Remember these are the Republicans who "will say or do anything in the name of GOD" !

GOP confirms it paid for calls
Party leader says effort intended to gather data, not oust moderate reps
06:18 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 1, 2006
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – The state Republican Party's top strategist, after fending off questions for nine months, has confirmed that the party paid for calls gauging the popularity of moderate Republicans in the Texas House.
One lawmaker said Monday that the effort was designed to defeat moderate GOP incumbents in primaries. But Jeff Fisher, the party's executive director, said it was an attempt to identify voters who support traditional values, so the party can court them in future races.
"The premise of the calls was not to test" state representatives, Mr. Fisher said. "The premise of the calls was Proposition 2. We were identifying Proposition 2 voters," backers of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. It passed last fall.
Mr. Fisher said the calls measured re-election prospects of House GOP conservatives, not just moderates. He said he didn't share the information with anyone. He denied any link to conservative San Antonio billionaire James Leininger's $2.5 million bid to defeat five House GOP moderates.
Though some have described the calls as a sign of intraparty strife, Mr. Fisher said no purge was attempted – only party-building. He attributed negative publicity about the calls to "a couple of paranoid state reps," whom he declined to name.
Rep. Carter Casteel, who was Dr. Leininger's top target and who lost in the March primary, mocked Mr. Fisher's account.
"If you believe that, you believe in the tooth fairy," said Ms. Casteel, R-New Braunfels. "Why, sure, Leininger paid for it [and] they targeted certain people. And they certainly didn't call me and say, 'Carter, we want to help you build traditional party values, and I know this is your district and here's what we're doing.' They never said a word."
Ms. Casteel, who helped torpedo a school vouchers bill that Dr. Leininger promoted last year, said top state leaders wanted to oust Republican moderates.
"They targeted me and people who didn't drink the Kool-Aid," she said. "I've used my brain to think. I didn't let the party think for me."
Republican Reps. Tommy Merritt of Longview and Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, who survived primary challenges by Leininger-backed opponents, said they want to see the calls' findings about themselves but that Mr. Fisher has dragged his feet.
"The party fails to be transparent with Republican incumbent legislators," Mr. Merritt said. "They are continuing the attempt to cleanse the Legislature."
Mr. Fisher said he would share the information with GOP incumbents who think they need help this fall. He said about 40 House districts were tested, though he can't recall how many have GOP state representatives.
The calls were first disclosed in November by the Quorum Report, an online political newsletter. The party did not report the spending to the Texas Ethics Commission until July. It reported paying nearly $107,000 in January for "survey calls" by ccAdvertising of Herndon, Va.
The firm's Web site says it specializes in automated calls that recognize respondents' voices and then record responses to pre-recorded questions.
Though Dr. Leininger gave the party $230,000 early in the year, Mr. Fisher and a Leininger spokesman said, the money wasn't necessarily for the calls. Dr. Leininger "does not earmark funds" when he gives to the party, said spokesman Ken Hoagland.
Reports to the Ethics Commission also showed:
•The state GOP pays for an Austin apartment for its chairwoman, Tina Benkiser of Houston. Mr. Fisher said it did the same for former Chairwoman Susan Weddington.
•Committees controlled by House Speaker Tom Craddick and Dr. Leininger provided nearly half the funding for a "stealth" effort to protect Craddick lieutenants in the March primary. Craddick allies activated the dormant Texas Opportunity PAC in late February. It spent $228,000 on a losing bid to protect Rep. Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington. It spent $150,000 on eight other Craddick allies. Six survived the primary.
E-mail rtgarrett@dallasnews.com

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-txgop_01tex.1.ART.State.Edition1.251afb3.html