written by Noelle Bell aka slinkerwink, Director of New Media at Back To Basics PAC
Since we've released the ad showcasing the double-faced hypocrisy of Governor Perry, Texans have taken notice, and we've clearly struck a nerve with Governor Perry and the Texas GOP. The day after our ad aired on a $250,000 buy in Houston, Dallas, and Austin, the Texas GOP filed a frivolous complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission to try to shut us down.
Their ethics complaint was based on a lie. We hand-delivered a letter to Ms. Rosemary Edwards, the head of the Travis County Republican Party, demanding an apology from them.
The Travis Country GOP also posted about the so-called ethics violation on their website, but they pulled it after we delivered our letter to the Travis County TX GOP headquarters as you can see in the video. Now, why would they pull such a post on their site? Unless they knew they were caught in an outright lie about us.
Here's the excerpt from our first letter on June 29th, 2010:
Now that you have actual knowledge (and proof) that your bogus complaint is entirely frivolous and without merit, you need to contact immediately the Texas Ethics Commission and formally withdraw your bogus complaint.
Friday has come and passed with no apology from the Travis County GOP, and their complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission has not been withdrawn at all in spite of the proof showing that we are in full compliance with the Texas Ethics Commission.
And guess what? The Texas Ethics Commission recently ruled that the complaint was invalid. Here's the reason why--the Travis County GOP couldn't even fill out their complaint form properly!
A lawyer with the Texas Ethics Commission has told Travis County Republican Party Chairwoman Rosemary Edwards that a complaint she filed against the Back to Basics PAC "does not comply with the legal and technical form requirements for a complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission."
...
In other words, the commission did not rule on the merits of the complaint itself, but rather said Edwards did not file it properly. Said Walker, "They were in such a hurry to get a headline that they didn’t even bother to fill out the form correctly."
Here's our latest press release responding to the Travis County GOP, and about getting more ad time for our ad showcasing the blatant hypocrisy of Governor Perry living high and large on the taxpayer dime:
Now, their garbage complaint has been rejected by the Texas Ethics Commission, and their credibility is trashed. Their time would be better spent encouraging Perry to quit hiding behind his taxpayer-funded, $1,000 Neiman Marcus curtains, to stand and face Texans, and to defend his miserable record.
More Texans will soon learn the truth about Perry and the cronies that do his bidding. Our ad illustrating his hypocrisy of sparing no expense for his own rental mansion while pinching pennies from the pockets of Texas families has struck a nerve in Texans of all stripes. Following our first $250,000 ad buy, Back to Basics has bought additional air time in even more markets spanning the state.
As we continue to expose the shameless misuse of taxpayer dollars on personal luxuries, we expect Perry and his cronies to try to mislead the public and silence our message. Still, Back to Basics is committed to letting Texans know about those politicians that enrich themselves and their pals at the taxpayers’ expense.
Can you please donate $5, $10, $20, or more to keep our ad on the air to show the truth about Governor Perry's excessive lifestyle paid for by Texan taxpayers?
Disclosure: Donations will be used by the Back to Basics PAC to advocate on behalf of Texans against the hypocrisy of self-serving politicians.