The American Cause

The American Cause was created in February 1993, when Bay Buchanan, who served as controller of Citizens for the Republic, resuscitated CFTR, "changed the group's name to The American Cause and moved it to the Virginia office from which she had run the campaign." The nonprofit "promoted conservative causes and kept [Bay's brother] Pat Buchanan's name in front of conservative voters between elections," Monte Paulson wrote in the November 22, 1999, issue of The Nation.

Between the 1992 and 1996 elections, The American Cause raised $2.5 million, "most of that from donors to the 1992 presidential campaign. (The group also resold the campaign mailing list several times.) Because it was not a campaign, The American Cause was able to accept donations far larger than the $1,000 maximum (for individuals) allowed under federal law. In 1994, for example, textile magnate Roger Milliken, who stood to be hurt by a flood of cheap textiles, gave $250,000 to The American Cause and another $1.9 million to a sister nonprofit called the Coalition for the American Cause. Buchanan Inc. [owned by Pat and Bay Buchanan and operated by Bay] helped Milliken lobby Congress against adopting the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, while Milliken helped boost Buchanan's image: The nonprofit bought a million dollars of television advertising, all of which starred a very presidential-looking Pat Buchanan," Paulson wrote in 1999.

"With a staff and office in place, launching the 1996 Buchanan for President campaign was relatively simple. Late in 1994, Bay locked up the glass-and-concrete offices of The American Cause. When she returned the following week, the offices and accounts had legally been transformed into the campaign. The name on the door had changed, but the faces inside remained the same. Likewise, when the 1996 campaign was over, The American Cause was revived, mailing out 'TAC-grams' newsletters," Paulson wrote.