Monday, February 25, 2013

Memo-gate update

Blueprint North Carolina continues to catch heat for a series of memos leaked last week to the Observer and WRAL. The memos outlined strategies and talking points for progressives to attack state Republican leaders.

The most incendiary memo called for liberals to weaken the GOP's ability to govern by "crippling their leaders" and to "eviscerate their leadership," even by hiring private investigators.

The story on the memos has gotten a lot of play on conservative blogs and web sites, including the Drudge Report. Monday the N.C. Republican Party filed complaints with the the state board of elections and the IRS, claiming that the group violated its nonprofit status by wading into partisan politics.

Blueprint is a nonprofit that offers what executive director Sean Kosofsky calls "back office" services to other progressive advocacy groups. Kosofsky, who first confirmed his group emailed the memos, later distanced it from the "crippling" memo, saying his group didn't send it out and suggesting that somebody had done a memo mash-up to make his group look bad. 

He did acknowledge having seen the controversial memo at a December meeting of progressive groups. WRAL reporter Mark Binker picked up the story from there.

"Asked it was appropriate for his organization to participate in meetings where such memos are distributed and whether he endorsed all the ideas in the memo," Binker wrote, "Kosofsky replied via email:


"Darn right. C3 nonprofits should absolutely try to stop bad policies that hurt the poor and hurt the environment, women and the middle class. If they need to exploit weaknesses of lawmakers, they should. I stand by that.

"The meeting in December was of over 50 organizations. People bring their own idea. I am not going to claim or distance myself from things without greater context. The only thing that matters to Blueprint is what Blueprint does. I cannot speak for others. We cannot be held to what others do at meetings we are at. that is completely unfair.

"I am not going to cherry pick ideas from that draft plan and say which ones we approve of or disapprove of. I will say this...The stakes are high for the people of NC. This governor and legislature are approving raises for their cabinet while gutting benefits for folks already injured by unemployment. Blueprint and our partners are passionate advocates for policy passed in the public interest, not passed for special interests. Our partners can educate the public, educate lawmakers and absolutely hold them accountable when they vote against the interests of the people of NC. the public should know that charitable groups can and do advocate strongly. they should. Blueprint doesn't lobby or do any public advocacy. This isn't about us at all."

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the new normal that the left approves of and promotes.
What a bunch of depraved haters.

Anonymous said...

They are trying to make mccrory a one term governor.

Anonymous said...

No different than what that scumbag soros is doing nationally.

Ettolrahc said...

Somebody reminded Jim who he worked for.

Anonymous said...

Don't let this fool you, the Oberver is hip to hip with these guys. WRAL funds them. There's another scandal in this somewhere that will explain why the media turned around and backstabbed one of their own.

RobNClt said...

Organizations like Blueprint should lose their tax exempt status, they probably will.

They are simply a lying left wing organization that does not have the guts to admit they have been caught.

This should remain in the forefront and become a campaign issue for Republicans in the next election. They should force everyone running on the left wing nutjob side to denounce this group and the people running it.

Ettolrahc said...

Anon 9:02

Perhaps these media people are finally getting so sick of the stench in the pit, they are willing to climb on top of the bodies they needed to all along to get back to the fresh honest air of reporting.

jay1937 said...

I really hate the idea of a group doing such a nasty thing but I would suggest a bipartisan watchdog group that could sit in on every meeting of our congressional members. Perhaps by having someone that would report the actual truthful happenings during any congressional appointed committees, much of the dishonesty and stupidity of those members would cease, although with outsiders watching what is happening would, most likely, stall any actions by any member. Much like what is currently happening only we do not know who is doing what, how our congressional members are voting, etc. One thing though: I'm very sick of the media painting either party they way they have been doing for so long. The people deserve to know the truthful facts and not the media attempts to alter in favor or against any political party that would give them gain of any kind.

Anonymous said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/25/white-house-raises-terror-threat-warns-illegals-co/

On another irrelevant note is Big Zero now a comedian fear monger?
Obama suddenly worried too many illegal aliens will flood the borders? what a laugh ...
1st graders wouldn't but that ...

Anonymous said...

More to this than BLuePrint. How did the Reynolds Foundation get hi-jacked by the left and is now using it's tax-free status to fund liberal/political organizations all over the state? Ole Zach Reynolds must be spinning in his grave.

Anonymous said...

democrackhead dirty tricks ...

David P. McKnight said...

The Observer has always supported responsible two-party political dialogues, so these groups are not "in with the newspaper."

In fact, some of these supposedly loyal Democratic Party activist groups who have been scheming to torpedo Gov. Pat McCrory's administration just as it is getting out of the gate in Raleigh also relish going after independent-minded Democrats who think a good ongoing conversation with Republicans, Libertarians and independents is a good thing for state politics in that new practical ideas and proposals can be channeled into the arena of public debate and discussion for the good of all.

In my experiences in three political campaigns as a Democrat between the '70s and the '90s, it was always the extreme ideological snipers within the Democratic Party who created most of the personal rancor and ill will out on the campaign trail.

A good strong Charlotte Republican like Phil Van Hoy will still come across and extend the hand of friendship after a tough campaign, so why can't our Democratic activists do the same when a new governor who happens to be a Republican is starting his new term?

As for my good Democratic friends in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill who all these years were dead-set against any Charlotte Democrat reaching the governor's office or the U.S. Senate, I can congratulate them and say: well, you made sure that when we finally did get a governor or senator from Charlotte, it was going to be a Republican!

DMorrisPE said...

Don't you just love how liberals never call themselves "liberal"? It's always something else like "progressive" in an elitist effort to make anyone else seem lesser than them. Conservatives, on the other hand, are proud of the "conservative" label as it conveys wisdom to not over-reach.

Anonymous said...

Part of what Mr McKnight said bears repeating,

"In my experiences in three political campaigns as a Democrat between the '70s and the '90s, it was always the extreme ideological snipers within the Democratic Party who created most of the personal rancor and ill will out on the campaign trail."

I couldn't agree more and for the first time in my voting life voted Republican for a majority of the candidates from Romney on down. The Democratic Party seemingly no longer represents me or could care any less about my hard-working white middle class opinion.

I haven't changed my registration yet, but it's nonsense like this that's pushing me closer and closer.

Anonymous said...

If this group should lose its tax-exempt status then so should every evangelical church in the nation for the fear-mongering they spew on Sundays during election time.

Colonel Angus said...

Hahhahhahhahhhaahahaha! They really shouldn't let doe-eyed interns write memos for mass mailing. "Shhh! Y'all keep this on the DL, 'kay?"

Anonymous said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/26/cpac-brands-chris-christie-big-government-repblica/

Stick a fork in his 500 lb Obomba hippo sized ass -- hes done ...