Another Amended Filing In CD-1

Is it absurd to think that a guy who earned almost $400,000.00 last year, and probably something similar in preceding years, would have no additional income to declare to the Federal election Commission.  No savings accounts, no IRA's no investments of any kind?

How about a guy who was also a lobbyist at least somewhat familiar with the election laws about money in politics?

Well don't act surprised because NH-01 candidate Rich Ashooh will have to amend his FEC filing.  It appears he failed to list all his "secret" bank accounts on his original filing.  In fact, the filing fails to list any accounts, no investments, funds, savings, nothing--just his salary income, his mortgage, and the boards and committees on which he sits.  Rich Ashooh has no savings or investments? Where's the false outrage?

Not to worry, Rich is in "good" company. 

Sean Mahoney has been fined thousands of dollars by the FEC for failing to properly file loans to his campaign.

Stone thrower Jeb Bradley, who has been an outspoken critic of CD-1 candidates that need to amend their returns (at least ones he does not much care for) was himself fined several thousand dollars for failing to property file or amend with the FEC.

So we have to wonder what the response will be when the Ashooh campaigns "amended filing" appears magically with dozens of "secret" accounts and investments listed on it that were not on the original?

I predict that the amended filing will never even make news.  In fact, I bet it doesn't even show up until after the primary and only then if Ashooh wins.

And even if it does show up,(other than my mention of it here) no one will take a second glance at it, not because all of the men running have been successful in life or business and amassed some measure of financial security as a result, but because Ashooh is not currently in front.

So you see, the false outrage manufactured and recycled by people looking to take a shot at someone, is not some new found effort at campaign ethics, its just plain old politics played by people who've already been fined by the FEC or those looking to score cheap political points.

Misfiling FEC reports is not only common, its epidemic.  But the FEC has a process for dealing with that.  You amend your filing.  I'm sure Rich Ashooh is on top of that and with any luck won't have to pay a fine like Mahoney or Bradley who not only misfiled, but either refused to correct the errors or managed to screw up the process used to amend them.

John Lynch Gets What's Been Coming

Blogging can be a weird hobby.  You never know when something you've planted will grow and bear fruit.  But back on May 28th of 2010 I planted this seed. It was about Mr. Lynch going to the Political OutGiving conference.

In the intervening months I planted a few more, here, and here, and here.

There were others doing their own sowing and tending, and they deserve plenty of credit, because today we find out thanks to Cornerstone Policy that John Lynch's most recent campaign finance report has at least $100,000.00 worth of donations from promiant Gay activist donors.

So maybe I should start asking John Lynch where that missing speech is he gave while he was in Chicago at the Gay Donor Confab?  It was worth at least 100k, probably more.  We still don't know who all the donors are so we have no reason to believe that there isn't more money--not just in names on the Lynch filing , but pouring in through the NH democrat party, into groups that then donate to Lynch.

Whatever the final talley, Lynch and Buckley can eat some crow while we ponder the ramifications of out of state special interest meddling (when he said he was against that) and a governor who flip flopped on a key issue which the gay donors may have--just may have been paying him to flip on.

A governor who can be bought.  That makes for great TV. 

Cross Posted at Granite Grok

Comrade Carol Seiu-Porter

People Helping Illinois Lead is a PAC that donated to Carol Seiu-Porter.  The PAC is run by Illinois congressman Phil Hare.  Both Rep Hare and Seiu-Porter sit on an education and labor subcommittee.  Phil and Carol are quite similar.  While Carol votes with the fringe left 98% of the time, Hare votes with them 99% of the time—the only significant difference being that Porter missed or abstained in 2% of the votes, where Hare only missed or Abstained from 1%.  Neither of them produces much in the way of original legislation, and neither of them has had their whole bills survive to become law.  Both are classified as “followers,” people who accomplish little but co-sponsor other people bills and use that as proof of relevance.  Side by side they are a guaranteed party-first vote, and  reliable co-sponsor of whatever leadership backs.

So put side by side their are no discernible policy differences.  They are liberal progressive twins.

Of Course Carol Seiu-Porter donor Phil Hare is listed as a member of the Socialist Party in America, and on the record as not caring about the constitution.

“I don’t care about the Constitution…I believe that it says we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” -Phil Hare (D-Ill)

As Gateway pundit points out...it says that..in the Declaration of independence.  Don't forget Hare and Seiu-Porter sit on a labor and EDUCATION subcommittee together.  Warms your heart doesn't it?

As to the matter of his socialist party membership, Phil's not talking about that either.  Maybe that's silly stuff as well.  But it need not be silly for us. He supports Carol-Seiu-Porter.  That might concern some people. 

I mean if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck (or votes like a socialist and acts like the socialist), and gets financial support from a constitutionally indifferent socialist, is it a socialist (duck)?

A few of you will now point out that one so-called congressional member of the socialist party who just happens to vote like Carol and then donates $1,000.00 to her campaign doesn’t mean anything.  Fair enough.  So how about twelve members of congress listed as members of the American Socialist Party who vote like Carol and have so far donated a total of $32,000.00 dollars to Carol Seiu-Porter?  Would that be a different duck altogether?

And while no candidate can know who every one of their donors are, Carol not only knows them, they are her democrat co-workers and she is politically and ideologically like them.  Exactly like them. She talks like them, and walks like them, and spends and deems and votes like them.  She is them.  And twelve of them, (PAC donors or congressional committee donors to Carol) are listed as members of the American Socialist Party.

So what about that duck? (CSP = Carol Socialist Porter? Communist Seiu-Party? CP, SP, ....you figure it out.)

And dasvidaniya Carol.

Here's the list issued by the socialists, of members of congress they claim are their fellow travelers;  Carol's "special" donor's in the list are highlighted (bold and italics)

Hon. Alan Grayson (FL-08)

Hon. André Carson (IN-07)

Hon. Barbara Lee (CA-09)

Hon. Barney Frank (MA-04)

Hon. Ben R. Lujan (NM-3)

Hon. Bennie Thompson (MS-02)

Hon. Bernie Sanders (VT)-Senate

Hon. Bob Filner (CA-51)

Hon. Bobby Rush (IL-01)

Hon. Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI-13)

Hon. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14)

Hon. Chaka Fattah (PA-02)

Hon. Charles Rangel (NY-15)

Hon. Chellie Pingree (ME-01)

Hon. Corrine Brown (FL-03)

Hon. Danny Davis (IL-07)

Hon. David Loebsack (IA-02)

Hon. Dennis Kucinich (OH-10)

Hon. Diane Watson (CA-33)

Hon. Donald Payne (NJ-10)

Hon. Donna Christensen (VI-AL)

Hon. Ed Markey (MA-07)

Hon. Ed Pastor (AZ-04)

Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)

Hon. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC-AL)

Hon. Elijah Cummings (MD-07)

Hon. Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05)

Hon. George Miller (CA-07)

Hon. Gwen Moore (WI-04)

Hon. Hank Johnson (GA-04)

Hon. Henry Waxman (CA-30)

Hon. James McGovern (MA-03)

Hon. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)

Hon. Jerrold Nadler (NY-08)

Hon. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-02)

Hon. Jim McDermott (WA-07)

Hon. John Conyers (MI-14)

Hon. John Hall (NY-19)

Hon. John Lewis (GA-05)

Hon. John Olver (MA-01)

Hon. John Tierney (MA-06)

Hon. José Serrano (NY-16)

Hon. Keith Ellison (MN-05)

Hon. Laura Richardson (CA-37)

Hon. Linda Sánchez (CA-47)

Hon. Louise Slaughter (NY-28)

Hon. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34)

Hon. Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)

Hon. Lynn Woolsey (CA-06)

Hon. Madeleine Bordallo (GU-AL)

Hon. Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11)

Hon. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)

Hon. Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)

Hon. Maxine Waters (CA-35)

Hon. Mazie Hirono (HI-02)

Hon. Mel Watt (NC-12)

Hon. Michael Capuano (MA-08)

Hon. Michael Honda (CA-15)

Hon. Neil Abercrombie (HI-01)

Hon. Nydia Velazquez (NY-12)

Hon. Pete Stark (CA-13)

Hon. Peter DeFazio (OR-04)

Hon. Peter Welch (VT-AL)

Hon. Phil Hare (IL-17)

Hon. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07)

Hon. Robert Brady (PA-01)

Hon. Robert Wexler (FL-19)

Hon. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)

Hon. Sam Farr (CA-17)

Hon. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18)

Hon. Steve Cohen (TN-09)

Hon. Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)

Hon. William “Lacy” Clay (MO-01)

Hon. Xavier Becerra (CA-31)

Hon. Yvette Clarke (NY-11)

Rep. Donna F. Edwards (MD-04)



Look For The Union Label

Unions are historically more corrupt than the business community.  Yet when a corporation donates money in a manner some left wing fringe group finds unacceptable, we are treated to flash mobs and media hype.

A fine example of that is the rhetoric being tossed about by democrats of how corporations are going to buy up elections.  Those of us who pay attention know that the left is simply concerned about the competition but so far there is no reason for it.  Since the Supreme court opened up the rules for everyone unions have outspent corporations 3 to 1.

So far this year, $24.7 million in independent spending has been reported to the Federal Election Commission, campaign filings show. Unions have spent 9.7 million (or 39 percent of the total), compared with $6.4 million (26 percent) spent by individuals and 3.4 million spent by corporations.

This is particularly important for one reason--pointed out quite succinctly by Professor Bainbridge.

Unlike corporations, which typically hedge their bets by giving to both parties and mainly to the party in power, union contributions flow 90%+ to Democrats.

So where is the outrage and public scare mongering over this apparent injustice?  There really isn't any.  It is simply reported, observed, and applied to the circumstances at hand; like how Carol Seiu-Porter gets most of her money from unions then supports their wish list while at the same time insisting we reign in corporate spending to keep it from influencing elections.

It is hypocrisy.

(H/T Instapundit) 

Hodespocrisy--The Menendez Chronicles

Being as concerned as they are about ethics and corruption (over at the offices of the New Hampshire Democrat Party) you’d think Paul 'Jersey' Hodes would have refused that $10,000.00 campaign contribution from Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).  Menendez is a long time benefactor of corrupt SEC violator Goldman Sachs (see below) and being from Jersey's most corrupt Hudson county Menendez has been linked to any number of ethical "misunderstandings" throughout his career.

What kind of misunderstandings you ask?

Senator Menendez or his office have been implicated in a cozy relationship with a Hudson County land development deal.  There have been accusations of hiring a specific contractor at a hospital as a favor to Mr. Menendez to share in a federal contract.  Menendez (like many Hodes donors) has a canny knack for having  former chiefs of staff--turned lobbyist--cited in investigations where their clients may have been helped by the Senator to get federal contracts.  There was even a situation in which his office "appeared" to be (8) pressuring the Fed to take measures to prevent a specific local New Jersey bank from being put into receivership.  He has also been under investigation for helping to get approval of a federal contract for a group to whom he rents property.

Then US attorney Chris Christie was appointed to investigate the potential rental corruption deal between Menendez and The North Hudson Community Action Group that had paid Menendez upwards of $300,000.00 over the course of the rental period.

As with most of the Menendez related intrigue, nothing ever seems to come of it, but the implications keep piling up and the incestuous nature of it all is difficult to ignore.

Menendez was the personal appointment of then Governor Jon Corzine to replace himself when he was elected governor and proceeded to screw the state up so badly New Jersey had to elect Republican Chris Christie to fix the cancer of decades of cronyism and fiscal malfeasance. 

Oh, and then there's Menendez connection to corrupt SEC violator and fine payer Goldman Sachs.  Goldman has donated almost $97,000.00 dollars to Menendez, who just happens to be on both the Senate Banking and Finance committees.   Given these kinds of connections we might be expecting a press release demnading that Hodes return the money.  Of course if he returns the Menendez money then he has to return the Schumer money, and the Baucus money, and the Rangel moeny, and the Inouye money, and that's about 70,000.00 dollars.

But I'm sure--for the sake of consistancy--we can expect something from the democrats on these inappropriate corruption connections any day now.  Any day.....any....



Cross Posted at Granite Grok