about their discontent through the 9-12 and Tea Party groups have an opportunity to join another cause already in motion as well.
I believe that all of you have a desire to ACT and not just protest! All you need is a little direction and proper leadership. Maybe you will find the talents God has given you to take leadership roles within the Campaign for Liberty, who knows? “The cream of the crop rises to the top.” The point is that the “Wheel” does not have to be re-invented. The 9-12 Group has their own agendas and they are very important as to their own purposes and goals. The Tea Party has their own agendas and they are important to their own as well. We all can benefit from each group and each groups goals.
The people involved in the Campaign for Liberty have great qualities for organizing and understand that you need a coalition of organizations to support each others efforts. There are limitations on what we can or cannot do as a group that are defined in our political system. For instance here in Illinois we have formed a Political Action Committee (Illinois Patriots PAC [IPPAC] 501(c) 3 Illinoispatriots.com). We would like to have a PAC within each county that would have their own leadership in line with our own by-laws and platform, ultimately to mirror lobbying efforts within each local Campaign for Liberty groups who are already creating change within their local governments.
A PAC is a group that supports the efforts of action by channeling money and donations, and we all know it takes money to create notice and outreach, very much like a marketing firm does for businesses.
Remember what Thomas Jefferson once said; “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
We are all experiencing this right now and if we don’t take advantage of each other we will continue to just protest and no change will occur! So if I, Mr. Munoz or the Campaign for liberty is trying to take advantage of this new political movement and or the 9-12 or Tea Party groups are going to take advantage of us, is it really all that bad? If you feel this is bad please take heed of your own self pride you may just find your self in a power struggle and eventually that struggle will be alone with yourself because of the isolation you’ll find yourself in. That isolation within your group will never create growth and it will always work to turn people away!
Don’t forget that not all personalities will get along, but it is extremely important to work diplomatically towards your organizations goals and set aside your personal disputes.
Let’s take advantage of the organizations already in place that are affecting the system and that have already gone through the growth pains. Take advantage of the other movements. Remember we don’t have to re-invent the “Wheel”.
I hope this clears up any un-intended consequences of miss-understanding (Blowback). I can assure you that I am just another freedom-loving individual who cares about this Country. I’m sure you all can relate!
Anyone can reach me at jake@jakemabus.com for further questions and or other coalition building ideas. Thanks to all who work diligently towards restoring our Constitution and system of Government!
Jake Mabus
Campaign for Liberty
IL 19th Regional Coordinator