A new super PAC is seeking to make Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump the next occupant of the White House.
The campaign group known as Trumpocrats PAC is made up of Democrats who distrust and oppose Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and who have switched their support to the GOP standard bearer.
The executive director of the organization is Christian Rickers, a lifelong Democrat who voted in the primary election for then-Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Rickers set up the super PAC in July 2016 under the initial name “American Uprising PAC.” He launched the super PAC with $20,000; however, the entity will be making a financial disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission on Sept. 30, 2016, and will presumably have a more sizable amount of cash on hand.
The group’s website, TrumpocratsPAC.com, features videos geared toward encouraging Democrats to get onboard the Trump train.
Rickers made a recent appearance on “Fox & Friends” and stated his purpose in forming the group.
“There are hundreds of thousands of Democrats, voters in key battleground states, that are strong supporters of Donald Trump, and we’re giving them a place to work out of, a place to organize,” Rickers told “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade.
The group’s focus is different from numerous other super PACs in that it is aiming its efforts primarily toward organizing people at the local level.
“We are going to do a lot of grassroots efforts, unlike other super PACs,” Rickers explained.
The super PAC’s focus on grass-roots activities seems to be tailor-made for the current phase of the Trump campaign.
Prior to 2010, super PACs were known merely as PACs, an acronym for Political Action Committees. Groups were restricted at the time by campaign finance laws, which limited individuals to contributions of no more than $2,500 and prohibited corporations and unions from making any contribution at all.
In 2010 the Supreme Court decision known as “Citizens United” (coupled with another federal court determination) allowed the formation of what are known as “independent expenditure-only” groups, now referred to as super PACs.
The opposition of Trumpocrats PAC against Hillary is based on the economic devastation caused to many communities as a result of poorly negotiated trade agreements, which have been benefitting special interests as opposed to the American people at large.
Disaffected Democrats find Trump’s position of standing firm against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) particularly appealing; this is the same TPP that Hillary more than 40 times voiced public support for but now says she opposes.
According to the Trumpocrats founder, Trump is “the only one talking about rebuilding infrastructure and manufacturing in this country.”
“I came from a very small town where we had 25 manufacturing plants 20 years ago, and now there’s one,” Rickers said. “He [Trump] is speaking to that. He’s got a plan and he’s talked about that.”
Rickers does not view Clinton as being interested in the economic welfare of U.S. citizens.
“Hillary is more, I would say, a global candidate, the Clinton global initiative. She’s more of a global candidate and Donald Trump wants to do something here at home first,” Rickers said.
Democrats who supported Sanders seem to be a natural constituency for the recruiting effort of Trumpocrats PAC.
To disaffected Democrats, especially those who passionately believed in the Sanders platform, the Democratic presidential nominee represents Bernie’s polar opposite.
Hillary’s huge cash contributions from wealthy donors, numerous conflicts of interests, endless support from the establishment media, and, of course, inherent globalist inclinations are a major turnoff to those who had been feeling “the Bern.”
Additionally, many supporters of Sanders continue to have great difficulty with a candidate that they believe cheated her way to obtaining the Democratic nomination, a sentiment that was boosted by the Wikileaks revelation of information that led to the resignation of then-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The Trumpocrats characterize themselves on the super Pac website as “Americans first.”
“We are disillusioned with the rigged political and economic system that has left millions of Americans behind. We want good jobs again and we want our dignity back. We want to work hard, support our families, and live our lives,” the site notes.
Trump is described on the Trumpocrats web page as “the anti-politician” and “the only candidate that can bring real change to Washington.”
According to Rickers, the initial target of the activities of the Trumpocrats will be the frequently discussed and highly-touted swing states.
“We are going to go through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and parts of Florida, very targeted areas, and we’re going to shout from the mountaintops about what we need to do to improve things in this country. And there are a lot of people up and down these gutted out communities that really want to make a change, and we’re going to give them a place to do that,” Rickers said.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read more reports from James Hirsen — Click Here Now.
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