June 29, 2006

It's Hard Out There For A Budget Hawk UPDATED

We hear that Phil Kerpen, the executive director of the Free Enterprise Fund, resigned last Friday.

Kerpsen sent this e-mail to friends:

For those who do care, I wanted to let you know that I've decided to leave the Free Enterprise Fund. I resigned on Friday, and though they've made overtures to lure me back, it's very unlikely that I'll return. Simply put, it was no longer the place I felt I could most effectively advance the pro-growth agenda

Kepsen was quickly replaced by Jim Terry, formerly CoS for Rep. John Campbell (R-CA).

The FEF, a 501 (c) 4 chaired by New York merchant banker Mallory Factor, open their doors in January of '05 by luring Stephen Moore from the Club for Growth, but Moore soon left to join the Wall Street Journal's editorial page. The group also nabbed iconic economist Arthur Laffer , now a member of their advisory board. Though the FEF has been successful at placing op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and at generating a bit of media attention, sympathizers aren't convinced the group is very effective.

Says one Republican who follows the internal politics: "The hard pro-growth guys can't sustain an agenda these days I think."

So where will socially libertarian pro-growth GOPers hang their hat?

These folks view the The Club for Growth with suspicion; they're seen by some as shills for the socially conservative business elite. The Club is more heavily involved in electoral politics,, having set itself up as a 527. Though the Club's campaign to rid the GOP of RINOs has played a part in creating tensions with other pro-growth Republicans, another cleavage is material. Whereas the FEF's main priorities today reflect the Wall Street orientation of its founders -- they're lobbying to reform Sarbanes-Oxley and to permanently repeal the estate/death tax -- the Club has been leading the charge against porkbarrel spending and waste. [MARC AMBINDER]

Update: the FEF's Todd Schorle sent this e-mail: "(1) Phil Kerpen was policy director and acting executive director, not executive director. 2) Phil was not replaced, but acting as the ED until someone was hired. 3) The FEF has hired Jim Terry, not Lee Terry. 4) Stephen Moore was not lured away from the Club he was pushed out and then started the FEF on his own.:"


Posted at 08:49 AM


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