Please proceed, Ms. Land
In August of last year, Terri Lynn Land was caught on tape admitting that her campaign had “talked to” Super PACs about helping with her campaign. Apparently Land was quite proud of those conversations because the month before, at the Macomb County Republican Party’s Lincoln dinner on July 29th, she bragged about it again.
At that time, Land was someone who the Republicans considered a non-entity in terms of her candidacy. She couldn’t get anyone to endorse her publicly because the entire Michigan Republican Party was waiting for someone else to step up. In fact, if you look at the invitation to the dinner, Land isn’t even mentioned even though she introduced a tribute video to President Gerald Ford:
LOL.
At any rate, a video from that event has surfaced in which Land is quite clear that she and her campaign have been talking with a LOT of Super PACs. The relevant part is at the 2:40 mark:
ShePAC called. AIPAC called. A lot of the conservative PACs. A lot of the women’s… there’s a lot of women’s Super PACs out there already now. Maggie’s List, Susan B. Anthony…
In a statement today, the Michigan Democratic Party, which has filed a complaint against Land with the FEC, notes that, in addition to working with Super PACs in possible violation of federal election laws, Land has “received thousands in campaign contributions from outside groups associated with negative attack ads that have been launched to boost her campaign.”
According to her FEC report, Land received $5,000 from the Koch Brothers and $1,000 from the President of Sterling Corporation. The Sterling Corporation has been overseeing activity by Pure PAC, which along with the Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Gary Peters.“Today, we are shining a light on Ms. Land’s closed-door conversations and demand that she stop lying about her relationships and inappropriate coordination with outside groups,” said Garrett Arwa, Michigan Democratic Party Executive Director. “Land has not held a single public event in Michigan, but she is talking with organizers of Super PACs and trying to buy our U.S. Senate seat.
“Land favored dark money as an elections official – now it’s time for her to come clean and answer questions about her relationships and coordination with special interest outside groups that support her and are working to corrupt our democratic process.”
The MDP say they have “Five questions for Terri Land’s campaign for US Senate”:
- Why did Ms. Land, a former Secretary of State, lie about talking with organizers of Super PACs?
- What is the nature of conversations that Land or her campaign have had with Super PACs or 501c4 organizations?
- What were the commitments that Land or her campaign secured from outside groups that have already helped her in the race – from the RNC, Pure PAC, or Koch Brothers?
- What were the conversations Land or her campaign had to secure any commitments from She PAC, Susan B Anthony, and other outside groups? Are they planning to help her in the race?
- Have Terri Land or her family contributed any money to Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers-backed 501c4 organization now running ads attacking Gary Peters in the race for the US Senate seat from Michigan?
Since the revelations about her discussions with the Super PACs and the utter embarrassment of her friendship with the odious bigot Dave Agema, Land has gone silent. No public events. No conversations with voters. She appears to be huddled with her financial backers and planning to win by simply blanketing the airwaves with negative ads in cooperation with groups like the Koch brothers corporatist front group Americans for Prosperity.
There’s one other very important bit in this new video. It comes at the 2:13 mark and is only four words. Land is talking to a support about why she thinks she can win and she says, “It’s a non-presidential year”.
The Republicans know that if Democrats sit it out in 2014 like they did in 2010, they will run Michigan for decades to come. We cannot allow that to happen. When Democrats go to the polls in large numbers, we win. Period.
Get involved today. Make a difference. Help us to turn out the vote in November.
