How clean is Dr. Dean?

[bornskeptic]

Since the article by John Solomon discussed on this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=269640&mesg_id=269640

seems to have impressed a large number of Dean supporters, I thought they might be interested in another article by the same author. While I personally think it is ridiculous for Democrats to be attacking each other over such small sums in light of the millions of dollars of graft engaged in by Republicans, if we're going to do it we probably ought to try to be balanced about it.



Posted on Sat, Jan. 10, 2004

AP: Dean Accepted Special-Interest Money
JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - While governor of Vermont, Howard Dean accepted personal pay from special interests at least five times for speeches and also received more than $60,000 in checks and pledges for his charity fund from insurers who benefited from a state tax break, according to documents and interviews.

(snip)


But in a 1993 letter to Dean, Primmer wrote that two insurers were sending a gift to the governor, described only as a "package," after Dean met with them to discuss the bill that would provide new tax breaks. Dean signed that bill into law later that year.

In 1994, Primmer donated $250 to Dean's re-election campaign. And in a series of 1995 letters, Primmer passed along a $7,500 check to Dean's school fund from insurer Commercial Reinsurance Company, and pledges for an additional $55,000 from that company and another insurer named MEDMARC.

"We greatly appreciate the flexibility your administration and it predecessors have promoted in the regulation of insurance companies," a MEDMARC executive wrote in a "Dear Gov. Dean" letter around the time of the donations.

(more)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/7674176.htm

[LoZoccolo]

1. You realize this pretty much only helps...

...the four other candidates.

[bornskeptic]

2. Among thinking people,

this article should not hurt Dean and the other one should not hurt Kerry. Unfortunately, it appears that not all posters here fall into that category. I do, however, admit that, if someone is going to be hurt, I have certain preferences as to who it should or should not be.

[LoZoccolo]

3. Your preference seems to be...

...hurting the guy that's two or three places behind your candidate and thus possibly giving votes to candidates that seem to be more of a threat to Kerry now.

[EXE619K]

4. All the money given to Dean in 1995 went to buy computers .....

in poor school districts in VT. Dean got about $6000 for his speech allowances.

Same old "scheisse"...different date.

But, I guess you knew this already...it seems.

[bornskeptic]

8. and I also realize that all Kerry is accused of doing

is ensuring that committee hearings were held before his constituents were deprived of funding for a project in their state due to corruption linked to the Republican administration of Massachusetts. I don't see where either one of them did anything wrong. Do you?

[Bombtrack]

5. and remember, it takes a hell of alot less money to run a Vermont campaign

than in a major state such as Massachusetts

[sandnsea]

7. $400 contribution caps

Alot less money in Vermont.

[ShaneGR]

6. Earth to Kerry supporter

You beat Dean. Stop attacking him.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Even when Dean was winning I didnt feel the need to attack him

I prefered to focus on the positives.

[bornskeptic]

10. I'm not attacking Dean.

I don't see anything wrong with what he did. I'm just disgusted by the way people in the Kerry thread were jumping on the Rovian bandwagon to attack Kerry based on an empty hit piece.

[JohnKleeb]

11. Dude its ok

I understand completely. I get pissed off too. When Dean was the big leader, that was when I was a full time DK supporter, tell you about hard eh heh. I see what you did, and its ok. Lets post positives of our guy, that really helps IMO.