The event is billed as the Americans for Prosperity's 'November is Coming' Bus Tour. The public is welcome.
Officials say one of the goals of the tour is to talk about the voting record of U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, an incumbent Democrat representing Scotland County in Congress. The group is also targeting North Carolina Democrats such as Reps. Bob Etheridge and Mike McIntyre.
"Etheridge, McIntyre and Kissell have joined with Nancy Pelosi in ushering in a new era of bigger government, endless bailouts, a permanently broken federal budget and government control over our decisions," Dallas Woodhouse, North Carolina director of Americans for Prosperity said in a statement. "Their constituents can make a difference by letting them know they have had enough of these reckless policies."
The free event will begin at the National Guard Armory in Laurinburg at 2 p.m. The tour kicks off in Rockingham at noon. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory may speak.
The tour has nine scheduled stops, with speakers including representatives from Americans for Prosperity, The Civitas Institute, The John Locke Foundation and community activists.
The tour is also part of the group's campaign to enlist those opposed to "big government," sign up activists to go door-knocking and to inform local residents about public policy.
"Folks need to send a clear message to Mr. Etheridge, Mr. McIntyre and Mr. Kissell that struggling taxpayers can't afford any more bad decisions from Congress," Woodhouse said.
Democrats have been highly critical of the conservative group.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a complaint against the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, alleging that the foundation is running attack ads in four congressional races in Michigan, Kansas and Missouri, in violation of tax rules for 501(c)(3) educational and charitable groups.
A Democrat Committee spokeswoman, Jennifer Crider, said the ads are being run "in coordination with" attack ads by its sister group, Americans for Prosperity, making the foundation a "de facto political action group, violating its tax-exempt status."
Last month, President Barack Obama mentioned the group in a speech.
"Right now all around this country there are groups with harmless-sounding names like Americans for Prosperity, who are running millions of dollars of ads against Democratic candidates all across the country," he said. "And they don't have to say who exactly the Americans for Prosperity are. You don't know if it's a foreign-controlled corporation. You don't know if it's a big oil company, or a big bank."
Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity and the foundation said the DCCC complaint was a "nuisance complaint to intimidate" and is without merit.
"They're losing on the issues right now and when you're losing you lash out at what you perceive to be your opposition," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity and the foundation. "That's the reason for these attacks from the president, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the DCCC."
Americans for Prosperity was founded by billionaire David Koch of oil company Koch Industries.
Post a Comment
