Election Symbolism: Coakley's Crack Down on Ladies Garden Clubs

By Christopher Alleva

It looks like someone in Massachusetts' senate candidate Martha Coakley's own Attorney General's Office is sabotaging her campaign. How else to explain the decision to send out threatening letters to the ladies garden clubs?

These clubs volunteer their time and donate materials to beautify town squares, traffic circles and highway medians.

According to the Boston Herald Coakley sent out threatening letters to at least 100 garden clubs across the state. A spokesperson in Coakley's AG office claimed they were not targeting the garden clubs in any way. In fact they were really trying to "help them."

Don't you love it when the government is trying to "help you." This is exactly what the tea party movement is all about. Here we have the heavy hand of government intruding on the garden club ladies. These ladies donate their time and materials in furtherance of the public good and Martha Coakley and her jack boots are threatening them for failure to file paper work required for charitable organizations.

While I am no expert on these matters, I think it is safe to say that for the garden club ladies this is a labor of love. I am quite confident that the activities of these clubs is all on the up and up. Since their mission is the physical beautifications of their towns, donors can easily see if their donations are being used for their intended purpose, as can the AG's office.

In fact, the garden club ladies are probably giving up tax deductions they are entitled to for their service. It is stories like this that have a way of defining political races. Coakley is already lugging around a pile baggage, the last thing she needs is to have the garden club ladies after her.

h/t patterico