Republican Extortion/Fundraiser at the Governor's Tax-Payer Provided Home

Let's have a conversation about extortion and using your public housing for political purposes.

Apparently, Republicans have gotten over their problem with the so-call "bunker" built by Governor Bredesen. I say "apparently" because they are using it to extort an ungodly amount of money from Nashville lobbyist.

You'll note in the story linked above that Rep. Maggart and Speaker Harwell are both included in the Gang of 5 legislators who asked for the bunker construction to stop. Now, it appears the shoe is on the other foot and they are more than happy to use this tax-payer owned space to ask for unheard of amounts of money for their campaigns.

For those not familiar with legislative fundraising, $50,000 is an unheard of amount to request at a fundraiser. In the past $20,000 has been a HIGH end ask, with most contibutions ranging from $1,000-$10,000. This clearly shows the unfathomable hubris of the Tennessee Republican Party.

This is the kind of thing that can unite us as Democrats. While Tennessee Republicans are focused on pimping out their offices for campaign cash, Tennessee Democrats announced a statewide tour focused on creating jobs. Enjoy the actual e-mail from Rep. Maggart below. And feel free to RSVP should you feel so inclinded, I've already got my $50,000 space reserved.

______________________________________________________________________________



From: Rep. Debra Maggart [mailto:votedebramaggart@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2011 12:55 PM
To: Debra Maggart
Subject: Tennessee Republican Caucus Event

Thanks for your continued support for the Tennessee Republican Caucus. We wanted you to be among the first to know the details for the October 3 fundraiser. Invitations will go out within the week. Maintaining our Majority will take a lot of work, and your support is critical to our efforts. Thank you to those of you have already committed to the sponsorship levels.

 The Inaugural Tennessee

 Republican Legislative Ball

To Celebrate Tennessee

Honoring Betty & Governor Winfield Dunn,

The Senate Republican Caucus

and the House Republican Caucus

With Special Musical Guests

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Executive Residence

Nashville, Tennessee

Parking, check-in and shuttle service will be available from Judson Baptist Church

Cocktail Attire

To RSVP please contact Rachel Barrett or Cari Johns at 615-564-2642 or TennesseeRepublicanCaucus@gmail.com 

Schedule

3:00 pm               Check-in Opens at Judson Baptist Church

4:00-5:00 pm       Sponsor Reception

5:00-7:00 pm       General Reception, or the “Taste of Tennessee Ball”

7:00-9:00 pm       Chair Dinner which will be upstairs in the Executive Residence dining room hosted by the First Lady, Governor Haslam and Caucus Leadership

Our Sponsorship Opportunities:

Suggested Levels of Support/SponsorshipsBenefits

$50,000: Event Chair

-5 tickets to Event Chair Dinner, 10 tickets to Sponsor Reception, 10 tickets to Taste of Tennessee,  recognition at event

$25,000: Event Sponsor

-5 tickets to Sponsor Reception, 10 tickets to Taste of Tennessee, recognition at event

$10,000: Event Host

-2 tickets to Sponsor Reception, 5 tickets to Taste of Tennessee

$2,500: Attendee or couple

-Ticket(s) to Taste of Tennessee

Thank you for helping us celebrate Tennessee and our new Majority. 

Sincerely, 
Bill Ketron                                         Debra Maggart
CaucusChairman                               Caucus Chairman
Tennessee State Senate                      Tennessee State House