.
The GOP desperately wants democrats to be in charge. The left has complete control of schools, the media, Hollywood. Why keep raising money?
4/12/13, "Billionaires, Rappers, and Former Lobbyists Give to OFA," Washington Free Beacon, Alana Goodman
"President Barack Obama’s advocacy organization Organizing for Action
(OFA) raised over $4.8 million from first-quarter donors, including the
chairman of a major lobbying firm, wealthy progressives affiliated with
the secretive Democracy Alliance, and a member of popular 1990s hip-hop
group the Fugees, according to a list of first quarter contributors
released by the group today.
OFA has agreed to disclose limited information about its $250-and-up
donors on a quarterly basis.
The group, which evolved out of President
Barack Obama’s campaign arm, had previously been criticized for evading
mandatory donor disclosure by registering as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit
group.
“We are incredibly thrilled by an average donation of $44 if you
weren’t able to tell from [OFA executive director] Jon Carson’s email
this morning. Well over half of the total [dollar] contributions came
from small dollar donations (under $250.),” wrote OFA spokeswoman Katie
Hogan in an email to reporters this afternoon. “Reminder that this is a
voluntarily disclosure, not required of any 501c4 and not practiced by
almost all 501c4′s.”
But the voluntary disclosure may not be enough for watchdogs, who
note that there is no way to verify whether the list of donors is
complete.
“We rely entirely on the faith of Organizing for America for being
honest,” said Craig Holman, a campaign finance expert at Public Citizen.
“There’s no other way to cross-check if they’re leaving off a critical
name, or two, or a hundred.”
OFA also gave a far more limited glimpse of its donors than it would
have been required to if it were a campaign organization. It released
contributors’ names, cities, and donation amounts, but not their
addresses or employers.
Holman called it a “woefully inadequate disclosure.”
“That’s a major deficit in the disclosure,” he said. “If we don’t
know who they’re working for it makes it very difficult to try to
determine if there is a great deal of bundling activity going on
supporting this electioneering nonprofit group. … We haven’t got a clue
if they come from Boeing if they come from what company and what they
want in return.”
Disclosed donors include
hedge fund billionaire S. Donald Sussman and real-estate mogul Wayne
Jordan, contributing at least $50,000 each. Both have been supporters of
the Democracy Alliance, an organization backed by major progressive
donors that steers donor dollars to dark-money groups that disclose very
little about their funding sources.
Michael Kempner, chairman of the lobbying firm MWW, also gave at least $50,000 to OFA. Prakazrel Michel, better known as “Pras” from the rap group the Fugees, contributed $20,000 to the organization.
The organization also accepted a $15,466 in-kind contribution for office space from the National Education Association, which is where OFA has been headquartered.
“[A] note about the NEA donation listed, that was not a contribution,
that was in-kinded office space for our temporary start up office in
DC,” wrote Hogan.
OFA says it raised the first quarter funds from 109,582 contributors, and over half reportedly gave less than $250.
The group previously came under fire from the progressive base for
saying it would accept corporate cash. It has since changed its
position, but can still take money from individuals at corporations,
including bundled contributions." via Lucianne
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12/8/12, "Once Boxed-In, Boehner May Finally Be Master Of The House," NPR, Frank James
"In a paradoxical way, Obama's re-election victory coupled with
congressional Democrats adding to their numbers may have helped Boehner.
Some of those wins came at the expense of the Tea Party, the
conservative movement whose affiliated House members have been very
willing to stand up to Boehner."...
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