Weigel: A New ‘Pro-Rand Paul’ Super PAC is Making Paul’s Official Super PAC Nervous

[jct74]

Weigel: A New ‘Pro-Rand Paul’ Super PAC is Making Paul’s Official Super PAC Nervous

A New ‘Pro-Rand Paul’ Super PAC is Making Paul’s Official Super PAC Nervous
What is the Concerned American Voters, and where does it fit into the pro-Paul landscape?

by David Weigel
Jun 19, 2015 6:24 PM EDT

The phone calls were confounding, until they multiplied. People at the top of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's network were being asked about a new group that wanted to turn donations into campaign wins. What, they asked, was the Concerned American Voters super PAC?

The short answer: A headache. The new iteration of the CAV super PAC is the child of a movement that mostly helps but sometimes bedevils Rand Paul. It was relaunched this week, with much fanfare, when long-time FreedomWorks CEO Matt Kibbe announced that he'd left the Tea Party group to become a senior PAC advisor. The new PAC would try to organize Iowa for Paul, starting with 40-full time organizers. Kibbe's goal, he told reporter Byron Tau, was to prevent 2016 from being another "train wreck for the GOP" by out-organizing the Republican establishment.

At FreedomWorks, Kibbe had endorsed Paul's work whenever he could. In 2013, he and FreedomWorks endorsed Paul's filibuster over the legality of drone warfare. In 2014, he stood behind Paul to endorse the senator's civil suit over the NSA's bulk data collection program, "on behalf of our six million-plus members."

Yet people close to Paul discouraged Kibbe from building up his own PAC. It was nothing personal; it was just that the candidate had already sanctioned America's Liberty PAC. One source euphemistically described Kibbe's move as entrepreneurial, to emphasize that the senator had not been pining for a second super PAC.

"We have no animosity and Mr. Kibbe is free to support Rand in any way he likes," America's Liberty PAC Jesse Benton told Bloomberg in an e-mail. "America's Liberty PAC, however, will remain the only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul, and the only PAC that will host Senator Paul at events."

...

read more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...c-is-making-paul-s-official-super-pac-nervous

 

[Brian4Liberty]

So, are they trying to create controversy where there is none? A new pro-liberty super-PAC is a good thing. End of story.

 

[adelina]

So Weigel gets one quote from Benton and concludes "people close to Paul" are "nervous".

 

[FriedChicken]

CAV is the dream team.
the campaign would be wise, I think, to whole heartedly endorse this Pac and run with it.

the other Pac was supposed to raise massive amounts of money that it hasn't delivered on. its a dud.
CAV is exciting and the one people care about.

 

[jurgs01]

CAV is the dream team.
the campaign would be wise, I think, to whole heartedly endorse this Pac and run with it.

the other Pac was supposed to raise massive amounts of money that it hasn't delivered on. its a dud.
CAV is exciting and the one people care about.

Exactly. All Benton does is fail. He is like that guy in a good family who everyone is trying to help, but he just keeps screwing things up.

 

[opinionatedfool]

So Weigel gets one quote from Benton and concludes "people close to Paul" are "nervous".

Benton...

Another super pack with 40 full time people seems awesome if they don't come out with crappy ads, etc.

 

[robertwerden]

In 2008 I was at the Texas straw poll and I filmed the event organizers preventing Ron Paul supporters from entering the convention center. It made the news and got lots of attention. I ended up having a conference call with Benton and someone else, where they asked me to take the video down because they thought it was the wrong message Dr. Paul wanted to send. In the end I left it up, and the compounding examples of bias exposed the mainstream and worked to gain more votes for Ron. Benton is a idiot.

 

[CaptUSA]

"We have no animosity and Mr. Kibbe is free to support Rand in any way he likes," America's Liberty PAC Jesse Benton told Bloomberg in an e-mail. "America's Liberty PAC, however, will remain the only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul, and the only PAC that will host Senator Paul at events."

This is just Benton being fearful that his potential donors will find another PAC to send their money to. This shows you exactly where his allegiances lie.

His desire to elect Rand Paul is secondary to his desire for his own power. His desire to return liberty to the people is way down on the list.

 

[Sola_Fide]

So Weigel gets one quote from Benton and concludes "people close to Paul" are "nervous".

Pretty much. This is a complete non-story.

 

[angelatc]

Jesse Benton told Bloomberg in an e-mail. "America's Liberty PAC, however, will remain the only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul, and the only PAC that will host Senator Paul at events."

So maybe you guys will believe Deb and I now when we repeatedly told you that Jesse and Matt were flat out lying when they kept insisting that candidates could not have any contact with PACs?

I hate this little prick so much it isn't funny. I'll donate to the alternative PAC before one dime goes to that fat little fuck.

 

[acptulsa]

Competition in a free market is a good thing.

It's good for you. It's good for me. It's good for everyone but Jesse Benton.

 

[timosman]

fat little fuck.

can we throw in flat footed imbecile ?

 

[Warlord]

I like CAV, less so Benton

 

[Rudeman]

We should know by now that Benton doesn't speak for Rand. Remember his Bevin comments?

 

[Crashland]

How is Rand allowed to endorse Benton's super PAC? Or am I missing something?

Anyway, 40 Iowa volunteers and millions of dollars can't hurt. If any super PAC is worried about other super PACs securing donors then it makes you wonder about their integrity and how they intend to use that cash.

 

[angelatc]

"We have no animosity and Mr. Kibbe is free to support Rand in any way he likes," America's Liberty PAC Jesse Benton told Bloomberg in an e-mail. "America's Liberty PAC, however, will remain the only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul, and the only PAC that will host Senator Paul at events."

Just making everybody understands this - Matt Kibbe likely has the entire FreedomWorks email list in his pocket. But Benton is insisting that the Senator will only be appearing at the events of one Super PAC.

I hope Benton is right. At least then we can end all hopes of winning early on.

 

[NewRightLibertarian]

I would definitely suggest for all Rand donors to pony up to the non-Benton Super PAC.

 

[Barrex]

So maybe you guys will believe Deb and I now when we repeatedly told you that Jesse and Matt were flat out lying when they kept insisting that candidates could not have any contact with PACs?

Yea... There was that and also people repeating lie that official campaign cant communicate with grassroots, volunteers and this forum... I treid really hard to tell people it is not true.

Regarding PACs there is difference between communication and coordination and management.

 

[erowe1]

So Weigel gets one quote from Benton and concludes "people close to Paul" are "nervous".

He also referred to an anonymous source, saying, "One source euphemistically described Kibbe's move as entrepreneurial, to emphasize that the senator had not been pining for a second super PAC."

My guess is that this anonymous source is also Benton, but that Benton wanted to make sure his name was not connected to that, and that Benton, in off the record statements to Weigel, much more stridently talked down Kibbe and the CAV than his on the record quote suggests.

The problem for Benton is not that what Kibbe's doing has the potential to be bad for Rand. It's that it has the potential to be bad for Benton.

 

[Matt Collins]

OMG.... there is no issue at all here.... Weigel is inferring something that doesn't exist and you people are fickle enough to buy it!


argh....