Value Removed: Wally Herger Forms Caucus That Doesn’t Caucus
Rep. Wally Herger of California decided last month that he wanted to form a congressional caucus (formally known as a Congressional Member Organization) and attract the maximum number of members possible from among his fellow members of the House of Representatives. And so he sent them a letter making this recruitment appeal:
I am writing you today to give you the opportunity to join this pro-taxpayer, Anti-VAT caucus. The Anti-VAT caucus currently has 43 Congressmen and 2 Senators, and we’re looking to grow the list quickly over the next several weeks. This caucus has no meetings to attend and no dues to pay. All you need to do is sign up. Contact Jacob Feldman at ATR (jfeldman@atr.org) to do so, and he will sign you up right away.
What do you call an organization that doesn’t organize, a caucus that doesn’t caucus? A Potemkin caucus? A congressional member disorganization? Considering that the non-congressional group Americans for Tax Reform is really running this caucus, the label “front group” might be most accurate.
