RNC is in ur records, auditin' ur loyalties

It should come as no surprise that the RNC is trying to scare dollars out of professed Republicans who do not meet some required level of loyalty. After all, the party has spent years creating bogeymen to fundraise against, so why not go for the jugular and point out that the bogeyman is you?? (ok, ok, and a little help from the Clintons)

TPM posted this scan of an amazingly audacious RNC fundraising letter, in which it highlights how the recipient is not a loyal Republican, complete with a printout of the recipient's voting record and stances on certain social issues (interestingly, as Kossak Stand Strong points out, health care is not one of those issues the RNC cares about).

The RNC begins its scare tactic by opening with:

Dear Friend,

Are you a Republican?

Our records show that you registered as a member of our party in ... But a recent audit of your party affiliation turned up some irregularities.

Well there's a hook for ya. Make your recipient think that there's a problem with their registration! Then sucker-punch them by making them feel that their party loyalty is questionable:

I am writing to find out where you stand. For example, we have no record of your support for President George W. Bush.

In fact, we have no record of your support for a Republican Presidential candidate going back to President Ronald W. Reagan!

And despite several requests, you have never made a dues payment to the Republican National Committee (not even a partial payment).

And, if the poor recipient is scared into thinking that they have done something wrong or missed a "dues payment", they can fill out the attached audit form and send in a check, thereby assuring the Reich that their loyalties are firm (note that the form looks like an official government document).

No wonder Republican groups across the board are having difficulty fundraising if these are the tactics they're using.

Creepy. And sleazy. Must not forget sleazy.

P.S. TPMmuckraker has a great ongoing discussion about the letter here