A Warning from MT Rep. Mike Miller for Teapartiers and Republican/Conservatives about Infiltrators and Agent Provacateurs

From: Rep. Mike Miller, HD84 [mailto:Mike4HD84@blackfoot.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:18 AM
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Wow, where to even start. The last few days have been very enlightening.

Background: Jan 5th, a group of Republicans tried to form the Montana Main Street Republican Partnership PAC - they filed a C-2. Senator Bruggerman was a key player. When the group learned that they could not accept funds from the Main Street Advocacy Fund (a Wa DC org) as they got corporate funding (think Soros, NEA and Goldman Sachs), they pulled the C-2 and requested it be destroyed. Opps - public record - didn't happen.

There have been radio ads and slick mailers put out in at least 6 Montana races. The ads are very well done and try hard to not advocate voting for any candidate. They say things like "Montana needs more gov't accountability and lower taxes" Contact candidate XXX at "ph number" for more information. They have a partial disclaimer of Note to Voters This advertisement is not paid for or authorized by any candidate. It is paid for my Main Street Advocacy Fund Po Box 1630 Helena, MT 59624" It is lacking Treasurer and party affliation, in my opinion.

The slick mailer was designed by Ted Dick - poltical director of SEIU Montana. He visited Political Practices with a "draft flier" on 4/29 and said they were trying to avoid "express advocacy". The draft mailer was advocating Sandy Welch in HD3. He was advised to contact an attorney. Mr. Dick returned on 5/4 with a revised draft - he was informed by Political Practices that it looked better, but to still get with an attorney.

So now we have a documented connection between SEIU and Main Street Advocacy - a supposed Republican organization. And they are targeting Republicans. I have heard that this same org was active in Colorado in 2008. I do not know how effective they were.

It appears that revision of the flier was customised for several races and mailed out early last week. On 5/20 the Commissioner of Political Practices again met with Mr. Dick and informed him that OPP had recived several complaints regarding the fliers - the flier is an exact word for word copy of a radio ad that ran 5/11 thru 5/14 in the Helena area and who knows where else. The cost of the radio ad targeting my race was over $2000. He was informed of the disclaimer requirements and it was verified that an incorporated national organization (Main ST. Advocacy Fund) was paying for the ads. Mr/ Dick was informed that there may be the potential for penalties. (Mike says - why would that org care about $25k in penalties when they get 6 or more people elected that are sympathetic to thier cause?) There was a conference call at 3pm on the 21st with the MSA lawyer and OPP - I do not know the outcome - yet.

This is ALL 100% documented. I have copies of everything. Main Street Advocacy is a spin off of Main Street Republican Partnership - Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and other "less conservative" prominent Republicans are members. Some might find this link educational:

http://michellemalkin.com/2005/11/28/exposing-the-main-street-republicans/

In my district, the radio ads ran 5/11 to 5/14 - just when the absentee ballots dropped - I did not learn of it for a few days afterwards as I get no radio here in the boonies. I have copies of the radio station broadcast logs as to when the ads played and the cost, They are scheduled to start back up on June 1 and run thru 10am on June 8. The radio station has agreed to not run the ads until they get the OK from OPP. That helps me but not the other races this is happening in.

That's about all I know at present.

H/T to KM in MT and to Mike Miller!