Move America Forward - A Tea Party Tale.

[Sallow]

Yeppers.

Just when you think they can't get any lower..

They do it.

In February 2013, Move America Forward announced an ambitious fundraising goal. The charity, launched in part by one of the most prominent figures in the Tea Party movement, had adopted the 800 Marines in a battalion fighting in Afghanistan and wanted to send them all care packages.




"For some troops, these care packages are the only mail they will receive all year," the group said in one email solicitation.

The charity later described the fundraising drive as a rousing success: In less than five weeks, all 800 Marines in a 1st Marine Division battalion nicknamed Geronimo were sent care packages and notes in Afghanistan, it claimed.

But that couldn't have been true. The Marines of Geronimo weren't even in Afghanistan during Move America Forward's fund drive. Instead, they were deployed more than 3,000 miles away, in Okinawa, Japan.

Move America Forward calls itself the nation's "largest grassroots pro-troop organization," and has recruited a bevy of Republican luminaries, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, to support its efforts.
<snip>
The driving force behind Move America Forward is Sal Russo, 67, the longtime political consultant who is listed on the 10-year-old charity's tax returns as chief strategist.

Russo is better known for helping to form the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, also known as the Tea Party Express, one of the largest Tea Party groups in the country. Consultants from his Sacramento-based firm, Russo, Marsh and Associates, also set up two other PACs, the Move America Forward Freedom PAC and the Conservative Campaign Committee, to aid conservative causes and candidates.

Russo and his associates have previously drawn attention for lavishing funds raised through the committees on themselves, using this money on an Alaskan cruise and fancy hotels as well as paying themselves huge consulting fees.
Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants? Pockets - ProPublica

 

[OKTexas]

Never heard of them until today, if they did something wrong I hope the get their ass pounded, if they did something criminal I hope the go to jail. If they did neither, I hope you lefties go to hell.

 

[Stephanie]

Remember folks, they are guilty until proven innocent in the court of the leftwing hate sites

but do they care? naaa, they post it and then will say, oh gosh Im sorry I was wrong..that's their game

 

[whitehall]

The tea party ain't your enemy.

 

[Nutz]

This is typical of teapers...and if you notice how the teapers on this forum are eerily silent to this disgrace, you would understand why Teapers are disgusting.

 

[Stephanie]

They had to turn things off Obama so they go and post allegations against this group who helps the troops whether it's true or not

that's how THEY PLAY, get a clue

 

[Sallow]

Seems to be a pattern..

Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants? Pockets - ProPublica

According to its 2006 tax returns, Freedom Alliance reported revenue of $10, 822, 785, but only $397,900&#8211;or a beyond-measly 3.68%&#8211;of that was given to the children of fallen troops as scholarships or as aid to severely injured soldiers.


Freedom Alliance&#8217;s 2007 tax returns aren&#8217;t much better. Out of $12,459,317 it raised that year, only $895,347&#8211;or just 7%&#8211;went to seriously wounded troops and scholarships for fallen troops. 53% went to expenses, including $1,464,627 in postage and $1,151,428 in printing. $604,995 went to &#8220;professional fees&#8221; and &#8220;consultants.&#8221; Out of millions paid for Freedom Concert tickets and raised in fundraisers by Hannity listeners, only $596,500 went to college scholarships for soldiers who died in battle, and only $299,897 went to horribly injured troops. 208 student children of the fallen got an average of $2,868 apiece for tuition, though many got only $1,000 or less. 382 soldiers with serious injuries got an average of $785 each. Read on...

 

[whitehall]

The strange thing is that the dumb asses who claim that the GOP and the democrats ain't much different and the strange people who think that "term limits" are the solution seem to hate the Tea Party for trying to make a difference. The radical left doesn't have much of a party besides the anarchist "occupy wall street" and the pot head hijackers so what the hell is going on?

 

[skookerasbil]

nobody cares

 

[Stephanie]

You need to go in your buddies hate thread shallow

he already beat you to it

 

[Jackson]

Yeppers.

Just when you think they can't get any lower..

They do it.

In February 2013, Move America Forward announced an ambitious fundraising goal. The charity, launched in part by one of the most prominent figures in the Tea Party movement, had adopted the 800 Marines in a battalion fighting in Afghanistan and wanted to send them all care packages.




"For some troops, these care packages are the only mail they will receive all year," the group said in one email solicitation.

The charity later described the fundraising drive as a rousing success: In less than five weeks, all 800 Marines in a 1st Marine Division battalion nicknamed Geronimo were sent care packages and notes in Afghanistan, it claimed.

But that couldn't have been true. The Marines of Geronimo weren't even in Afghanistan during Move America Forward's fund drive. Instead, they were deployed more than 3,000 miles away, in Okinawa, Japan.

Move America Forward calls itself the nation's "largest grassroots pro-troop organization," and has recruited a bevy of Republican luminaries, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, to support its efforts.
<snip>
The driving force behind Move America Forward is Sal Russo, 67, the longtime political consultant who is listed on the 10-year-old charity's tax returns as chief strategist.

Russo is better known for helping to form the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, also known as the Tea Party Express, one of the largest Tea Party groups in the country. Consultants from his Sacramento-based firm, Russo, Marsh and Associates, also set up two other PACs, the Move America Forward Freedom PAC and the Conservative Campaign Committee, to aid conservative causes and candidates.

Russo and his associates have previously drawn attention for lavishing funds raised through the committees on themselves, using this money on an Alaskan cruise and fancy hotels as well as paying themselves huge consulting fees.
Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants? Pockets - ProPublica

I had questions about ProPublica publications but it appears to be a bonafide investigative newspaper. I can't say all Tea Party efforts are fraudulent, but this one appears to be questionable. ProPublica has had Pulitzer Prize and other awards in the past.

 

[DriftingSand]

Yeppers.

Just when you think they can't get any lower..

They do it.

In February 2013, Move America Forward announced an ambitious fundraising goal. The charity, launched in part by one of the most prominent figures in the Tea Party movement, had adopted the 800 Marines in a battalion fighting in Afghanistan and wanted to send them all care packages.




"For some troops, these care packages are the only mail they will receive all year," the group said in one email solicitation.

The charity later described the fundraising drive as a rousing success: In less than five weeks, all 800 Marines in a 1st Marine Division battalion nicknamed Geronimo were sent care packages and notes in Afghanistan, it claimed.

But that couldn't have been true. The Marines of Geronimo weren't even in Afghanistan during Move America Forward's fund drive. Instead, they were deployed more than 3,000 miles away, in Okinawa, Japan.

Move America Forward calls itself the nation's "largest grassroots pro-troop organization," and has recruited a bevy of Republican luminaries, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, to support its efforts.
<snip>
The driving force behind Move America Forward is Sal Russo, 67, the longtime political consultant who is listed on the 10-year-old charity's tax returns as chief strategist.

Russo is better known for helping to form the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, also known as the Tea Party Express, one of the largest Tea Party groups in the country. Consultants from his Sacramento-based firm, Russo, Marsh and Associates, also set up two other PACs, the Move America Forward Freedom PAC and the Conservative Campaign Committee, to aid conservative causes and candidates.

Russo and his associates have previously drawn attention for lavishing funds raised through the committees on themselves, using this money on an Alaskan cruise and fancy hotels as well as paying themselves huge consulting fees.
Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants? Pockets - ProPublica

So a guy joins up with the Salvation Army or the Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity or some other charity. He stands on a street corner stating that he's a member of one of these groups and asks for money to send to homeless kids in Africa. But, when nobody is looking, he keeps the cash he collects for himself. Does that make the Salvation Army or the others "fraudulent" groups? Just because one dumb ass steals money for his own purposes doesn't mean that "the Tea Party" is responsible.

You truly ARE shallow.

 

[tinydancer]

Lakhota beat you to the smear job first Sallow.

I'll put up here what I put in its thread. That the author of the piece quotes a former director as stating that
the charity had just been audited recently.

And there were no problems.

The former executive director, Shawn Callahan, left in 2012 and does not seem to have been replaced. Callahan also didn&#8217;t respond to questions, although last year, he defended the group to ProPublica in an email and said Move America Forward had been audited recently by the IRS. (The IRS does not comment on individual taxpayers.)

&#8220;I personally oversaw the audit where I worked with the IRS as they went over every penny spent with a fine-tooth comb,&#8221; Callahan wrote in March 2013. &#8220;As expected, they reported that we were in full compliance and all our expenditures were appropriate.&#8221;

Exclusive: ?Pro-Troop? Charity Pays Off Tea Party Cronies Instead - The Daily Beast

 

[tinydancer]

Yeppers.

Just when you think they can't get any lower..

They do it.

In February 2013, Move America Forward announced an ambitious fundraising goal. The charity, launched in part by one of the most prominent figures in the Tea Party movement, had adopted the 800 Marines in a battalion fighting in Afghanistan and wanted to send them all care packages.




"For some troops, these care packages are the only mail they will receive all year," the group said in one email solicitation.

The charity later described the fundraising drive as a rousing success: In less than five weeks, all 800 Marines in a 1st Marine Division battalion nicknamed Geronimo were sent care packages and notes in Afghanistan, it claimed.

But that couldn't have been true. The Marines of Geronimo weren't even in Afghanistan during Move America Forward's fund drive. Instead, they were deployed more than 3,000 miles away, in Okinawa, Japan.

Move America Forward calls itself the nation's "largest grassroots pro-troop organization," and has recruited a bevy of Republican luminaries, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, to support its efforts.
<snip>
The driving force behind Move America Forward is Sal Russo, 67, the longtime political consultant who is listed on the 10-year-old charity's tax returns as chief strategist.

Russo is better known for helping to form the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, also known as the Tea Party Express, one of the largest Tea Party groups in the country. Consultants from his Sacramento-based firm, Russo, Marsh and Associates, also set up two other PACs, the Move America Forward Freedom PAC and the Conservative Campaign Committee, to aid conservative causes and candidates.

Russo and his associates have previously drawn attention for lavishing funds raised through the committees on themselves, using this money on an Alaskan cruise and fancy hotels as well as paying themselves huge consulting fees.
Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants? Pockets - ProPublica

I had questions about ProPublica publications but it appears to be a bonafide investigative newspaper. I can't say all Tea Party efforts are fraudulent, but this one appears to be questionable. ProPublica has had Pulitzer Prize and other awards in the past.

ETA: They have received Pulitzers and other awards. I did more digging and Jackson is correct. I will edit my post.

Now they claim to be independent. Hehehehehe.

Guess who sits on the Board of Directors?

HENRY LOUIS GATES JR.




I think I'll go mining tonight and see what I can find on Steiger and more importantly the people who fund them the Sandler Foundation.

If I remember correctly Sandler is very left. I'll go digging later.

 

[Bush92]

This story was just o MSNBC. So the heavy traffic by mindless automaton liberals.

 

[auditor0007]

Never heard of them until today, if they did something wrong I hope the get their ass pounded, if they did something criminal I hope the go to jail. If they did neither, I hope you lefties go to hell.

You hope non-righties go to Hell under any circumstances. Just how you are.

 

[tinydancer]

This is typical of teapers...and if you notice how the teapers on this forum are eerily silent to this disgrace, you would understand why Teapers are disgusting.

Who the hell is silent? We're posting away like champs.

Nothing eerie. And there is no proven disgrace. Just another left wing whacko smear job.

I'm checking out the Sandler Foundation right now.

 

[Lakhota]

Lakhota beat you to the smear job first Sallow.

I'll put up here what I put in its thread. That the author of the piece quotes a former director as stating that
the charity had just been audited recently.

And there were no problems.

The former executive director, Shawn Callahan, left in 2012 and does not seem to have been replaced. Callahan also didn’t respond to questions, although last year, he defended the group to ProPublica in an email and said Move America Forward had been audited recently by the IRS. (The IRS does not comment on individual taxpayers.)

“I personally oversaw the audit where I worked with the IRS as they went over every penny spent with a fine-tooth comb,” Callahan wrote in March 2013. “As expected, they reported that we were in full compliance and all our expenditures were appropriate.”

Exclusive: ?Pro-Troop? Charity Pays Off Tea Party Cronies Instead - The Daily Beast

Reminds me of Nixon - "I am not a crook"...

 

[Nutz]

This is typical of teapers...and if you notice how the teapers on this forum are eerily silent to this disgrace, you would understand why Teapers are disgusting.

Who the hell is silent? We're posting away like champs.

Nothing eerie. And there is no proven disgrace. Just another left wing whacko smear job.

I'm checking out the Sandler Foundation right now.

Well that makes you a good teaper. And I hope you discredit this article...but I doubt it. Teapers are disgusting opportunists who hate America.

 

[whitehall]

The crazy thing is that pot head libertarians and lazy left wing nut cases complain that Congress ain't responsive to their demands and they whine about the Tea Party that is doing the job the freaking hypocrites complain about.