Citizens United Foundation: (202) 547-5420 info@citizensunited.org
Contact HSP Direct at (703) 793-3220 and email them at info@hspdirect.com. If that doesn’t work, contact the CEO Jamie Hogan hogan@hspdirect.com. Contact NOVA List and Sunrise Data Services. They are sister companies to HSP Direct. They manage the mailing lists for HSP Direct. You are going to have to be as annoying as possible to get these people’s attention. It took 3 months for NOVA List to get back to me. Do not be as shy as I was. If they don’t get back to you in about a week, tattle on them to the DMA.
InfoCision (330) 668-1400
Today is all about the charity Citizens United Foundation, Welcome to Drowning in Junk mail.
Hi My name is Jennifer or darthjenni. I run the blog Drowning in Junk Mail where I documented a massive junk mail problem, and teach people how to stop junk mail.
Today I will be talking about Citizens United. Not the court case but charity behind the court case. I will give a brief history of the organization, read a piece of junk mail I revived from them, and give you some tips on how to stop their junk mail.
Citizens United (Wiki page Source Watch page) was founded in 1988 by Floyd Brown, a longtime Washington political consultant. Brown would go on to found The Western Journal website and junk mail mill. Brown and his family could have a video all to themselves. But we will leave him here, to talk about the current head of Citizens United David Bossie.
This next section is an edited excerpt from this CNN article.
Bossie emerged on the national political scene in the 1990s, first as a researcher – digging into Whitewater, the real-estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Arkansas – and later as the hard-driving top investigator for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Bossie was forced to resign from the committee 18 months into his tenure, following bipartisan criticism of his practices. He had released selectively edited tapes of prison conversations with Webster Hubbell, a Clinton friend and former Justice Department official.
In 2000, he became president and chairman of Citizens United
Footage of Floyd Brown
https://www.c-span.org/video/?24910-1/house-bank-investigation
Footage of Bossie
CSPAN May 5, 2016 Washington Journal David Bossie on Money in Politics
CSPAN April 27, 2018 Republican National Lawyers Conference, David Bossie
His attempt to distribute Citizens United’s 2007 scathing documentary about Hillary Clinton gave rise to the Supreme Court’s 2010 landmark Citizens United ruling that swept aside decades-old restrictions on corporate spending in candidate elections and helped usher in a new era of big money in American politics.
If you want to know more about the court case I have linked to one of the many excellent videos on YouTube below.
David Bossie introduced Then candidate Donald Trump to his network of friends including the conservative firebrand Steve Bannon, with whom Bossie had produced several documentary films. Bannon co-founded Breitbart News, which was funded by the Mercer family. KellyAnne Conway also worked for the Mercers and soon she was on the Trump train as well.
New Yorker article about the connections between Donald Trump and Robert Mercer.
As Trump and his brand of politics rose in the Republican Party, so did Bossie.
In 2016, Maryland’s Republican Party elected him to chair the state’s delegation to the Republican National Convention that would go on to nominate Donald Trump for president.
October 4, 2016 Road to the White House 2016 Vice Presidential Candidates Debate Media Center At 17.35 Bossie speaks to the press.
This is how close David Bossie was to Trump:
November 09, 2016 U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway greet supporters during his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar. David Bossie to the left of Donald Trump, Steve Bannon to the right of Kellyanne Conway
Photo of Bannon, Connaway, and Rebekah Mercer on Donald Trump’s inauguration day January 20, 2017, from Dan Scavino Jr’s Instagram. I couldn’t find the original post. But the internet is forever.
This is around the time that Betsy Woodruff Swan from the Daily Beast, now with Politico, contacted me asking about Citizens United junk mail. I had a sample that said WOOpsie! We know you sent a $50 check. It was lost in the mail could you send us another one? The problem was that we had taken away the checkbook of the person who’s junk mail I was stopping months before, so there was no chance she did that. And how would they know that a check was lost in the mail?
Did Right-Wing Group Citizens United Target Dementia Sufferers for Fundraising?
Right-Wing Group Citizens United Again May Have Tried to Trick the Elderly Into Giving It Cash
In 2019 Betsy’s husband Jonathan Swan, and other reporters from Axios teamed up with Campaign Legal Center (Wiki page) to look at the shady and manipulative junk mail, and Facebook ads Citizens United was putting out at the time.
Scoop: Inside a top Trump adviser’s fundraising mirage
Elderly Bossie donors say they thought they were helping Trump
David Bossie’s embarrassing retreat
The mailpiece they got a hold of was from the Citizens United project Presidential Coalition. (Sourcewatch page, Open Secrets page, Follow the Money page)
Presidential Coalition is supposed to be “dedicated to identifying and supporting conservative candidates running for office at the state and local levels of government” since its founding in 2005.
The group’s fundraising appeals also urge supporters to “grow the Republican ‘farm team'” and “train and prepare conservative candidates to run and win in local elections.”
In reality only 3% of the $15.4 million it spent during 2017 and 2018 went to direct political activity. That would be direct donations to a campaign, or ads supporting a campaign.
Citizens United walked right up to the line of saying the Presidential Coalition was endorsed by President Trump. Team Trump was livid and Bossie shutdown fundraising for the group.
This is a Facebook ad they were running in 2019. The nice thing about Facebook is that they let you look at who the ad was aimed at. People who are 65+ years old was their target audience.
One donor to Presidential Coalition thought the money was going directly to help President Trump:
Even one of the Presidential Coalition’s biggest individual donors, an 85-year-old man, who gave $101,000 during 2017 and 2018, said he thought “the money goes toward supporting the president”: “I know some of it went to the president and his campaign because I saw the ads,” he told Axios before we shared details of how the money was spent. Source
That brings us to this mailpiece I received in January 2021. I have opened a PO Box and I am trying to sign up for as many mailing lists as I can. So far I am on about 20 different groups mailing lists. And Citizens United was not one that I signed up for. My information is already being sold. This the first mailpiece from Citizens United I have received during this project. Nowhere on the envelope does it say Citizens United or David Bossie. All the green highlights you can see on the letter are the mentions of Citizens United.
The envelope says it is from Rediscovering God in America and Newt Gingrich. In large red letters it says INVITATION ENCLOSED. PLEASE RSVP. So far we have a famous person, and the mailpiece is demanding that we open it up.
Inside is a 6 page letter, a donation form, and a return envelope, not postage paid. We know you are cheap Citizens United.
In The Dialogue Method by Prof. Siegfried Vogele, the first time a person looks at a mail package their eye bounces all over the letter before reading it. They want to know:
- Who is this from?
- What do they want from me?
- What benefit is there in it for me?
- Do I need it?
- Is it for me?
Think about these questions as we go through this mailpiece.
Secrets of Direct Mail: The Dialogue Method by Siegfried Vögele
Answering The Right Questions With Your Envelope
Storytelling, Fundraising and the Dialogue Method
Secrets of direct mail 4: storytelling, fundraising and the dialogue method
This is how I diagramed out the first page of the appeal letter. The reader will look at the logo at the top Rediscovering God in America, the name Newt Gingrich, glance at the words Founding Fathers, see Rediscovering God in America again in bold at the bottom, then flip the letter to the end to read the Post Script.
That is what my eye did. Did any words or phrases catch your eye?
This letter is from Newt Gingrich The signature is clear. You can clearly read the name Newt. And it is in blue, we know this is an original letter not a photocopy.
The post script is the first part of a appeal letter that a person will read all the way through. The best appeal letter writers will use this space to quickly sum up the appeal they are making, and drive home the importance of making a donation. Let’s see how Citizens United uses this important space:
“P.S. Remember, if you can send a generous gift of at least $35, you’ll receive your very own copy of Rediscovering God in America documentary in DVD format.
And the next time someone tells you that God doesn’t belong in the public square, you can show them a copy of this movie and proudly say, ‘Yes, he does!'”
Every time I read this out loud I want to say “proudly proclaim”. But they went with a word with a lower reading comprehension level.
Great use of the P.S. Newt Gingrich wants us to donate $35 to Citizens United to get a copy of the Rediscovering God in America DVD. And the movie solves a problem. I keep getting into fights with my kids about why can’t the city put up a statue of the 10 commandments in the park next to City Hall. Now I can show them this movie and I will win the argument. I’m already getting up to get my checkbook.
I think the PostScript answers almost all of our main questions:
- Who is this from? Newt Gingrich & Rediscovering God in America
- What do they want from me? $35
- What benefit is there in it for me? A copy of the Rediscovering God in America DVD
- Do I need it? Yes, DVD solves a problem
- Is it for me? Yes, I love God and America. It will say so in the first line of letter.
Callista Gingrich Instagram Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL November 14 2014
Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash Union Station, Washington, USA Washington, D.C. on July 4th, 2019
Supreme Court in Washington, DC. USDA Photo by Ken Hammond
Photo by Ryan Arnst on Unsplash Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA
Pledge of Allegiance graphic from The Natural Homeschool
Back of money “In God We Trust” from “In God We Trust” Wiki page
UHP troopers lift a memorial cross into place near the Utah Highway Patrol building in Murray UT. Stuart Johnson, Deseret News archives
Callista Gingrich Instagram Vatican City 2019
United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. USDA Photo by Ken Hammond
Photo by Peter Mitchell on Unsplash Washington Monument, 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA
John Trumbull: Declaration of Independence
US Constitution from the Constitution of the United States Wiki page
George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait)
Mather Brown: Thomas Jefferson
Howard Chandler Christy: Declaration of Independence
Washington Monument, Washington, DC in early morning light on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. USDA photo by Ken Hammond
Washington Monument capstone from the Washington Monument Wiki page
Capitol Building’s “In God We Trust” plaque from the The Architect of the Capitol
Inside the National Archives Building, includes photo of Inlaid Bronze Medallion, Rotunda Lobby
Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Footage of Michael Newdow Establishment of Religion Clause Oral Arguments, Part 1 December 4,2007
Wiki page for Michael Newdow
Wiki page for Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow
Photo by Jacob Creswick Washington Monument
Photo by Ryan Arnst Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA
Photo by Peter Mitchell Washington Monument base
Thad Zajdowicz: Lincoln Memorial
Gallup poll 2004 91% of americans want “under god” to remain in the pledge of allegiance
Lifeway Research 2014 85% want to keep “under God” in the pledge.
During the Obama administration, our elected Representatives in Congress were BANNED from wishing their constituents a “Merry Christmas” in their official, holiday greetings.
In 2011 Politifact wrote about Gingrich going on about congress people not being able to say “Merry Christmas” out loud as a greeting to people. Congress does bar taxpayer-funded official mailings of all types of greeting cards. However, such rules affect only one class of federal employees (those who serve in Congress); the rules are only about postage (lawmakers are free to send cards on their own dime)
Example of Christmas Card paid with campaign funds.
U.S, District Court Judge Barbara Brandriff Crabb ruled out time-honored National Day of Prayer unconstitutional.
She did. But, it was overturned in 2011. The National Day of Prayer was established by Congress in 1952, and in 1988 was set as the first Thursday in May. By law, the president must proclaim a national day of prayer every year. Despite the initial ruling President Obama proclaimed a National Day of Prayer in 2010.
National Day of Prayer ruled against 2010
Overturned 2011 The decision was based on the finding that Freedom From Religion Foundation the group that challenged the law did not have standing to do so.
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that crosses erected on public land along Utah highways to commemorate slain highway patrol officers were likewise unconstitutional.
This is true. The suit argued that the placement of crosses on public land violates the principle of separation of church and state. The crosses were moved to private property owned by DATS Trucking in Hurricane, Utah
Utah memorials to highway patrol officers 2011
Utah Highway Patrol Association statement about the memorial crosses
Utah highway crosses removed to be refurbished and placed on private land
2016 update Crosses were moved to private property owned by DATS Trucking in Hurricane Utah
And at a rally of anti-God protesters in Washington D.C. thousands of atheists chanted “We’re here. We’re godless — get used to it,”
That happened at the 2012 Reason Rally
“The crowd chanted “We’re here. We’re godless — get used to it,” led by Fred Dewords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason (Wiki page), reported The Washington Post. The rally was sponsored by over 20 organizations.” Sadly I could not find video of this happening.
Reason Rally’ attracts atheists, secularists, humanists
Callista Gingrich Instagram Rome, Italy August 19, 2018
Why such a long letter? Richard Viguerie the father of modern political junk mail, owner of American Target Advertising, says that A multi-page pitch in a package will pull in more money than a one-page pitch will.
This letter is designed to keep the reader “engaged and enraged” long enough so they donate.
Rediscovering God in America (Wiki page, Amazon page) the book came out around 2006 and the movie came out in 2007. The movie is one of the best selling movies Citizens United has ever made. The book that inspired the movie is in it’s 3rd edition. It was so successful that they made a sequel book and movie, Rediscovering God in America II: Our Heritage.
Story about how Bossie and Gingrich teamed up to make movies.
Can you imagine movie company still promoting movies from 2007?
Or the radio still playing top hits from 2007 in heavy rotation.
In the direct mail industry this is perfectly OK to do. And you are held in high regard if you do it. In the direct mail fundraising world if you can put together an appeals package that has a good pull of money, you ride that package until the money dries up.
There is an entire company devoted to tracking successful direct mail packages: Who’s Mailing What. They call a mailpiece that has been used for over 3 years to raise money a “Grand Control”.
Video of Who’s Mailing What library
Do they have a “Super Diamond Platinum Grand Control” for a package that is 14 years old?
It is obvious from the “ripped from the headlines” stories they site that this package was refreshed around 2012
Last page, the donation page. This page is the “Personal Invention” that was mentioned on the outer envelope. It a “Personal Invention” to send them money.
I have received the same letter again. This time with a outer envelope refresh. The letter is exactly the same. But the outer envelope has a full color photo of the DVD cover.
This is the back of the outer envelope. It has a part of the P.S. from the letter.
Back to the donation page. This page is the first time Citizens United Foundation is really mentioned and the focus of the target donor. They have sprinkled it throughout the package but it was hidden in small print. “You should make your check payable to Citizens United Foundation”.
Before you do, before you donate to any charity be it from a piece of mail or over the phone or if you saw them in TV commercial , please look them up on Charity Navigator.
Citizens United Foundation’s Charity Navigator page
This is Citizens United Foundations’ Charity Navigator page. It has a 1 star rating. At this point you know that they don’t know how to run a charity. You should toss the mailpiece in the trash, and do everything you can to get off their mailing list.
If you really want the movie, instead of donating $35 through the mail, you can order the Rediscovering God in America DVD directly from the Citizens United website, both parts one and two are $7.50 each plus $4 shipping.
Why am I getting a mailpiece that is 14 years old? Is this their introduction to Citizens United package that they send out when they buy other charities mailing lists? I didn’t sign up for Citizens United’s mailing list. But I did sign up for about 20 other ones. Did I catch them in the cycle their direct mail campaign when they are sending out a greatest hit?
In conclusion:
Don’t donate to Citizens United, they will just send you lots of junk mail and call you during dinner. They will sell your information to the clients of their fundraisers.
Look up every charity you want to donate to on Charity Navigator. You should only donate to 3 and 4 star charities. For a list of great charities check out Charity Navigator’s Perfect Score List and Charitywatch’s Top rated charities page. Links to those lists below. No matter what your charitable focus is they have a charity for you. Better yet find a local charity that makes a huge impact on your local community.
If you want to support a politician donate directly to their campaign or their national party. Look up the name of the Political Action Committee or PAC that is asking you for money on the FEC.gov or Open Secrets website to make sure the money is going to candidate you want to support. Donations to PACs are not tax deductible.
This was the part where I was going to show you the FEC’s page for presidential coalition. Unfortunately in the time it took me to do the research and editing the video the FEC has deleted the documents for Presidential Coalition from their website. It is OK, instead I will show you Open Secrets. They track “dark money” in politics. The FEC website is very dense and for data nerds only. Open Secrets takes the data and makes it easier for the average person to read.
This is the page for Presidential Coalition in 2018. And for contrast this is the page for Trump Make America Great Again Committee also in 2018. A real PAC that really supports a candidate will have lots of money flowing directly to the campaign, and it’s support system.
A fake PAC will have little to no donations to candidates or a political party. Most of the money will go to fundraising. And that big purple “Unclassifiable” part of the pie is a huge red flag and points to sloppy bookkeeping.
My point of all of this is look up everyone you want to donate money to.
This is the contact information for Citizens United, and their fundraisers HSP Direct and InfoCision. This information is linked below in the description box, or if you are reading this on my blog it is right below the video. Both HSP and InfoCision are notorious for selling and trading donor information. If you donate to one of their clients, you will be put on the mailing list for all of their clients.
Citizens United Foundation: (202) 547-5420 info@citizensunited.org
Contact HSP Direct at (703) 793-3220 and email them at info@hspdirect.com. If that doesn’t work, contact the CEO Jamie Hogan hogan@hspdirect.com. Contact NOVA List and Sunrise Data Services. They are sister companies to HSP Direct. They manage the mailing lists for HSP Direct. You are going to have to be as annoying as possible to get these people’s attention. It took 3 months for NOVA List to get back to me. Do not be as shy as I was. If they don’t get back to you in about a week, tattle on them to the DMA.
InfoCision (330) 668-1400
If you donated to Citizens United and you think you were defrauded by them or one of their many projects please contact the FBI and the FTC and the Washington, DC Office of Consumer Protection. Citizens United is located in Washington, DC
FBI press release that talks about scam PACs
Washington D.C. Office of Consumer Protection
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PaperKarma the junk mail-stopping app. DJM30 for 30% off a subscription
DeleteMe Use the code PARTNER20 for 20% off a subscription
Drowning in Junk Mail 