Address the BS about Bernie and "his" alleged PACs.

[merrily]

Source for everything in this post. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/sep/30/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-only-presidential-candidates-withou/

A couple of PACs, not affiliated with Bernie or his campaign in any way, have formed, supposedly with the desire to help Bernie. Bernie has rejected their "help" and even had his lawyers contact them to tell them to cut it out.

BTW, please notice what this politifact article does in order to rate "mostly true" instead of simply "true."

politifact begins its "analysis" with a statement Bernie NEVER made and rates it "mostly true," while admitting near the end of the article that Bernie's actually statement was different from the one used in the title of the article and throughout.

Statement rated "mostly" true: I am the only Presidential candidate without a PAC--which Bernie never said.

What Bernie said; I am virtually the only Presidential candidate without a PAC.

Multi-billionaire Donald Trump is the only other Presidential candidate who does not have an affiliated PAC and I am not sure what his relationships with his unaffiliated PACs are. (One of his supposedly unaffiliated PACs is called "Make America Great Again." Inasmuch as that is also the motto of his campaign, I am not quite sure just how "unaffiliated" that PAC actually is. However, let's take it at face value: a single exception--and the guy who is the multi-billionaire, to boot! So "virtually the only Presidential candidate without a PAC" seems very true to me, not mostly true. Politifact seems to have twisted itself into a pretzel in order to get that "mostly" in there.

[LiberalArkie]

1. I think the way the law is (Correct me please) He can't do anything about it. The candidate isn't

supposed to have any contact with the PAC or super pac one of those. Isn't that what the deal is?

[merrily]

2. FEC law is not my expertise. However, as the politifact article says, Colbert pretty much proved

that anyone can start a PAC. He also proved that the supposed lack of contact between the candidate and the PAC is often a "wink wink" deal. However, if Sanders has been having his lawyer write letters to these PACs, I don't think much winking is going on between Sanders and his unaffiliated PACS.

From stories reporting on that crappy Brock smear from Hillary's affiliated PAC, I learned that there is an internet exception of some kind that allows certain direct contact between the candidate and the PAC. The article I read referred to it as a "technicality," but I don't know more than that.

[LiberalArkie]

3. I was thinking that some people could start a PAC appearing to support his issues

but trying to totally destroy him and he could not do anything but complain. Or spend all his money trying to buy TV time to correct this misinformation.

[merrily]

4. Yes. And some people are just out and out frauds. Without even trying to look at the law,

I would bet it's legal to pay yourself to run a PAC, for just one example. Bernie is too smart to spend a boatload of money on disclaimers, though.

I posted this because I've seen DUers who should know better claiming "he has" PACs. It's bs.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. You can create and run a PAC and spend all the

money on salaries and perks for you, your friends and family. I've heard that humble, soft spoken Dr. Carson is enjoying living large with his PAC money.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/ben-carson-luxury-campaign-spending-214863

He's also spending a lot on fundraising - spending money to get more money.

[DianeK]

6. the only superpack ..with a K... that Bernie has ....

are his monthly supporters...and I have a sticker identifying me as an original member of Bernie's SuperPack!

[merrily]

7. We own him!

[azmom]

8. He's ours.

[madfloridian]

9. I read somewhere Bernie's campaign filed a lawsuit against an unaffiliated PAC

Can anyone find more info on that? I know the campaign could not stop the PAC legally.

[merrily]

10. More relevant links. If someone else wants to look for lawsuit info specifically, here they are:

http://reverbpress.com/politics/super-pac-sanders-shoddy-journalism-washington-post/

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/09/10/17947/did-shady-pro-bernie-sanders-super-pac-just-dupe-james-bond

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/30/sanders-unable-superpacs/28184005/

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/30/sanders-unable-superpacs/28184005/

I don't know if lawsuit info is in any of the above links.

Off the top of my head, I don't know that Sanders would be able to stop formation of a PAC, but he would probably be able to stop a PAC that is not affiliated with him or his campaign from claiming it is affiliated.

[jfern]

11. Bernie told them to get lost

But he does not have the power to get them to disband. At least one of them is a total fraud that has no desire to actually help Bernie but is just in it for to try to make money. Make sure everyone you know is actually donating to the Bernie campaign and not some shadowy SuperPAC.

Here's an article about a completely fraudulent one.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/09/10/17947/did-shady-pro-bernie-sanders-super-pac-just-dupe-james-bond

[merrily]

12. Very true. Still, these PACS

have been lied posted about on DU more than once.