Reince Priebus Caught Misleading On Fund Raising Prowess

While Reince Priebus continues to dissemble over at Frum Forum in light of an earlier post exposing his deal with the Barbours, research indicates our Little Preince and not ready for prime time player Priebus, who allegedly betrayed his friendship with current chair Michael Steele for months by misleading him as to his intentions, has also been misleading the committee and the GOP base as regards his fund raising capabilities. See below for that.

As for the Barbour connection and deal, even some Barbour friendlies have now told me Priebus should be defending the connection to Barbour. It isn’t as if one can’t find a host of sources, including on the committee, who know precisely what’s what by now. Nick Ayers even no-commented NRO. At 27, even he seems to have more sophistication than Priebus dealing with the news cycle today. Frankly, I don’t have issues with the Barbours, or Ayers, but did they have to pick a camera-craving empty suit likely to do more harm, than good, given all his free time while others do the heavy lifting? Geez!

This is a new media age and all Priebus is demonstrating is how ill-prepared he actually is for the job of RNC Chair. It’s also exactly what he did when he tried to hide his rainmaker role with his law firm in seeking Stimulus dollars by scrubbing his website in an age where everything is cached. At least Barbour has a record of competence and proven ability. He doesn’t have to scrub his actual record, or play fast and loose with the data to try and make himself appear to be something he’s not.

Reince will tell anyone who’ll listen he raised $14 million in “personal donations” for the Wisconsin GOP in 3.5 years. In an excerpt from a forwarded email, even Henry Barbour repeats the myth communicating with the committee on Priebus’ behalf.

He has an excellent winning record there and excelled as a fundraiser where the Wisconsin Party brought in over $14 million in personal contributions in about 3.5 years.

Hello?? Download Priebus fundraising Survey Given that $9 Million of it came from the RNC where he was also serving as General Counsel, how exactly does that equate to $14 million in “personal contributions?” Is it that because he used his influence to benefit Wisconsin at the expense of other states? They did have to pay his law firm for some services, I believe. Or, is the number simply made up, given the context?

To be clear, I’m not knocking what Priebus may, or may not have raised - others can judge that as they wish. But what he did not do was have anything to do with the self-funded Johnson’s win, among others. Priebus may be average, but there has been no great improvement in Wisconsin fund raising on his watch. Why can’t he simply tell the truth supported by the facts, using his actual record if he wants a promotion? Why the misinformation campaign in a new media age in which such contrivances are doomed to be exposed? Haven’t we been embarassed by the GOP natonal orgs enough?

It’s that and a need to make stuff up and even mislead that should set off red flags about Priebus. He is, as Mike Flynn said at Big Government, not ready for prime time.

Priebus seemed to demonstrate quite an affinity for sandboxes at the recent RNC debate. Lord knows, he used that tired old cliche often enough. At right is a little photoshop with that in mind. If the RNC Committee continues on it’s current path, elevating one who has so quickly been dismissed by the base, while being mocked by liberal comedians Jon Stewart … and Stephen Colbert for what the base is seeing and the commitee seems intent on ignoring, how long before the base starts screaming, Not One Dime for the RNC, again?

What the Barbours needed was a stronger horse, not necessarily a different plan. What with his dissembling, trumped up fund raising numbers, repeated Obama is Osama gaffes, weak debate performance and seemingly ill at easy public manner, Wisconsin’s Reince Priebus looks more like someone who should stay in Wisconsin, put a slice of cheese on his head and take in a Packer’s game, as opposed to being allowed anywhere near a genuinely big league job like the RNC Chair.

We need principled, competent and capable leadership at the RNC to heal the divide between the base and the establishment. Personally, I think both Saul Anuzis and Ann Wagner appear to be able to offer it. What we don’t need is someone who will mislead, dissemble and play games. Nonsense like that needs to be left in the sandbox along with Reince Priebus.