Jim DeMint's PAC Flip

[Donnachaidh]

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/10/jim-demint-pac-senate-conservatives-fund


Back when Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) first ran for the House in 1998, he decried political action committees and the money they slosh into elections as the root of congressional evils. In his platform, he pledged to eschew all PAC money (via The Hill):

"Special interest PAC money corrupts our political system because it allows special interest groups to control elections and our representatives," read the 1998 platform. "Jim DeMint will not take any PAC money and will fight for reforms that allow only individual contributions to campaigns."

DeMint clearly had a change of heart. Now, not only does he have his own PAC, the Senate Conservatives Fund ("dedicated to electing true conservatives to the United States Senate") but it's easily one of the most influential on the right these days. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, SFC has outraised all other leadership PACs this election cycle. It's poured $5.2 million into races this year, with most of that money going to support 11 tea party-backed Senate candidates, according to an update on "investments" the fund posted on Tuesday.

The biggest beneficiaries of the Senate Conservatives Fund's largesse:

* Pat Toomey (Pa.) - $304,000
* Marco Rubio (Fla.) - $573,000
* Ken Buck (Colo.) - $871,000
* Rand Paul (Ky.) - $258,000
* Mike Lee (Utah) - $302,000
* Sharron Angle (Nev.) - $682,000
* Ron Johnson (Wis.) - $195,000
* Dino Rossi (Wash.) - $326,000
* Joe Miller (Alaska) - $571,000
* Christine O'Donnell (Del.) - $505,000
* John Raese (WV) - $70,000


MORE at the link ---

[gratuitous]

1. They're really upset about earmarks, too

Until they're the ones designating them. And deficits? Well, they don't matter. Except when they do. Reagan and Cheney proved that. Lucky for these parasites, the popular media apparently regards quoting these hypocrites' own words back to them to be unfair somehow. But stove-piping a supporters' words and actions onto a Democratic candidate or officeholder is perfectly fair.