On Wednesday, we published a report over at Permanent Defense analyzing Tim Eyman’s first two months of fundraising, entitled, “Voters Want More Choices begins 2011 with no wealthy benefactor in sight”.
That report apparently hit a nerve, because Tim Eyman is presently sending out a mass-email to his supporters quoting it in full and asking them to respond by giving him more money… and sending me a nastygram. Here’s the last part of that message (which has also been cross-posted at unSoundPolitics):
Please send an email to Andrew Villeneuve and let him know that his arrogant gloating inspired you to donate.
You can also email Brian Tomlinson, candidate for Olympia City Council, who said “God damn Tim Eyman” at a town hall meeting on Saturday: [Brian Tomlinson’s email address] — tell him that his ugliness inspired you to contribute.
It will drive them crazy to learn that their attacks only inspired more people to help out. They wanted to hurt our cause, imagine how infuriating it’ll be for them to learn they helped our cause. Make sure to ‘cc’ me at [Tim Eyman’s email address] when you send your emails to them — I’ll share the best ones with everyone next week.
Nowhere in his email does Eyman deny what we said about him in that report: that without big bucks from a wealthy benefactor, his initiative factory will grind to a halt. And that’s because Eyman knows what we know: money is what has been greasing the gears of his operation for more than a decade.
The money Eyman has raised from small-dollar donors is negligible compared to what he has received from the likes of wealthy investment banker Michael Dunmire, Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman Jr., the gambling industry, BP, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and USBank.
Without them, Eyman could not buy his way onto the ballot.
NPI and Permanent Defense do not have such powerful allies. We rely principally on financial contributions from fellow activists to pay our bills.
For almost ten years, we’ve fought Tim Eyman and opposed his destructive initiatives without a wealthy benefactor.
Your support has helped make that possible. You’ve helped us along the way with your time, talent, and treasure. We can’t thank you enough.
But as Tim Eyman’s email above makes clear, our task is not finished. Tim Eyman is not retiring. He’s on the hunt for a new wealthy benefactor. And if history is any indication, he’ll find one. He’s known for being relentless.
Fortunately, so are we. We haven’t given up and we haven’t burned out because we know you’re counting on us. We know that many of you appreciate getting the chance to learn more about we’ve been up to in person, and enjoying refreshments with other NPI supporters. That’s why, this April 28th, we’re holding our third Spring Fundraising Gala on Mercer Island.
Our speakers include Peter Steinbrueck and Reuven Carlyle, with more to be announced.
If Tim Eyman’s attempted harassment has inspired you to contribute to help NPI keep going, we urge you to buy a ticket to our Spring Fundraising Gala now.
Buy an individual ticket ($40):
Buy a household ticket ($70):
If you need details about the event for your calendar, here they are:
- What: An event to benefit the Northwest Progressive Institute
- Who: Peter Steinbrueck, Reuven Carlyle, NPI’s Andrew Villeneuve (with more speakers to be announced!)
- Where: Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 SE 24th Street, Mercer Island, WA 98040–2235
- When: Thursday, April 28th, 2011. Reception begins at 6:30 PM, main program to begin at 7:15 PM.
- What: Refreshments, music, memorable speakers, and great company
Can’t attend the gala? You can still make a donation of any amount securely from our website. Or, if you prefer, you can donate by check. Our address is:
Northwest Progressive Institute
Post Office Box 264
Redmond, WA 98073–0264
One more thing: Students who want to volunteer to help put on the event can get in the door free. If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch with us.
With your help, NPI’s Permanent Defense will continue watchdogging Tim Eyman and responding to his misinformation for years to come.
We hope to see you on April 28th!