Secretive conservative Hollywood non-profit organization, Friends Of Abe is dissolving.
The official reason given by president Jeremy Boreing is that the group has been so successful, members no longer feel it is necessary to participate in events as much and and contributions have dwindled. Smaller donations make it harder to pay for office space, staff and its website.
“It’s time to change how we do it. As our group has grown in size and success, many of the structures that helped us grow have become less useful … It means an end to the standing organization, but not an end to the mission or the fellowship,” says Boreing.
Other people may come to a different conclusion.
Lionel Chetwynd, a co-founder of Friends of Abe has said in the past that the organization is like the Republican party itself. Its members are split between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
“It’s too volatile. I’ve never known an election to be so personal. People don’t really sit around any more and talk about their preferences because it’s a time of inflamed passions. Now I don’t talk much to my Republican friends.”
However, Chetwynd denies the rift over who will be the Republican presidential nominee has anything to do with why Friends of Abe is ending its run.
Gary Sinise helped found the organization in 2005. Hollywood, a famously left-leaning town, didn’t have an organized place for people who share GOP philosophies to find each other. They also feared being ostracized for their political views. Since that time, stars of the Republican Party, like Rush Limbaugh and the late Antonin Scalia, have been featured speakers at events and rallies hosted by the group.
During this election cycle, Trump and Cruz held events with the organization to raise money and their profile with right-leaning celebrities.
Friends of Abe will shut down its website and stop receiving donations immediately. Boreing says that former members will still have opportunities to get together, just less frequently and without an official organization.
Featured image from GraphicStock
