Ryan J. Foley, come on down! I have no idea what this, in your piece about Herman Cain’s star player status in the Americans for Prosperity network, is supposed to mean.
His links to the Koch brothers could undercut his outsider, non-political image among tea party fans who detest politics as usual and candidates connected with the party machine.
Let’s break down the problems with this.
1) “Tea Party fans” are also fans of Americans for Prosperity – and fans of the Kochs. I’ve been in the ballrooms as AFP activists cheered David Koch as he talked about his role in the movement and attacked the media for writing about him. AFP was a co-sponsor of the last Tea Party Express tour, too.
2) AFP is not “the party machine.” It’s found a role as an outside, organizing force that baptises Republican politicians with cred, gives them ideas, and organizes rallies for them to meet the people at. Later in the piece, Foley points out that Cain will eschew an Iowa GOP event to be with AFP in Washington, which is just more evidence that AFP maintains a useful distance from GOP politics.
