In the Mobile Press Register "Political Skinny" column of March 1, 2010, there was an item titled "Gounares backed by Tea Party" – this item was misleading at best. The Mobile Press Register published these "Tea Party endorsements" while failing to do any fact checking and with absolutely no context whatsoever.

     First, the Tea Party PAC that endorsed Peter Gounares and donated $35 is run by Ms. Kim Curtis of Durham, NC out of her home. Her organization has about 115 online members with only 4 in Alabama!  Her "democratic process" consists of a candidate finding her site, completing her application for endorsement, and then her online community votes on the endorsement. What do these 100 anonymous folks from around the country have to do with south Alabama politics?  Second, two "individual" endorsements were cited; these were not group endorsements.

     Yes, both have been Tea Party organizers in the past.  Ms Carey-Nicholson has publicly confirmed that her endorsement was as an individual endorsement and to date we are not aware of any other organized Tea Party groups in Baldwin County. However, the Mobile Press Register published this information as de-facto local "Tea Party" endorsements.  The Common Sense Campaign does not profess to be the exclusive voice of the "Tea Party" movement in south Alabama.  The Tea Parties are an independent and somewhat convoluted grassroots movement. It is very difficult for any organization to proclaim itself the voice of the Tea Parties.

     However, we expect honest journalists to put information in to proper context so the people can accurately assess and decide. This issue causes consternation, because the over 800 dues-paying members of The Common Sense Campaign - and thousands of supporters that have attended a couple dozen "Tea Party" events in eight counties are committed to a rational, accurate and transparent vetting and interview process to find and choose the best Congressional candidates. We are diligently working through that process, and we assure our members that The Common Sense Campaign has not made any endorsements yet!

     We regret the gross misperception to all inside and outside of the "Tea Parties".  Have the people, once again, been circumvented by slick politics?  We can only surmise the intent of the individual endorsements, but we fully expect our local media to research and report the facts in context.

     Here is a link to the article referenced above, from the Press Register (last article on the page): http://blog.al.com/live/2010/03/political_skinny_boeing_suppor.html

Thank you for your continued support,

-Common Sense Campaign

www.CommonSenseCampaign.org