I think they’re for real guys.
Returning from the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania meeting of AFP, I have to say I’m interested. I asked Rob directly what – if any – collaboration there would be with existing organizations (VIPP, TJI, Club for Growth) and it seems as if AFP is keen to work with all three, but to a much lesser extent with the Club for Growth as AFP cannot endorse.
Privately, there was a bit of heartburn regarding Rob Whitney’s past having worked for Tom Davis and Sean Connaughton. Furthermore, I know there is a lot of talk AFP is really a front for a Davis/Connaughton/moderates-trying-a-different-tack to peel off some of the conservative anti-tax base.
However, given the speech I heard from Rob and talking with him briefly, he is either gung-ho and believes in the mission, or is bluffing us all and doing a really good job at it.
Surrounded by former Del. Harris, Del. Saxman, and Jim Miller, I believe the former. TABOR came up more than once, as well as a laundry list of effective grassroots organizing. In short, if a tax hike even surfaces in 2006, you can bet that AFP will do everything in it’s power to activate the grassroots.
If there is a path to limited government, Americans for Prosperity’s approach is tackling the spending side of the issue, not the tax side. Get control of spending, then we can get control of taxes; so goes the argument.
In effect, it will be what our think-tanks have been mission all along: a do-tank.
Looking forward to the statewide meeting in January.