Conservative leader tells donors to stop giving to RNC/Palin tells RNC to remove her name from fundraising invite

Conservative leader tells donors to stop giving to RNC
By Mark Preston
Copyright by CNN news
April 1, 2010
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/01/conservative-leader-tells-donors-to-stop-giving-to-rnc-2/?fbid=0pTUhm8cc-B#more-97796



(CNN) – The head of an influential social conservative organization urged supporters Wednesday to stop donating to the Republican National Committee and instead contribute to its own coffers or to candidates with like-minded goals.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, made the plea in his "Washington Update" column posted on the organization's Web site following the revelation that the RNC paid for a night out at a risqué Hollywood nightclub.

"I've hinted at this before, but now I am saying it - don't give money to the RNC," Perkins wrote in his column. "If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values. Better yet, become a member of FRC Action and learn about the benefits it offers, including participating in the FRC Action PAC which can support candidates who will advance faith, family and freedom!"

Perkins is the latest social conservative leader to openly criticize RNC Chairman Michael Steele for allowing the controversial expenditure to happen under his watch. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, and Penny Nance, the head of Conservative Women for America, both publicly questioned Steele's leadership after the nightclub story mushroomed into a major headache for the RNC.

"If the RNC wants to represent conservatives and the Republican Party, then they have to act like conservatives - in a moral, fiscal and ethical manner," Nance said. "When RNC officials seem to think it wise to spend a grandmother's monthly donation on wooing the younger generation by taking them to a bondage-themed sex club instead of helping to elect a conservative, a real problem exists."

The RNC has emphasized that Steele was not at the club, nor did he approve of the expense. The staffer who did has since been fired.


Palin tells RNC to remove her name from fundraising invite
By Peter Hamby
Copyright by CNN News
April 1, 2010
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/01/palin-tells-rnc-to-remove-her-name-from-fundraising-invite/?fbid=0pTUhm8cc-B#more-97812


Aides to Sarah Palin have asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from an invitation that suggests she might attend a series of committee fundraising events.

Washington (CNN) – Aides to Sarah Palin have asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from an invitation that suggests she might attend a series of committee fundraising events timed to coincide with next week's Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Though Palin will speak on Friday at the SRLC, a gathering of top Republican officials and an early cattle call for potential 2012 presidential candidates, the former Alaska governor will not be participating in any RNC fundraising event, a Palin adviser told CNN.

Palin's staff has twice asked the RNC to remove her name from the invitation, the adviser said, adding that the request had nothing to do with the nightclub controversy currently making headlines.

The RNC has organized a four-day fundraising effort around the New Orleans conference titled "Pachyderms on the Pontchartrain," according to a donor invitation obtained by Politico on Wednesday.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Sen. Rick Santorum have committed to appear at one of the RNC events, but the agenda also boasts several "invited speakers" - including Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour - who do not appear to have confirmed their attendance. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is listed as an invited speaker, but Pawlenty said last week he is skipping the New Orleans conference.

The RNC did not immediately respond when asked if they will take Palin's name off the agenda.