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| − | '''The Club for Growth''' is a controversial organization consisting of 9,000 [[Americans]]<ref> [http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9345#1 People For The American Way,"Club for Growth - Activities"]</ref>. The organization has been known for endorsing and funding [[conservative]] candidates over moderates and [[Democrats]]. Club for Growth’s political action committee was heavily involved in funding candidates favoring lower taxes in the 2002, 2004, and the 2006 primary and general elections.
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| − | Being a “527” organization, the Club for Growth can accept unlimited funding without disclosing donors name. This policy has evolved the organization into a partisan attack machine for its top donors. Conservative Presidential candidate [[Mike Huckabee]] has referred to the organization as the "Club for Greed", because of its donor's political influence. He said regarding the organizations credibility
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| − | "You have to understand that the 'Club for Greed', as I like to call it, is really not being an objective organization. You give them money and they will say whatever you want them to say. [Its] a pass through so that people who don't have the guts to run for office can write a big check and hide behind the trees, and let the Club for Greed go do its dirty work for them...Its been discredited [by] a lot of objective organizations"<ref>http://thediscourses.com/</ref>
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| − | </blockquote>
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| − | In 2005, the organization came under criticism for falling back on its core principals, this led to the founding of another organization by some former members, [[Free Enterprise Fund]].<ref>http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/7/8/95300.shtml</ref>
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| − | The president of Club for Growth is currently is [[Patrick Toomey]].
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| − | ==Goals==
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| − | According to the organizations website [http://www.clubforgrowth.org/about.php], its goals are:
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| − | *Making the [[Bush]] tax cuts permanent
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| − | *Death tax repeal
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| − | *Cutting and limiting government spending
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| − | *[[Social Security]] reform with personal retirement accounts
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| − | *Expanding [[free trade]]
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| − | *Legal reform to end abusive lawsuits
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| − | *Replacing the current tax code
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| − | *School choice
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| − | *Regulatory reform and deregulation
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| − | ==History==
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| − | The Club for Growth was founded in 1999 by [[Stephen Moore]]; a senior economist at the [[Joint Economic Committee]] and a senior fellow at the[[The Cato Institute|Cato Institute]]<ref>[http://www.cato.org/people/moore.html CATO Institute, "Stephen Moore"] </ref>. The organization called on candidates to return to [[Ronald Reagan]]’s “vision of limited government and lower taxes.” <ref>[http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9345#1 People For The American Way,"Club for Growth - Activities"]</ref>. In 2002, the organization raised $9.2 million for the 2002 campaigns, and in the 2004 election, they heavily campaigned for low tax candidates; spending a total of $20 million to GOP candidates. They even aired a 30-second television commercial which depicted [[Democrat]] candidate, [[John Kerry]] as a spinning weather vane. To increase influence on sitting candidates after the 2004 election, the organization hired its first lobbyist. Soon after, former conservative Congressman, [[Patrick Toomey]], replaced Stephen Moore as organization leader.
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| − | ==Controversy==
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| − | In 2005, the organization became rifted as accusations of betrayed principals and stolen donor list. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/politics/08club.html?ei=5090&en=743088c03a7a3614&ex=1278475200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1185502627-6QHBHGdK1QqXwRETnGP/Iw New York Times, July 8, 2005, David D. Kirkpatrick, "Leadership Dispute Causes a Split in a Powerhouse of Fund-Raising for Conservative Causes"]</ref> Many of the problems came about after a disappointing primary race between Congressman, [[Patrick Toomey]], and moderate, [[Arlen Specter]]. Some former leading members and Moore started another organization, [[Free Enterprise Fund]]{{user:aries}}<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/article/8587 The New York Sun, February 2, 2005, Josh Gerstein, "Power Struggle Grips the Club for Growth"]</ref>. Moore stated,
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| − | {{Cquote| "To see the club splintered this way was a heart-breaking tragedy, but the good news is most of the original founding committee members of the old Club for Growth that we built into such a political juggernaut helped me launch the Free Enterprise Fund,"<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/politics/08club.html?ei=5090&en=743088c03a7a3614&ex=1278475200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1185502627-6QHBHGdK1QqXwRETnGP/Iw New York Times, July 8, 2005, David D. Kirkpatrick, "Leadership Dispute Causes a Split in a Powerhouse of Fund-Raising for Conservative Causes"]</ref>}}
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| − | In the 2006 [[Rhode Island]] [[Republican]] senate primary election, Club for Growth heavily campaigned against [[liberal]] [[Republican]] senator [[Lincoln Chafee]] in his primary race against conservative [[Steven Laffey]] <ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200510180823.asp National Review,October 18, 2005, John J. Miller, "Is Laffey the Best Medicine?"]</ref>.
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| − | ==External Link==
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| − | [http://www.clubforgrowth.org/index.php Official Website of the Club For Growth]
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| − | ==References==
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| − | <references/>
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| − | [[Category:Organizations]]
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| − | [[category:politics]] | + | |
