https://www.facebook.com/TurnVARedAgain/
Has State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase (R) compromised her campaign?
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever maybe our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams
“The Virginia Transparency Caucus encourages public engagement and allows the public to hold their legislators more accountable by bringing the General Assembly to the ordinary citizen,”(Senator Amanda Chase).
State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase ( R ) representing the Virginia 11th District comprising Chesterfield, Amelia, and Colonial Heights has gone to war this week with supporters over whom she calls "nefarious" and "bad actors". The battle continued over the weekend after Chase released a post and then provided a recording of her interview with the Richmond Times -Dispatch that she apparently failed to inform reporter Patrick Wilson of the @RTDNews she was recording. Wilson published an article on Richmond.com attempting to get the evasive Chase on the record regarding her attempts to take control of one of the supporter pages on Facebook and have it fundraise for her campaign "unofficially". The group had no desire in becoming a "dark site" for Chase.
As of this post there are about a half dozen "Chase for Governor" pages and groups on Facebook. There is no reporting of Chase raising any concerns regarding any of these pages or groups. As a public figure, it is not uncommon for "supporter" and "fan" pages or groups to be created without the involvement of the figure. The group that Chase chose to go to war with was fully transparent in its efforts and intentions behind creating the group. Its description clearly states that the group is unaffiliated with any campaign nor is run by any staff from any campaign. It is clear from the public comments made that Chase attempted to seek "control" of the group by demanding placement of her own staff or herself as administrator of the group.
Join is discussion in Chasing Victory in Virginia 2020-21 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2606638476319301/
Chase had joined the group herself on Janaury 20, 2020. It was not until she became angry over a post reported to her by her mother who also was in the group that a supporter posted a positive post concerning State Senator Jill Vogel (R). Vogel was the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in 2017. It was commented that Vogel while losing to Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax (D) outperformed every other Republican running for statewide office in ther last few cycles including President Trump. This comment angered Chase who has demonstrated a very thin skin in the past (See Capital Police incident 2019) when dealing with others especially conservatives she feels should hold allegiance to her.
Chase became irate when she was taken to task for her vote on an anti-discrimination bill S.B 868 passed by the Virginia Senate in which she voted "Nay".Chase felt as though she should not have to defend her votes or positions to "supporters" and that anyone that would question her positions is clearly not a "supporter". Chase asserted that if you are in a "supporter group" that it was no place to question her positions on such things as conversion therapy which Chase says she supports. These votes are controversial positons for many voters in Virginia especially suburban families with children that are gay or lesbian or identify a transgender queer. These families may not be Chase's target audience today but will need them come any statewide race in 2021 and that was exactly what the supporter was asking Chase to explain. Chase has stated she is pro-family yet her vote on S.B. 868 is appears to contradict that claim. When dealing with issues, Chase typical invokes her Christian faith and that has not sat well with all supporters according to recent interactions. Not all families living in Virginia hold the same "values" as Chase let alone her faith.
Chase was called out for the fact the Republican Creed clearly states that "all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice and opportunities". In effect her vote denies such equal rights to minorities, pregant women and people of differing national origins. Chase defended her "conservative" positions but was informed that they were not "Republican" positions. Chase has been removed from her local county Republican committee last September for similar decisions after not following the committees by laws and going her own way. The vote against any anti-discrimination is a vote in support of discrimination itself. A battle that the Republican Party itself fought for in the Civil Rights Movement.
Chase decided to take to her official page to condemn the group she had been a member of four months with no issues after the group adminstrators and moderator refused to remove the supporters who questioned her or would not permit her Campaign Manager Philip Search being made administrator. Chase's position appears to be that if the group moderators were true "supporters" they would simply turn the group they built to over eleven thousand members over to her. This appears to be a pattern for Chase similar to her incident with the Capital Police where she made claims than once a video was released was forced to walk back her intial claim that she did not drop the "f bomb" in berating an officer. Chase appears to have asserted she made no demands upon the group moderators, however communication between Chase and the group prove that claim false.
Chase released the following statement on her official page regarding the supporters group:
“Bait and switch” is an unethical, non-transparent and disingenuous tactic used not only to lure innocent non-suspecting victims to purchase goods presented as one thing that turn out to be something completely different, victimizing the consumer.
And that which is substituted is usually far substantially less in value that was originally marketed. Unfortunately, that happens in politics and this week it happened to me. Well I refuse to be the victim.
I’ve learned in politics that there are supporters and then there are opportunists. There is no greater honor than earning the confidence of someone who believes you are the right person for a position.
Since I’ve announced my run for governor I’ve had many opportunists who tried to use my name and tremendous support across the Commonwealth for their own agenda and even nefarious purposes. I could ignore it but I won’t. As a champion of transparency, I expose it and confront it.
A guy posing as a supporter created a supporter page bearing my name. Over 11k captive supporters to date. Now they are using it as a springboard to recruit a Democrat-like candidate who they will run as a Republican against me. We’re one step ahead of them"
The "Democrat-like" candidate is a clear swipe at State Senator Jill Vogel (R) whom Chase claims ask her to run her 2017 Lt. Governor campaign in a text to supporters. Chase calls the members "captive supporters" as if members are somehow required to remain in the group or kept from leaving. A group that has steadily grown for four months with no issues until Chase was angered by the groups unwillingness to perform what they consider nefarious actions like fundraising off the group.
The real "opportunist" in this case appears not to be the supporters group but rather Amanda Chase herself. Chase sought to capture the largest supporters group on facebook for her own purposes. The main purpose was clearly to control member participation and control the speech which puts Chase in the awkward position in light of her continued championing of the 1st Amendment.
Chase claimes that since her announcement in February to run for Governor she has "had many opportunists that have tried to use her name" yet has never spoken publicly or provided any details regarding this instances or made any such claim before on her official page as she made in this instance.
The group in question provided the group activity for the group and demonstrated that Senator Chase's public claim of it being over 30,000 was false. The group has never had more than 11,400 members as illustrated by the activity report. Chase futher claimed in her interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter that she did not know the group adminstrators and further informed her followers they were "fake", "nefarious" "bad actors" and people she did not know.
On Monday, text communications were published on the web that demonstrate that Senator Chase in fact not only knew the adminstrators but had been in contact with them as far back as October 2019. Apparently the "fake supporters" and "opportunists" as she claims assisted Chase in her campaign for Senate in 2019. Chase's personal cell phone was used to communicate with adminstrators she claims to have not known here:
These texts did not come from the campaign or staffer but Chase's personal cell phone. Further texts demonstrate that Chase not only knew the parties involved but that her staff had communicated to her what good "supporters" they were of hers. The person named in this text was Chase's Legislative Aid in her Senate office in Richmond:
One thing is clear. The claims being advanced by Chase are false. Chase or her satff has in fact been in contact with these citizens both during session of the GeneralAssembly as well as outside of session. Chase claimed in her interview that her staff has been with her for two years and know better than to contact citizens during session realating to fundraising yet failed to explain exactly why her Campaign Manager contacted administrators on 2/25/20. Chase failed to answer what "business" her campaign staff would have during session contacting adminstrators as call logs represent.
Chase responded with calling out the reporting by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and stating:
"Please join me in canceling your subscription to the Richmond Times Dispatch (#RichmondsCNN)to protest their attack on conservative candidates; like me. I just canceled my 7 day subscription after this last hit piece that came out today.
There is an all out orchestrated attack on conservatives and I refuse to support it!"
Chase subsequently has dismissed the reporting as mere "fake news" and continues to attempt to siphon supporters off of the supporters page she herself called "fake". This action is about moving those members to her new "Chase for Governor" group where she can fundraise off of supporters in the manner she sought with the original group.
Chase has yet to recant any of her denials or false statements even with published communication between her and her staff coming out. Back in 2016, Amanda Chase took part in the creation of the "Virginia Transparency Caucus". Chase championed the VTC yet appears to not practice at all what she preaches. Chase is not responding to requests to produce evidecne she has to support her claims against the adminstrators yet continues to assert them. This is reminiscent of the Northam vacationing claims in North Carolina during the pandemic crisis.
Chase undertook the very same tactic regarding her claims that Governor Ralph Northam (D) of Virginia was vacationing in North Carolina while Virginians were under Executive Orders to remain at home. On April 21, 2020 Chase informed her followers on her official page that:
"I’ve received many messages by those I know and trust in law enforcement that Governor Northam has been sighted in Manteo, North Carolina aka the Outer Banks during our stay at home order. They’ve sent pictures and other evidence." (Senator Chase)
Chase has yet to release any evidence to support her claims. The "picture and other evidence" claim was clearly nefarious and meant solely to manufacture a story for her own political gain.
This seems to be a pattern for Senator Chase in terms of negative interactions with fellow legislators as well as private citizens and Capital Police. None of the commincation relased thus far supports any claim Chase has made and in fact does just the opposite.The supportes group has asked Chase to apologize publically for her mischaracterizations regarding the group and its members.
As of this morning the supporters group has changed its name but appears to still have over 10,000 members since Senator Amanda Freeman Chase attempted to discredit the group as being "fake" last week on her official Senator page on Facebook. The group has been forced to defend itself against the pulpit of an official State Legislator that has clearly misrepresented facts and had her staff continue to push false claims in videos on facebook directed at the supporter group.
State Senator Chase is proving herself to be exactly what she claims she is not; a true politcian.
https://conservativestateus.blogspot.com/2020/05/amanda-chase-r-clashes-with-supporters.html
As of this morning the supporters group has changed its name but appears to still have over 10,000 members since Senator Amanda Freeman Chase attempted to discredit the group as being "fake" last week on her official Senator page on Facebook. The group has been forced to defend itself against the pulpit of an official State Legislator that has clearly misrepresented facts and had her staff continue to push false claims in videos on facebook directed at the supporter group.
State Senator Chase is proving herself to be exactly what she claims she is not; a true politcian.
https://conservativestateus.blogspot.com/2020/05/amanda-chase-r-clashes-with-supporters.html
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