George Rebane
On 16 December 2013 a local leftwinger and RR reader Mr Joe Koyote threw out the following gratuitous charge of the kind that is not only his hallmark on these pages, but also resonates with most of the deep thinkers on our progressive flank. He wrote –
Outside money in local politics? What about the mysterious and anonymous $10 grand received by the local Tea Party for distribution during the campaign when Diaz/Pruett and others were running? Most, if not all, went to conservative candidates for non-partisan offices. If you don't think the Koch Bros. and their ilk are funneling dark money into local campaigns you should take the blinders off. Posted by: Joe Koyote | 16 December 2013 at 10:09 AM
I communicated this to Ms Nancy Garcia, NC Tea Party president. She asked me to post her emailed response, which follows below –
If Mr. Koyote is going to grace this blog with comments about the Tea Party, it would indeed be appreciated if he took the time to verify his suspicions with facts – and then present these facts in his comments. Instead he chooses, like a malfunctioning cannon , to shoot in all directions, hoping to land a blow – and missing wildly!
In 2010, our local Tea Party applied for a grant in the amount of $10,000.00. This money was indeed donated to our national organization by an anonymous citizen and there were strict guidelines if you applied. The money could only be spent in a non-partisan effort to get out the vote. It was spent as follows:
Union newspaper – Four full-color ads $2,333.00
Five 4 x 8 foot signs, poles and ties $ 752.7l
325 KNCO 60 second spots – 10/11 -010/31 $6,909.00
The following is one of our radio spots delivered on KNCO:
"If you owned this country, would you be happy with what your board of directors and employees have been doing for America? Well – you do own this country and there are many candidates asking to be hired by you. Study their resumes, check their background and records and then select the very best among the field to handle your most valuable asset – this wonderful country called America. Your vote counts!"
To clear up Mr. Koyote's "facts", The Nevada County Tea Party has never financially supported any candidate. It would be a violation of our 501C4 tax status we worked so hard to establish and due to the harassment we endured, are now part of a class action lawsuit against the government agency who targeted us – the IRS.
Nancy Garcia
President, Nevada County Tea Party
rebanesruminations.com 
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