Democrats and their supporters are criticizing the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) for using its website to raise funds over the Benghazi scandal, saying it’s proof that the Republican fight for Benghazi truth is simply about politics and that it is wrong to fund raise off of the deaths of Americans. The Democrats, however, are forgetting all the times it has fund-raised off of American tragedies.
Take, for example, the video that follows. It was used by the DNCC in 2006 to feature the coffins of American soldier coming home from war.
Other examples follow.
In April of 2013 The Boston Globe reported the Democratic National Committee (DNC) used the Boston Marathon bombings to build its fundraising and voter contact lists. On the top of its website, the DNC ran a banner saying, “B Strong.” The banner, using the red ‘B’ of the Boston Red Sox logo, encouraged people to fill out a form sending a message thanking the emergency responders that fateful day. Those who chose to write heartfelt messages of support were required to provide their email addresses and ZIP codes, which were used by the DNC to maintain databases for fundraising and volunteer work. The fine print added that by submitting their information, users agreed to grant the DNC “permission to use the information for political and advertising purposes.”
A December 2012 article in The Washington Examiner explained how the Obama Campaign raised money off the Sandy Hook tragedy even after Election Day via an email to supporters from chief campaign advisor David Axelrod that urged them to click on a link to see President Obama’s address to the community of Newtown, Conn., where another tragic loss of American lives occurred. The video player that featured the president’s speech also featured “Donate” buttons above and below the video asking for $15 to $1,000 for his campaign.
After building part of his political career by lying about serving in Vietnam, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also used the Sandy Hook tragedy for a fundraising appeal to supporters. The New Haven Register blasted the Blumenthal email in a 4/11/13 editorial:
The issue took a disgusting political turn on Thursday, though, when U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., used Sandy Hook to raise money. The money is not for one of the relief funds set up to help victims’ families, or to fund mental health services, or to support autism research. “In the wake of the horror of the December 14, 2012, massacre of 20 beautiful children and 6 dedicated educators,” Blumenthal is asking supporters to send money to his 2016 re-election campaign! “As your senator, I will continue fighting for the rights of all the people, not the special interests. But I need your help,” Blumenthal wrote in an email to supporters Thursday morning. “Please contribute $5 now as the Senate debate continues on common-sense gun reform legislation this week.”
The Register’s editorial ended with:
Using the “horror” of the “massacre of 20 beautiful children” at a time when critical legislation honoring their memory is at stake to beg for $5 for your next political campaign is as tasteless as it gets.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the RNCC’s use of Benghazi in fundraising messages, the old saying about “people in glass houses” should be applied to the Democratic Party critics of the RNC effort.
