It appears that at one of Bush’s closed fundraisers, someone had a home video camera, and caught him saying that, “Wall Street ‘got drunk’ and now has a hangover.”
I guess you talk about what you know.
Category: Campaign Finance
What Member of Rodentia Scrambles to Leave a Sinking Ship?
Ah….Yes…Republicans…..
Senate Republican leaders are now allowing senators to vote as they wish in an attempt to keep seat losses to a minimum in November.
We also have reports that Republicans see Bush as a “jinx”, and that they are trying to avoid the party brand.
No wonder they aren’t letting press into Bush fund raisers. They are afraid of pictures of the candidate and Bush together showing up in the press.
Maybe Republicans should campaign with a more popular member of the Bush administration, like Dick Cheney….I think that I just threw up in my mouth.
DSCC Making Large media Buys
If you look at the list of where the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is making media buys, you learn where they think that they will be competitive, “more than $15 million in buys in North Carolina, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maine, with the buys in Maine and North Carolina exceeding $5 million each.”
They are going hard after Collins in Maine, and Dole in North Carolina, though Dole seems far more secure. Minnesota is definitely in play, and Tom Udall seems comfortably ahead in New Mexico.
A Top Obama Fund-Raiser Had Ties to Failed Bank
Well, it looks like I just beat the Wall Street Journal by 4½ months.
But they have now discovered Penny Pritzker and Superior Bank.
The bank, closed in 2001, basically created the securitization of subprime loans that is at the core of much, though IMNSHO not a majority, of the credit crunch.
And she is now Obama’s national campaign-finance chairwoman.
Well, we’ll be hearing this 24-7 for a while, if just to ignore the latest McCain flip-flops and screw-ups.
The DNC Gets Busy
Of course, it’s always about the Benjamins, and it looks like DNC fund raising is picking up now that the primaries are over, going from about $6 million in the prior months, to $22.4 million in June.
What’s more they just set up an independent expenditure division to hammer John McCain with that money.
Two snaps up for Howard Dean.
Sean Tevis for Kansas State House
His campaign for Kansas state rep, and he’s clearly inspired by the XKCD online comic.
Throw him $8.34.
He’s using paypal….He should get on act blue.
Obama: $52 Million Raised in June
Remember all those stories about how McCain would out raise Obama in June? Not so much.
Straight Talker Gets, Up to $70K per Donation by Subverting the Law with His Name On It
It’s kind of detailed, so just go here.
Update on Barrow-Thomas in Ga-12
The efforts of Blue America Political Action Committee et. al is getting local coverage in the Savannah Morning News.
Blue America PAC is dropping $40K-$50K on ads saying the Barrow is Bush’s, “rubber stamp”, and may also include radio and TV ads.
Give to Regina Thomas, a real Democrat. As of the last campaign finance report, Thomas had about $11K in the bank as compared to Barrow’s more than $1M, but the dynamics of the district, the primary voters are over 70% AA, make winning the primary a real possibility.
McCain Outspending Obama 2:1 in Missouri
Seeing as how Missouri is a potential battleground state, why the hell is McCain outspending Obama $224,696 to $115,054?
Obama has more than twice as much cash on hand, so it makes one wonder what the strategy here is.
Finally!
The Obama campaign is finally talking about McCain’s lawbreaking on campaign finance.
McCain got loans on the basis of his opting into campaign finance, which means that he is bound by the spending limits, so he has been in felony violation of the law for well over a month now.
It took them long enough.
Wingnut Heads Exploding
While the main stream media
studiously ignores John McCain’s campaign finance felonies, wing nut heads are exploding over the fact that Obama will opt out of public financing, and bury McCain with cash.
In the times, we have David Brooks’ head exploding over the fact that Obama is not going to take public campaign financing, revealing that *gasp* Obama will work to gain maximum political advantage, and on CNN, we have Leslie Sanchez, director of the White House Initiative on Hispanic Education from 2001-2003, and hence a professional lier saying that money doesn’t mean anything because after all, the American public can’t be swayed with glitzy ad campaigns.
Yeah…right…
Heh.
Countrywide Financial’s Angelo Mozilo Gave to McCain
He donated $1000 to the McCain primary campaign, which the good people at Housing Panic found through the NEWSMEAT campaign contribution search engine.
So, the tanned one supports McCain? So not surprised.
Obama to Will Not Take Public Financing
I approve his campaign’s decision to eschew public financing and the associated spending limits.
He will get a lot more money from his donors for the general.
The only thing that I argue about is that they missed an opportunity to attack McCain. They could have given the reason for this as, “John McCain is in felony violation of the campaign finance law that he wrote, so it’s not reasonable to expect good faith in his negotiations.“
DNC To File FEC Complaint Against McCain
The facts are pretty clear, even though he never took money, he opted in, and then he got a campaign loan on the basis of that opt-in.
Unfortunately, Bush is replacing the FEC chair who has been calling him out on it.
The Dems should hammer McCain on this ruthlessly. After all, the law he is breaking, is one he wrote.
Press Buying Into Republican Meme Again
The Republicans are saying that Barack Obama risks his squeaky clean image if he opts out of public financing, and the press is eating it up.
I call bull$#. John McCain is currently in felony violation of the law that he wrote, and so it’s clear that he cannot be trusted, and this is what the Obama campaign should be saying, albeit as background, to reporters.
Update on Republithug Corruption
Busy day.
We have former Congressman Curt Weldon tied into a Russian influence buying scheme, all laundered through a shady non-profit.
Curt Weldon was, of course one of those guys who saw agents of hostile governments everywhere…who knew he was one?
The fine folks at TPM note that former Rep. Sweeney’s (now ex-) wife, the one that he beat when he wasn’t driving drunk, was being paid for work she never did at a “fundraising firm” that she ran.
In the small fry category, we have Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) neglection to mention $286,278 in expenditures and $102,044 in contributions in her 2002 campaign. It could just be a clerical error, but seeing as how they neglected to mention a donation from “Friends of Duke Cunningham”, and over a hundred grand spent on her Daughter and Son-in-law’s “political consulting firm”, I’m thinking that we have some self dealing going on.
Lobbyists Complaining About Obama Donation Ban
Good. It means that he’s done something right.
So are some Congressman, or at least that’s what the lobbyists say in the article.
Seriously though, is there any reason for Steny Hoyer to have, “received a higher percentage of his campaign contributions from PACs this cycle than has any other member of Congress?” He’s in a completely safe district. He could win if he spent 50 bucks on his hole campaign.
Two snaps up from me.
SEIU Establishes $10M Political Punishment Fund
The Bush Blue Dog Democratic Caucus has spent too much time presenting only lip service to Democratic party goals. This move by the SEIU (scroll down) is a good start on dealing with the guys who forget the people what brung them after the elections:
In a move likely to upset some Democrats, the delegates approved an “accountability plan” in which the union would spend $10 million to pressure or punish political candidates who made pro-worker, pro-union promises, but broke them after being elected.
The union’s leaders cite a primary last February in which the service employees played an instrumental role in defeating Representative Albert Wynn, Democrat of Maryland, because the union thought he was favoring business over workers.
FEC Should Have Quorum Shortly
Unfortunately, as Matthew Blake reports, it appears that new members will be selected for their political loyalty, rather than any commitment to clean elections.
Same old, same old.
Note that McCain is still committing a felony in his spending until the FEC votes on his withdrawal from public finance though.