Kerry Gives Money to Support Dem Races

[NVMojo]

WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) is giving $250,000 to support Democrats in disputed elections in Washington state and Louisiana and forming a new fund that could help his future political ambitions.



Kerry is forming a political action committee that will allow him to donate to Democrats in local, congressional and governor's races in the next two years, as well as support promote his agenda on the environment, health care, energy and Social Security (news - web sites).


Kerry spokesman David Wade said the Massachusetts senator has wired $200,000 to support another recount in the Washington governor's race. Democrat Republican Dino Rossi was certified as the winner Tuesday, but Democrat Chris Gregoire was only 42 votes behind.


Kerry also wired $50,000 to Louisiana, where Democrats are running in two run-off races in contests where no candidate won a majority in last month's election.


That money came from the $14 million left over from his campaign's primary race fund. Kerry did not spend that money while running against other Democrats early in the year and wasn't able to spend it in the general election against Bush.


That money cannot be transferred to the yet-unnamed leadership PAC. Wade said Kerry will raise money to fill the PAC's coffers, but doesn't have a target amount in mind.


The PAC will be based in Kerry's hometown of Boston and headed by experienced Democratic strategist John Giesser. Giesser worked on Kerry's 1996 Senate race and on presidential campaigns since 1984.

more..

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=4&u=/ap/20041205/ap_on_go_co/kerry_congress

[Isere]

1. Good for him!

This is good news.
I'm glad to hear that Kerry is in there pitching.

[beets]

8. Pitching pantywaist sandlot stickball that is.

I've lost every grain of respect for the man. Maybe he knows how to complain to authorities. He just can't be one himself. He left us in the cold people.

[saracat]

2. Uh ! Oh! Sounds like he is packing it in for 04! Damn. And gearing

up for 08.I hope I'm wrong but this piece hints of that . Double Damn.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Packing it in for 08?

Where do you see that?

[saracat]

4. I mean giving up on 04 sorry should have been clearer!

[beets]

7. He bailed when he should have come out swinging

If he abandons this blatant voter fraud then he's abandoned us.
Sorry, if that's all he's made of I wouldn't vote him local dogcatcher in '08. (yes I voted for him). What this tells me is that he, the dem senate and house are out for themselves and they're not going to help us. Goodbye '08, '12, '16, '20 this is only the second election in the sequence that's been stolen. Nothing preventing wholesale destruction of what used to be America. Our kid's futures, senseless wars and death, grief, endless grief. Thanks Kerry. Sorry you couldn't get a backbone.

[Zhade]

39. Third.

NT!

[LittleClarkie]

41. Oh, I don't know if even he thinks he can flip the election

and many here say it's not about him anyway. It's about fair voting. Perhaps he agrees.

I guess a miracle could happen. The recount is going forward, and he has contributed to that by supporting their efforts.

But considering the very real probability that the recount won't be enough, that the air votes and suppressed votes would also have been needed, I can't blame him for covering bases.

And for once I wish folks would take what he does at face value. Perhaps he's gearing up to fight for these issues because he said he would. He appears to be trying to make sure every vote gets counted because he said he would. If that gets him elected in '08 (or re-elected depending on your POV) so be it. But why does his every action have to be cynically seen as early campaigning, even attending a soldiers funeral.

I'll be there. I'll also probably contribute to the PAC once the tax returns come on in. May be the last one I ever see if Bush gets his way, might as well make the best of it.

[arcos]

5. Maybe $200k would have helped Dan Mongiardo get elected in Kentucky... n/t

[sandnsea]

34. He gave millions

to Congressional Dems. How do you know Mongiardo didn't get some?

[Leilani]

35. Because after the election, Mongiardo said

that he could have used help & didn't get it.

And the race was so close.

The Senate Dems committee borrowed money to try & help, but there just wasn't enough to spread through all the races.

[sandnsea]

36. He still has $280,000

Why didn't he spend it?

http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=KYS2&cycle=2004&special=N

[Leilani]

37. That report is as of 10/13

& did you see the money Mongiardo had compared to Bunning?

Also, this race was unexpectedly close...it kept getting closer as they got to election day.

He lost by very little.

[arcos]

42. Check it out for yourself...

Top contributors for Daniel Mongiardo (D)

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte $34,000
American Federation of Teachers $10,000
Assn of Trial Lawyers of America $10,000
Carpenters & Joiners Union $10,000
DASHPAC $10,000
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $10,000
Ironworkers Union $10,000
Laborers Union $10,000
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union $10,000
Morgan Law Firm $10,000
National Education Assn $10,000
New Jersey United $10,000
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union $10,000
Searchlight Leadership Fund $10,000
Service Employees International Union $10,000
Sheet Metal Workers Union $10,000
United Auto Workers $10,000
United Mine Workers $10,000
Working Assets Funding Service $8,000
Communications Workers of America $7,500

http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.asp?ID=KYS2&cycle=2004&special=N


On edit: Another list of all +$1,000 contributors...
http://www.campaignmoney.com/candidate.asp?id=S4KY00059&cycle=04&yr=04

[Octafish]

6. Sounds like a smart move.

That's a lot of cheese, that $14 million. Giving it to those who can use it makes sense.

Remember when JFK2 had to mortgage his house so he could stay in the race? Seems like a long time ago.

[ebayfool]

38. "Sounds like a smart move." As well as long term planning ...

I am happy to see that Kerry is laying groundwork for the future. Black box voting indeed HAS to be fixed & made fraud free, but Dems also have to plan the battles ahead on all fronts. This isn't just a one trick pony, there's an entire war to found ahead of us. Good for him! (& good for us!) Those that want to bash Kerry for not reacting in the way that they wish should still be able to acknowledge that there is the need for prep on all fronts - local to state to national, & that means cash to start. I don't see many others setting up for this, with the exception of Dean (I love this guy too!) & a very few others, most of the primary people aren't doing much proactively. These smaller races are important to the voting battle, they will provide support from the groung (us) up to the national level. Not saying don't be ticked how '04 is going, just don't be so quick to turn your back on all the avenues of change.

Not replying so much to Octafish, more to the general Kerry hating going around. TY, Octafish.

[VegasWolf]

9. What about giving money to support recounts? n/t

[Isere]

10. He already did! n/t

n/t

[renaissanceguy]

11. Yeah but how much?

And in what proportion to the Greens and Libertarians?

I'm very disappointed with his silence.

[beets]

12. Why isn't he behaving like an authority?

He abandoned us, people.

[VegasWolf]

13. Where, I heard Jesse Jackson criticizing Kerry last nite on

CNN for not stepping up in Ohio.

[beets]

14. It means he's showing his true colors, VW, read my entry

#7 and tell me what your take is please.

[VegasWolf]

15. Agree, if Kerry doesn't fight he doesn't deserve to be president. n/t

[beets]

16. I've noticed people just don't want to discuss the heart of any matter

with this attitude it means we're asleep. If we're asleep bush can burn our house down. This is serious stuff I'm noticing all over this site. Looks like we're set for a rude awakening.

[VegasWolf]

17. Welcome to DU! There are plenty of people here pissed off

with Kerry reticence about stepping forward for any
of the recount issues.

[beets]

18. Since we're running out of time (1-6)

Wolf have you any idea what happens once the recount favors Kerry butthe Ohio reps ignore the theft and take the election anyway?

[beets]

19. Zactly my point....no one wants to discuss the heart of the matter.

I've not had one direct response to a real question such as the above.I'm beginning to think of the kid in NY who committed suicide because bush stole this one too was simply being a pragmatist.

[magellan]

22. Too damn right

I contributed to Kerry's GELAC fund (as well as his campaign) with the understanding he'd use it to protect our votes -- NOT to buy favors for '08. Neither the Republicans NOR the Democrats are getting this Independent's vote in the foreseeable future.

[beets]

24. magellan, our votes will mean jack-squat in '08, '12, '16, '20

There will be only one party in the future.

[magellan]

26. True (nim)

[paulk]

21. popular vote decides the electors in Ohio

state law - doesn't go to "reps".

[beets]

25. It may be the state law but from what I understand the sitting repugs

there are not bound to vote with the popular findings. I heard the
only backlash for them is not being allowed as future electors. I hope this is wrong. It's making me crazy.

[paulk]

43. if a recount overturned the Ohio election

the electors would be Democrats...

The State house has no role in this.

[politicasista]

20. Let the Kerry bashing continue..

I guess he will continue to lose more support cause he "stepping forward in Ohio." :-(

[beets]

23. Are you saying he is stepping forward in Ohio or did you miss a word?

[rodeodance]

27. He did help out in WA

Kerry spokesman David Wade said the Massachusetts senator has wired $200,000 to support another recount in the Washington governor's race. Democrat Republican Dino Rossi was certified as the winner Tuesday, but Democrat Chris Gregoire was only 42 votes behind.

Kerry also wired $50,000 to Louisiana, where Democrats are running in two run-off races in contests where no candidate won a majority in last month's election.

[beets]

30. There was a National Election in the United States recently. I believe it

was held Nov 2 of this year. The actual winner had the election stolen from him, but amazingly, he vanished, abandoning all of his supporters to the horror of bush sitting in the oval office, by fraud, for the second time in a row. He said nothing to his millions of financial supporters, 21 million kids who got fired up to vote for a decent government, to the thousands of people who stood in the rain for hours to vote for him, to the millions of man-hours spent in his behalf he had nothing to say.
So he gave a few bucks to some unimportant counties. So What? We're screwed because of his cowardice over the big one. The Big One.

[LittleClarkie]

40. Cellophane

"Mister Cellophane
Should have been my name
Mister Cellophane
'cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me
And never know I'm there!"

The Rodney Dangerfield of politics strikes again.

He releases a video on November 19th vowing to continue to fight and setting up a darn good idea for a children's health care bill.

"I can't see him. Where's he go?"

His people join the Glibs to support them in court in Ohio.

"He's vanished!"

We hear that he and the DNC have been listening to and supporting investigative journalist Madsen in his quest to find the truth about this years election.

"He's left us alone!"

He wires money to Washington and Louisiana.

"He's disappeared on us! The COWARD!"

He forms a PAC to help fellow Dems and fight for the issues he deems important, like heath care.

"Where is he?"

He vows to go to Iraq.

"Nope, he's not there for us."

I'll go get a hari kari sword, so he can fall on it publicly and make everyone feel better. THEN maybe someone will notice him. "Ah, he's dead. Well I never really supported him, but at least he had the courage to Gore himself like that. Moving on..."

Forgive him for covering his bases. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I'll go get him an olive switch.

(/bitterbitch)

[beets]

28. I guess I need to go elsewhere to educate myself to get results.

I fear for all of us.

[GRLMGC]

29. you know what?

if you dropped that condescending tone people might respond to you

[beets]

31. Point taken. I'm just frustrated and exhausted to find solutions.

[GRLMGC]

32. I understand

This is a very frustrating situation.

[beets]

33. Ah, boy.