Newsweek Feb. 9th. the Truth about Kerry

[NewHampster]

"Though he has shunned PAC donations, which are limited to $5,000 apiece, the senator in 2001 formed a fund-raising group called the Citizen Soldier Fund, which brought in more than $1.2 million in unregulated "soft money." Kerry pledged he would limit individual donations to $10,000. But in late 2002, just before new federal laws banning soft money took effect, Kerry quietly lifted the ceiling and took all the cash he could get. In the month before the election, the fund raised nearly $879,000—including $27,500 from wireless telecom firms such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon."

From MSNBC.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4121890/

[zbdent]

1. Bet it still doesn't match the $100K top groups

for W.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. I like what I just read on Salon's Table Talk:

"I think it's utter b.s. We all know damned well what it costs to run a Senate campaign and what Republican opponents can raise. John McCain made this point loud and clear lobbying for McCain Feingold when he admitted despite having a finance reform bill authored, he still had to play the game.That a Dem would have to take some corporate lobbyist money, particularly from an industry in his state is hardly worth making a note about unless you're trying to damage him. "

http://tabletalk.salon.com/webx?13@@.2cb9c89b

[cjbuchanan]

3. And so it begins

Kerry has been getting a lot of positive press over the last three weeks, but we all knew that was going to end. It looks like this is the first sign of things to come.

It will be very interesting to see how Kerry responds and how much it hurts his numbers vs. Bush.

This happened to Gore, it happened to Dean and now it's Kerry's turn.

[creativelcro]

34. The press will trash Kerry after TODAY.

To keep the story interesting they have to keep handicapping the front-runner so the other ones catch up...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. I'm not going to judge him poorly on that compared to George Bush

who said he was gonna raise 200 million. While I HATE corporate money in politics and we all acknowledge it's a problem...it takes money to get your message out and win.

I am not going to sully the reputation af ANY Dem running. I want Bush out.

While Dean's approach is admirable it has forced him to sit out today in a number of states.

I really think we need to win first ...demand reform with that win.

[Egnever]

5. Yes vote for Kerry he isnt as bad as bush!

WEEE theres a wining message if I ever heard one.

And the idea that a kerry win is going to give you a voice in anything is ludicrus. If anything a Kerry win ensures the powers that be that have failed us so miserably in the last four years are vindicated in their agenda of not rocking the boat cause wining elections is what is important as oposed to doing what is right once those elections are won.

Demand reform from within HAHAHAHAHA :puke:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Compared to who?

A guy that claims he is going to restore Democracy when his own record in his state is of dealing behind closed doors when developers come calling? ( see LA TIMES, google Dean is not Green).

Elections cost money. Sorry if reality is so nauseating.

[WilliamPitt]

6. Not to stand in defense of another candidate...

but here's the deal: George W. Bush will have a 10-1 spending advantage over all the Democratic candidates combined. Period. What is the proper response to this?

[Bucky]

15. Raise money the old fashioned way--over the internet. Then blow it all in

in Iowa
on orange hats.

This is a winning strategy. Trust me. Yeeeeaaaaaghh!!

[RetroLounge]

26. Thanks for adding to the positive dicourse on DU

eom

[blm]

7. Where are Dean's career donations using the same formula?

Wouldn't an HONEST politician release all his data based on the exact same formula used against Kerry just to compare?

Is Dean an HONEST politician or just demagoguing another issue where he fails miserably in comparison?

You know, like the Koch brothers deal and the Entergy execs who donated to Dean and his pac after the sweetheart deal arranged by Dean?

Too bad Dean sealed those records.

[dsc]

13. Your nastly editting computer again

It is crystal clear that the post is about conduct not from deep in the past but in 2001 and 2002. Surely your computer must be editting.

[blm]

16. But Dean's comments are about the last 15 years

and yet he will not put forth his data based on the same formula to compare himself honestly, will he?

[dsc]

19. I know this is hard for you to believe

but the world doesn't revolve around Dean, and BTW with the numbers that are listed above, Kerry almost certainly got over a third of the total in just the last year. So for 14 years he got next to nothing per year and then he cashed in like a lucky gambler at Vegas.

[TLM]

21. BLM are you claiming that Dean campaign finance records are sealed?

Please cite a link to this?

Every source I've seen says that Dean's sealed records are personal correspondence and memos.

So I'm curious what your source is that says Dean has sealed his records on the sources of his campaign donations.

Or are you just grasping at anything to try and change the subject from Kerry taking so much corporate money?

[TLM]

30. Still waiting for that link BLM

Obviously, since we know you'd never make up something as serious as Dean sealing campaign finance records, you must have a source.

What's the source?

[TLM]

17. Once again the only defense of Kerry... attack Dean.

Face it BLM, Kerry is a fraud.


All this noise about no corporate money is a lie and an attempt to co-opt Dean's message.

[papau]

8. Citizen Soldier Fund was used in various states for "good will" - so

how is this buying votes anymore than giving to the Heart Fund because Laura Bush asks is buying W's ok on some policy?

The statement by Kerry refers to fund raising for election campaigns - and everyone agrees his "no PACS' is both unusual and the right direction to go - since you need money, tis better to take from disclosed individuals rather than from inductry PACs.

Or is someone saying getting dirt on you from the requirements of doing your job in the most honest way possible is the same as Bush wallowing in rich/corporate mud to avoid campaign finance limits and to get money for your party?

Or is someone saying that the monies in the Citizen Soldier Fund were used for a Kerry Campaign - 'cause if they are we have a need for an email campaign to call them on their lie.

:-)

[DancingBear]

9. The only problem here is, again - perception

Kerry coming on so strongly as the slayer of special interests is now coming back to haunt him a bit. I recall when I first heard him use this line that this was not something a 4 term Senator should be using. For an "inside the beltway" guy to take an "outside the beltway" approach was not wise - too easy for the media to play gotcha. It raises the mantle of insincerity, and you can bet this will be a debate question pretty damn soon. Other candidates (especially Dean) are all over it already.

With regard to money, had Kerry not played reformer he could have ramped up the money train without suspicion. Hell, I could care less if he raised 500 billion, if that's what he thought he needed to oust the chimp.

The media was looking for the angle to bring him down, and while this may not knock the door down it at least lets them wedge their foot in.

[displacedtexan]

11. About $30,000 per year? Let's get real here.

Repukes are laughing their asses off.

[bornskeptic]

10. Amazing how media spin becomes "Truth"

when Kerry is the one being attacked.

[kaitykaity]

14. So anything negative about your candidate

becomes "media spin". Funny how that works.

(Gee it's nice that a big negative story about Kerry comes out on primary day--too late to penetrate the media-created 'electability' shield created around Kerry.)

[NashVegas]

24. Spin This

Told that Liu was interested in getting one of her companies listed on the U.S. Stock Exchange, Kerry's aides immediately faxed over a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The next day, Liu and Chung were ushered into a private briefing with a senior SEC official.

...

He said the Beverly Hills event had been set up by a professional fund-raiser, and that he had never even met Chung until the night of the event. But congressional documents obtained by NEWSWEEK seem to tell a different story. "Dear Johnny, It was a great pleasure to have met you last week," Kerry told Chung in a handwritten note dated July 31, 1996. "Barbara told me of your willingness to help me with my campaign... It means a lot to have someone like you on my team as I face the toughest race of my career." That same day the Kerry fund-raiser faxed a memo to Chung that read, in part: "The following are two ways in which you can be helpful to John." No. 1 was "Host an event in L.A. on Saturday, Sept. 9th." (A Kerry spokesman acknowledged that the senator may have met with Chung prior to the fund-raiser, but not in his Senate office.)

[Tweed]

18. Great Timing!

Most Feb 3rd people will have already voted by the time that they read this. Kerry may very well be our candidate after today. Thank you Newsweek for running a horribly uncritical article on Kerry the week before the most important primary while you also wrote a pure attack piece on Clark and didn't mention Clark in your uncritical article of Kerry. Ah the media

[John_H]

20. The big shift. They figure Kerry will have it sewn up by then.

Then 8 months of pro-Chimp Dem bashing starts. Disgusting. I don't care who you support in the primaries, send Newsweek a note telling them we're on tho the sctick and it ain't gonna happen this time around.

[spooky3]

22. Am I the only one who doesn't "get" this issue?

To me there are only 2 questions regarding contributions:

1) did the candidate break the law in accepting them?
2) were the amounts contributed by any one organization large enough to influence a vote before the candidate at the time (or thereabouts)?

It is hard for me to imagine that even a $30K contribution turns the head of any candidate. If everyone in the industry ganged up to "reward" someone for a vote and gave, say, $1 million, such that the candidate realized it was worth the risk of ticking off constituents if the vote was not in their best interests, then I see a problem.

The problem is in the system, not in the people. And until the system keeps Bush and friends from having $200 million to spend, I think any Democrat who does not play within the rules and get the money s/he needs to run an effective campaign is idealistic, but will lose.

So while Kerry is not my favorite candidate, it really seems to me that he is being beaten up on unfairly.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. Thankyou!

[oasis]

25. Somebody wake me when Kerry surpasses $200,000,000. (eom)

[cindyw]

27. You do understand that the money from this CSF does not go to Kerry.

It is a way to help raise money for other Dems and the Dem party. Edwards, Gephardt and Kerry did this. In 2002 they each started one. It is a way to collect money that helps the early caucus, primary states and party organizations in those states fund the expensive early primaries.

All this article proves is that Kerry has the potential to raise money for his party. Very important in a presidential cycle. He will need to have coattails. Thanks for showing he can raise the money to help more Dems get elected in November 2004.


edited to all content.

[dsc]

28. yeah so he can buy endorsments

or at least that is what we called it when Dean paid money to Braun.

[cindyw]

29. So you think Braun's endorsement was bought?

[jcgadfly]

31. Some Kerry apologists think so

That's all I can say.

[cindyw]

32. They are called Kerry supporters. It is against the rules to call them

that. She was or she wasn't as far as Braun. Was that Iowa Congressman being bought by Dean when he raised all that money for him? My point is that this is how it works. The original post seems to suggest that Kerry is taking PAC money. Raising money for the party and not yourself is different than taking money from a PAC. Special interests PACs are a way to donate special interest money without following strict individual contribution rules. Kerry's numbers in for Special interests are inflated because he does not take PAC money as the others do.

[dsc]

33. The Congressman in question

didn't endorse Dean he endorsed Kerry.

[cindyw]

35. No he didn't.

Not according to Kerry's superdelegate list. Where do you see that? The point was that the money raised was not for Kerry. Dean raised money for a congressman. If you are saying that Kerry was buying support with that money then you have to say that Dean was doing it. I also do not understand why Braun is being paid when most endorsers are paid nothing.