TeaParty.net endorses Paul Broun for US Senate

Someone claiming to be Paul Broun’s Press Office sent the following:

Paul Broun for Senate today released the following statement after the grassroots group TeaParty.Net issued an official endorsement of Congressman Broun and his conservative principles for the United States Senate:

“I’m honored to receive this endorsement from my friends at TeaParty.Net, and I look forward to working with them throughout this campaign as well as in the Senate – because with their support, I know we can win,” said Congressman Broun.

“TeaParty.Net and their millions of members have played a crucial role in getting conservatives like Rand Paul and Marco Rubio elected, and I am excited about serving side by side with these patriots as Georgia’s next Senator. I will be the only candidate in this race who is focused on cutting spending in Washington and returning this country to the constitutional, conservative principles that it was built upon.”

Chairman of TeaParty.Net, Todd Cefaratti wrote, “Congressman Broun’s announcement is tremendous news for our conservative, Tea Party values. Dr. Broun has proven himself time and time again as one of our most trusted allies in Washington, and he would be an incredible asset for us and our families in the Senate.”

This is goofy on several levels. First is that the actual site “TeaParty.net” states that

If this is anything, it’s the (minimalist) home page of Tom Yates. What it isn’t is anything to do with the US’s astroturfed Tea Party movement. Having read this story on the BBC’s website, I want to make it clear that I have no sympathy whatsoever for their positions and views. My teaparty affiliations are all from the Mad Hatter’s tea party, instead.

Googling on the person named in the supposed press release, Todd Cefaratti takes you eventually to TheTeaParty.net, but I have no way of telling whether it’s the real deal, some guy in his mom’s basement, or some kind of a scam to part grassroots activists from their money.

Pro-tip for politics: if you’re claiming an endorsement, double-check the contact information for the supposed endorser. I’m checking into it, and at this point, I’m not even confident that it came from the Paul Broun campaign.