Appropriated Conservative Labeling

A rash of groups have popped up in Texas claiming the conservative mantel. These new groups are careful to work the word conservative into their branding, but conservative consumers are becoming wise to their tactics and agendas.

Recently Texans with Republican ties on Facebook have been served ads from The Texas Conservatives Fund. It’s Facebook page is designed for a quick glance of the groups “values” leading to a “like” solicitation. The page is cryptic. Even the about isn’t particularly insightful, “to promote Texas Conservative Values for the GOP nomination for Texas in the US Senate in 2012.”

So this group will back whoever wins the GOP run-off in the November election? Nope.

To get an upfront account of what the Texas Conservative Fund is you have to navigate to its website to see it was created to “promote David Dewhurst’s candidacy for the GOP nomination for the US Senate in 2012.” Texas Conservative Fund’s Facebook sneakiness is suspicious given the recent streak of groups with liberal ties employing similar tactics.

Exposed liberal front group Honest Texans has been running the same scheme for a year to grow it’s following. Luckily the Trojan Horse was exposed as a liberal front before it could activate a tricked audience.

Then we have Conservative Voters of Texas. This PAC was set up by Steve Mostyn, Texas’ George Soros-esque mega-donor. Mostyn spent over $10 million in 2010 to help elect Democrats across Texas including Bill White. Mostyn’s stooge front man Mark McCaig launched Conservative Voters of Texas to play in GOP primaries in 2012. McCaig, a former member of the State Republican Executive Committee and Conservative Voters of Texas, had a short shelf life after he was outed by Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

Like Mostyn’s group, the Texas Conservative Roundtable launched in 2012 to undermine conservatives by posing as a conservative group. TXCR was quickly discredited when it released a flawed and blatantly crony scorecard. Shortly after it’s scorecard debacle the Roundtable was directly linked to embattled House Speaker Joe Straus.

Steer clear of tricks. Texans are getting wise and even the appearance of misleading tactics is likely to raise alarms and ire.