And what a great start! This year the College Republicans discovered a new and highly lucrative fund raising opportunity: elderly and vulnerable adults.
An 88 year-old window proved her party loyalty when she got a stream of fundraising letters from the National College Republicans by sending in 91 checks totaling $42,985.
An 87 year-old wrote 256 checks totaling $10,789 this year, sometimes making several donations on the same day.
Another senior citizen agreed, when solicited by phone and mail, to "lend" nearly $60,000 to the group, but hasn't gotten her money back. "They were supposed to give it back, and I haven't heard nothing," she said.
Eric Hoplin, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, a job was once held by top White House strategist Karl Rove, noted that the group had a record breaking year, raising more than $8 million, but said that he would "look into" the accusations.
"We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving," Hoplin said this week. He also acknowledged one source of that confusion: The College Republicans raise funds "using a lot of project names" in letters that neglect to mention his group at all.
In fairness, it should be noted that the College Republicans also support other less direct methods of fleecing elderly Americans like privatizing Social Security, limiting Medicare coverage while increasing premiums, and prohibiting the importation of low-cost prescription drugs.
Star Tribune (Minnesota) - College Republicans' tactics raise questions
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