Very Serious Allegations Made Against 2012 Ron Paul Campaign Manager Jesse Benton

[Badger Paul]

Erowe1, I'm curious, what did Benton do to sabotage John Hostettler?

"We need people like Collins and Benton who'll get their hands dirty and do what needs to be done to guarantee victory."

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I hear this or perhaps laugh so hard that I would cry. What victory? Ron finished third in Iowa. Guess Sorenson's endorsement didn't do whole lot did it? The were better uses for thirty grand than paying off some state senator to switch sides. I'm not naive enough to think that kind of crap doesn't go on in politics all the time. I was just hoping the campaign sparked from a movement of ordinary folk wasn't going to stoop to that level, especially with someone who should have been supporting us to begin with and then was bought off to support someone else. A person like that, did you think his support come for free? And what the hell good did it do? If anything it damaged the campaign because the Bachmann campaign knew exactly what was going on and screamed bribery from the moment it happened, negating any positive coverage of it. Apparently some people around here don't know what the definition of bribery is. Oh by the way, it's against the law too, just so you know. Vice President Agnew went to jail because of it.

I guess we have our own little Nixon cover-up crew here at Ron Paul Forums trying to pretend they can keep this quiet or tying to keep people not a part of the "family" from commenting on it in free forum. Baby, it's out there now and it's going to spread quickly because there's no other political news going on right now. Jesse can worry about defending himself but if you wonder why people don't like him very much outside his claque of circle jerkers, this allegation is just part of a whole truckload of stories from people from Tom Woods, to Adam Kokesh, to Penny Freeman, to those in the Louisiana delegation to others who have dealt with him and or seen him in action over the past six years and came away, shall we say, less than impressed. Benton was a Beltway nobody who was no different than any of us in the grassroots yet he moves up by virtue of dynastic marriage even though the campaign communications office in 2007-08 wasn't exactly a well-tuned machine according to people who didn't get their phone calls returned.

To sum it up, Benton is visible example to what civic-minded amateurs hate about politics and the kinds of people involved in it professionally, the kind of rent-seekers who are in it for themselves and will do anything to be a part of "the game" or the "system" or whatever you want to call it and make their living off of it. People went to jail or were beaten up for Ron Paul while Jesse and friends cashed in and lived high on the hog. Call it envy if you wish but sacrifices weren't made in order to make you all rich or connected or employed with cushy jobs or whathaveyou, they were done to elect RP and do so in a manner befitting of a grassroots movement, not a political machine. As Jack Hunter found out the hard way, you can play the game, and you can win. But you can also lose and if you lose, you're done for. Jesse may well find that out now. And if so, he richly deserves it.

 

[69360]

Wow, the Bentonists around here are really becoming unhinged. I hope many more allegations come out about this big fat liar and fraud and enemy of grassroots liberty supporters Jesse Benton so that he is ruined before he besmirches our movement even more than he already has. This will also make the people around here that are hoping for Mitch McConnell's success because Benton is his hired gun look like pathetic fools which amuses me.

I've never met the guy. He did his job, are you really this clueless about how campaigns are run?

When one candidate sinks, the staff all jumps to the next and yes, gasp, they get paid.

McConnell is 30 points up in the polls.

 

[fr33]

What the hell are you talking about? That was cleared up long ago in BOTH election cycles by looking at the accounting data.

No it wasn't. He just said they were "reimbursements". Here we have evidence of how these "reimbursements" work. $30k of our donations were funneled through a jewelry store straight to someone's pocket.

 

[AuH2O]

Please enlighten all of us as to how many victories have been guaranteed thus far.

Please enlighten all of us as to how many campaigns Tom Woods has ever managed.

This isn't what he does. I don't mind him being a policy advisor, but he has no expertise as a campaign hand or political tactician.

 

[AuH2O]

No it wasn't. He just said they were "reimbursements". Here we have evidence of how these "reimbursements" work. $30k of our donations were funneled through a jewelry store straight to someone's pocket.

There is no evidence this has anything to do with reimbursements. You don't think a $30k reimbursement check to a jewelry store would raise red flags? This isn't the Gingrich campaign ...

 

[Badger Paul]

"$30k of our donations were funneled through a jewelry store straight to someone's pocket. "

Not exactly putting someone on the campaign's payroll officially is it Collins?

 

[Badger Paul]

"McConnell is 30 points up in the polls. "

So was Trey Grayson, once.

 

[69360]

"McConnell is 30 points up in the polls. "

So was Trey Grayson, once.

He wasn't the senate minority leader and long time senior senator. It would take a major revelation or scandal to knock McConnell down that far. Benton hiring a political OP is not the scandal you are looking for.

 

[angelatc]

Woods understands history. He understands economics.

He is severely lacking when it comes to politics.

We need people like Collins and Benton who'll get their hands dirty and do what needs to be done to guarantee victory.

*Snort* You realize that Benton LOST, even in states where they had a decent (and in one case, EXCELLENT) chance to win? There's no doubt that we need political operatives. We don't need rude, condescending jerks who openly insult everybody and anybody not on the payroll.

 

[angelatc]

To sum it up, Benton is visible example to what civic-minded amateurs hate about politics and the kinds of people involved in it professionally, the kind of rent-seekers who are in it for themselves and will do anything to be a part of "the game" or the "system" or whatever you want to call it and make their living off of it..

Yes, and all political movements have always had a circle of those type people around it. The difference being that ours are amateurs who don't accomplish anything except lining their own pockets.

 

[angelatc]

Please enlighten all of us as to how many campaigns Tom Woods has ever managed.

This isn't what he does. I don't mind him being a policy advisor, but he has no expertise as a campaign hand or political tactician.

He wasn't bucking to be campaign manager. He was (and is, it appears based on the picnic guest list) part of Ron's inner circle, and he made a suggestion. There's something wrong with Jesse Benton.

 

[cajuncocoa]

Please enlighten all of us as to how many campaigns Tom Woods has ever managed.

This isn't what he does. I don't mind him being a policy advisor, but he has no expertise as a campaign hand or political tactician.

I'm not advocating for Tom Woods to be campaign manager...you're confusing me with someone else in this thread.

My statement that Tom Woods > Jesse Benton had nothing to do with managing a campaign.

My statement asking for enlightenment as to Jesse's "guaranteed victories" had nothing to do with Tom Woods.

 

[angelatc]

I've never met the guy. He did his job, are you really this clueless about how campaigns are run?

When one candidate sinks, the staff all jumps to the next and yes, gasp, they get paid.

McConnell is 30 points up in the polls.

McConnell is a sitting Senate Majority Leader in one of the most Republican states in the country. The Granny Roadwarriors' monkey could run that campaign.

Like it or not, Benton has been caught in a lie. And this was his response to the guy who went public: "I hope you get help. I'll pray for you." That's not just a denial. That's a sneer.

If this whistleblower guy turned up dead tomorrow, I think some of you would be cheering Benton on for doing what had to be done.

 

[helmuth_hubener]

Actually yes he did, openly, and publicly.

No, he did not. If he did, go ahead and post a link to it.

Can't?

It's because it didn't happen. Everything Tom wrote was gentlemanly, classy, and reasonable. None of it was in poor taste. He showed great restraint. He went to lots of effort to try to help Ron Paul. Those who think that he was criticizing or sabotaging the campaign are just deluded, in an alternative reality, as will be demonstrated by a complete inability to post any proof. It didn't happen. They nevertheless remember it happening. Because they're delusional.

If I'm wrong, show me the links!

 

[angelatc]

There is no evidence this has anything to do with reimbursements. You don't think a $30k reimbursement check to a jewelry store would raise red flags? This isn't the Gingrich campaign ...

No, it wouldn't. If the campaign wrote the check to the jewelry store, it would likely just say it was for donor premiums or something. If they wrote the check to the jewelry store's owner's husband, it would likely be buried as an expense reimbursement.

 

[pcosmar]

Paul Garfield

I have never gotten an answer to my questions,, and have never trusted the campaign since.

Ron Paul said he knew nothing about it. Those responsible remained.

There was a successful campaign in Michigan and Ron could have taken the State,, This effectively killed the campaign in the state.

http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/12/235145/75

 

[AuH2O]

No, it wouldn't. If the campaign wrote the check to the jewelry store, it would likely just say it was for donor premiums or something. If they wrote the check to the jewelry store's owner's husband, it would likely be buried as an expense reimbursement.

You've never worked on a campaign, have you? The FEC requires meticulous documentation and receipts for expense reports -- you can't just "disappear" $30k. And people are outright alleging $30k of donor dollars "were funnelled" ... okay, then where are these "donor premium" payments or $30k expense reimbursements? Maybe they exist ... but I'm not taking the time to research because that sounds like a long-shot. Maybe someone who is actually making the claims ought to do some digging to verify their conjecture.

And on an unrelated note, Kentucky has a sizable Democrat registration advantage, so you should rephrase or be more precise when calling it "one of the most Republican states in the country."

 

[erowe1]

Paul Garfield

I have never gotten an answer to my questions,, and have never trusted the campaign since.

Ron Paul said he knew nothing about it. Those responsible remained.

There was a successful campaign in Michigan and Ron could have taken the State,, This effectively killed the campaign in the state.

I'm pretty sure that there were issues with Garfield that people don't talk about a lot because they were kind of touchy.

I don't know for a fact if things I heard were true. But I do know for a fact that his behavior after leaving the campaign was very deceptive and counter-productive. This much I know firsthand.

I think the way things worked out with him in Michigan that year was a lose-lose situation. There were problems when he was there, and there were different problems with those who took his place.

 

[angelatc]

Paul Garfield

I have never gotten an answer to my questions,, and have never trusted the campaign since.

Ron Paul said he knew nothing about it. Those responsible remained.

There was a successful campaign in Michigan and Ron could have taken the State,, This effectively killed the campaign in the state.

http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/10/12/235145/75

It killed it dead, too. We moved to MI right at the tail end of all that, and I was absolutely looking forward to the 2012 cycle. But when I started reaching out, everybody on the meet ups said the same thing...after that happened, they were done with the nuts and bolts. They were still Ron Paul voters, but they weren't lifting a finger to do anything else.

I was shocked. In 2007, the Michigan group was the gold standard.

You know, Adam DeAngeli is working in DC now, for Bentivoilio.

 

[pcosmar]

I'm pretty sure that there were issues with Garfield that people don't talk about a lot because they were kind of touchy.

People don't talk about it because why? Ron Paul said he knew nothing about it.
It was done behind his back.

I heard a few unfounded allegations..( and petty bickering) and saw people that were highly questionable get full time positions right behind it.
And got promoted. It killed the grassroots campaign.

And in 2012,, the Grassroots were cut out of the process almost entirely.. Ignored and suppressed.
Sabotaged.