Can you smell it? It’s called Ruck.us. Ruck.us (http://www.ruck.us) is where the independents and other political inactivists will finally be able to gather online to talk about, organize, and get involved in whatever it is they believe in. Right there at Ruck.us. Of course I thought that was what the Coffee Party was for. Then there was No Labels. In NH we have the LFODA. And don’t forget F*ck Tea. There must be room for more of these groups.
But you know what? I bet this time it is different. I bet Ruck.us is not funded by Democrats. And it probably isn’t run by some crowd of entrenched progressives, and well connected left wingers like all those other so-called non-partisan, can’t we all just get along pretenders….except…that…it is.
Both of its founders have deep roots into the Democrat Party machine.
The Co-Founder and CEO is Nathan Daschel. Nathan is the son of Tom Daschle. Yes, that Tom Daschle. Nathan is a Democrat, but not just some off the street, work-a-day Democrat. He was the executive Director of the Democrat Governors Association (DGA). He helped break fund raising records, win elections, and I’m sure his years in the Legislative affairs office of AFSCME, (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) that giant national public sector union, helped frame his new commitment to the needs of the non-partisan middle. He also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Yes, a high profile, environmental justice, green group.)
When asked in Roll Call about Ruck.us and his political affiliations he said this.
"I was an unwavering Democrat because that was my best option," said Daschle… "My principles have not changed. … The only thing that has changed is the medium I choose to realize my political goals."
Best option. Unwavering Democrat. ‘My principles have not changed.’
Now compare his bio on Ruck.us, to the one on the Huffington post. (emphasis mine.)
Ruck.us
The Founder and Chief Executive Ruck.us Bringer is Nathan Daschle. Nathan is a reformed lawyer and political operative. From 2007-2010, he served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association. During this time, Democratic Governors and candidates suffered historic losses, particularly in key battleground states. Nathan hasn’t slept a full night since. Scarred by this experience, Nathan now dreams of a day when people can shed their partisan labels and organize freely around the issues they care about most.
HuffPo
Nathan Daschle is the Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), where he manages all of the organization’s policy, finance, and political efforts. Since Nathan became Executive Director in 2007, DGA has broken its all-time fundraising record, won all of its targeted races, and expanded the ranks of Democratic Governors to a 15-year high. Under Nathan’s leadership, DGA has also played a prominent role in the national debate and has earned a reputation as a leading Democratic organization.
Daschle left the DGA in December 2010 so his Ruck.us bio ignores his glowing success prior to November 2010. Memory loss? Selective editing? Setting the table? Remember, "[his] principles have not hanged."
That means that this is just another social media venture of the left disguised as a place for independents to gather and activate over non-partisan issues.
Do I sound skeptical? Am I being unfair? Perhaps the other co-founder is the guy who balances everything out, yes?
No.
Meet Ray Glendening. Ray, also a Democrat, served as the Deputy Political Director for the same Democrat Governor’s Association, and as Deputy National Field Director in Gov. Richardson’s presidential campaign. He also spent five years at AFSCME International prior to that. Oh, Glendening, is also the son of former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, Democrat.
Ray is hoping to find a new way to look at politics. Sure you are Ray.
And can we guess where these guys met? Was it at AFSCME, the intolerant left wing Union ATM committed to the expansion of the state at taxpayer expense? Or how about at that place that gets Democrat Governors elected? Non-partisan? If you think this group intends to be non-partisan then I have a shovel ready project for you.
Ruck.us is built as an organizing platform, based on the success of Obama’s internet blitzkrieg from 2008. Using questionnaires it helps find groups of Ruck’s for you to join, presumably populated by like minded outcasts in the political middle. Once there you can freely discuss and debate issues based on whatever first principles motivate the middle. You will be encouraged to start and sign petitions, support candidates or issues, (all in the name of diluting the influence of–see trashing–the Tea Party and the conservative right.) Did I mention that prominent Democrat political strategists and former Union political advisers are compiling the questions and controlling the environment?
This is clearly just another Democrat dug watering hole for the so-called independents. Another ‘what about the rest of us,’ can’t we just get along Potemkin village for the rhetorical disaffected masses; another place where the center can continue to be redefined and more than likely monitored, by leftists.
Talk about a focus group. Note to participants. When you are not being led by the nose-ring towards the more progressive more-government-is-always-the=answer "solution," Glendening and Daschle will be pumping the free data you are providing them back to their Democrat masters so they can tweak the socialist narrative.
The left is all about controlling the message. There is no way in hell that is not part of that strategy.
