Clark Speeches May Violate Election Law

[pruner]

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 8, 2003; Page A06

Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark may have violated federal election laws by discussing his presidential campaign during recent paid appearances, according to campaign finance experts.

Clark, a newcomer to presidential politics, touted his candidacy during paid appearances at DePauw University in Indiana and other campuses after he entered the presidential race on Sept. 17. Under the laws governing the financing of presidential campaigns, candidates cannot be paid by corporations, labor unions, individuals or even universities for campaign-related events. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) considers such paid political appearances akin to a financial contribution to a candidate.

Clark is getting paid as much as $30,000 for speeches, according to people familiar with his arrangement. He has two more scheduled for next week.

Clark, like any other candidate, would likely be permitted to deliver the paid speeches only if they did not "expressly" cover his campaign or his political opponents, the experts said.

But in his speeches, Clark has talked about his campaign positions and criticized President Bush's policies. At DePauw, during a question-and-answer session after the speech, Clark "absolutely" covered his political views on everything from education to the economy, said Ken Bode, a visiting professor of journalism who moderated the session.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58717-2003Oct7.html

[TakebackAmerica]

1. Smear, smear, smear

till it sticks. sound like Karl Rove. We democrats don't need to be like them

[pruner]

3. how the hell is this a smear?

get a grip.

[ender]

9. fuck that.

they wanna play dirty pool - lets teach them an eff'ing lesson.

[Forkboy]

31. over react much?

[acmavm]

2. Funny, seems to me that the Shrubster is getting paid damn good money

every time he goes out on Air Force One and visits a select group of contributors to hype his election campaign. And the American people are paying for him to take the world's most expensive aircraft all over the country. In fact, that doesn't seem right to me, that we have to finance his cross-country jaunts to collect millions of dollars. Why doesn't he have to pay for using Air Force One since it's being used for his benefit? Make the Shrub take the money out of his $200 million.

[LTR]

4. Explain this

Bush was here in Milwaukee last week giving a blatant luncheon campaign speech. At $2000 a plate.

Is THIS allowed under the rules?

[KittyWampus]

5. As Long As He Doesn't Talk About His Campaign Directly?

???

[Demobrat]

6. Donating to a campaign is different

from paying somebody personally. Theoretically, anyway.

[Dookus]

7. I have full confidence...

that if, in fact, these charges are true, Clark will immediately return the money. I don't for a second believe he intended to break the law.

[tinnypriv]

8. He's not going to have to campaign from a brig is he?

[bluestateguy]

10. Why would you repeat Karl Rove's talking points at a time like this?

I don't have time to deal with this.

[Voltaire99]

11. Shooting the messenger...

...is pointless.

[pruner]

12. how is this Rove's talking points?

there aren't even any Republicans quoted in the article.

[Dr Fate]

20. How does it help Democrats?

If a Republican did this, it would not even get covered.

[pruner]

22. but it did get covered… by the Washington Post

that makes it breaking news.

EOM

[Dr Fate]

23. But how does it help Democrats?

Of course the Pro-Bush consevative media covered it- Clark now has a "D" behind his name!!!

I know that Clark did not intend to break the law, but Republicans and their "helpers" would love for people to think that Clark is "crooked"...

That is the purpose of these smears, and you can bet that the Republican candidate's (Bush)numerous REAL scandals will not get the same coverage as any minor "scandal" of a DEM....

[pruner]

30. there's a difference between a smear and a piece of bad news

this is a piece of bad news for Clark (and his supporters).

deal with it stop blaming the messenger.

[Eloriel]

36. Call me silly

But I don't think it helps Dems for other Dems to be breaking campaign finance rules.

And I REALLY have a problem with Dems here at DU not being willing to hear the truth because "it might hurt Dems." What needs to be done is the rule-breaking Dems need to shape up or ship out. This is a bush-league mistake. If I were running for office, one of the FIRST things I'd do (aside from getting position papers good and ready) is bone up on the FEC rules. Stoopid. Or maybe just arrogant.

Eloriel

[PurityOfEssence]

13. If you get the benefit of being a newcomer, you have to take the bad, too

He needs to get it together. He's gotten a great free ride for being a untainted by politics, but that doesn't make him immune to the responsibilies of the profession.

This is one of the serious reasons why he's not up to the job: politics is incredibly complex and nuanced. It's not based on hierarchical control like the military is, and it's incredibly transparent. He's skipping the apprenticeship and he thinks he can just jump right in. He deserves no slack on this.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

14. He Does Need To Get His Shit Together

Starting with his campaign team, and taking advantage of the thousands of volunteers who have yet to receive a single e-mail.

DTH

[catforclark2004]

16. I ;m a drafter who receives my emails from Wes Clark!

I also got an invitation to Breakfast on July 10th to meet the General.....the Breakfast is a Thank you to "Draft-Clark" supporters in the East Bay.

We were also sent a video (email Sream) of Wes thanking us prior to announcing his candidacy...back in September.

Also got a few letters, one inviting me to join Clark's Army...
One today thanking me for my efforts.

Here's the most recent:

Dear Friends,

It has been little more than two short weeks since we launched our campaign for the presidency, and I want to take a moment to thank you personally for your tremendous efforts and enthusiasm on my behalf.

From across the country, your calls for change are being heard. Our mission is urgent - to unite Americans in a New Patriotism. A New American Patriotism that ensures our nation's security, promotes real economic opportunity, defends individual liberties, and restores our cooperative role within the community of nations.

To make this vision a reality, I ask for your continued leadership. Throughout my recent travels to New Hampshire, Iowa, California, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, New York, and Washington, DC, you've been there. In our early days of fundraising, you've been there. I wish I had the chance to meet each of you personally, but please know that I value every positive step you are taking.

Our Little Rock headquarters is up and running, and we will work to keep you informed about our plans and progress. As a first step, I believe we must build upon this great movement of supporters you've established.

Please take a moment this week to invite your friends, relatives, and associates to learn more about our vision and become involved in our campaign. To send an email inviting them to join our movement, please visit:

http://action.clark04.com/ctt.asp?u=1462059&l=6125
By rapidly growing our corps of active supporters, we can chart our course to victory in 2004.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

[DoveTurnedHawk]

24. Here's an Example of What I'm Talking About

The below is an excerpt from a post on Daily Kos. It illustrates exactly the opportunity Clark is missing. I absolutely do not buy the notion that the below was impossible to implement by now, three weeks into the campaign. All it takes is a little more effort on the Blog and some good database sorting and mass mailer programs, on the e-mail front. My impression has been that the Clark campaign has wanted to do everything itself. That is wasteful of resources waiting to be exploited.

On balance, I think a combination approach would be best. But having the insiders do everything is not the best idea, IMO.

DTH

--

<...>

Dean's internet tools have allowed thousands of supporters to communicate and organize quickly and efficiently, and has given the grassroots people a way to set up campaign events with little or no direction from the central campaign office.

I set up an event in Dallas early this year. The input from the campaign consisted of, "We'll be in town on day X. He'd like to talk to some doctors".

Me and some other local supporters found a venue, set up the food, invited guests, arranged transport around town for Dean, and got media coverage. 180 people showed up on a Wednesday morning to hear Dean speak - a guy most of them had never heard of. Dean was still an unknown in Texas.

The campaign staffers who accompanied Dean said, "It's like this all over the USA. We give the local folks a date, they set up the event. It rocks." Every single person I invited I invited via email.

Dean supporters give money over the Net. They read what Dean has to say on the Net. They organize and advertise events on the Net. They argue back and forth about Dean on the Net. And Dean communicates with THEM via the Net.

<...>

Hundreds of thousands of people are involved now who have never been involved before. Because it's EASY. The simple Net tools you use at work and play - email, computer lists, chats - you can use just as easily to run a campaign.

<...>

Posted by Adam at October 7, 2003 06:53 PM

[Julien Sorel]

25. Meetup is on Monday.

Bring up the concerns there.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

26. I'd Rather Not Jade the Newbies

And I've already made some suggestions to people connected to HQ. I'm just airing some of these ideas here as well, based on the notion that I'd hopefully be able to get some intelligent comments from the Clark supporters here. After all, the Clark haters will think whatever twisted things they want anyway, no matter what.

DTH

[pruner]

18. I'm not even a Clark supporter per se…

but I got that e-mail too.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

19. Hmm. Just Got It.

That's one. I guess two, if you count the fundraising e-mail.

All of the other e-mails described were from the Draft movement, not the Clark campaign.

Priority one should be to incorporate those volunteers ready and willing to donate their time (and in some cases, as in mine, those volunteers who have already donated their time), IMO.

DTH

[VolcanoJen]

37. DTH, I received emails from the official campaign.

I received a thank you email for my donation, and another one acknowledging my request to volunteer.

Maybe it depends on your state? No idea, but I have received emails from the campaign (not the Draft Clark group).

I for one would rather not see Clark take a page from the Dean playbook. He's not going to win the nomination by copying Dean's successes. He needs to run his own show, and he has screwed up a few times since announcing and really does need to take command (something I think he knows how to do). I love the internet as much as the next guy, but I still think "real-world" campaigning and on-the-ground tactics win elections.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

38. Dunno, I Just Hate Leaving Resources on the Table

It just seems wasteful to me.

I am all in favor of a traditional campaign, but even a traditional campaign needs to utilize its volunteers effectively. The Internet allows that to happen much easier than in the past. I hope Clark can draw from some of the good ideas Dean has, and make them his own, while still maintaining his own unique style.

DTH

[teryang]

15. LOL

This is funny coming on the heels of the ahnold election.

[catforclark2004]

Clark has not gotten a free ride

because a free ride would meant that three weeks into a campaign, everybody would not be looking under the glaring light of a magnifying glass and making comments that he's needs to get it together. I think that what is happening......getting it together....

[Pastiche423]

17. More proof that he doesn't

know what he's doing. For cripe's sake, Brad Litchfield, who helped draft the FEC advisory opinion, is on Clark's campaign staff!

How much will that reduce his campaign fund when he returns the money?

[Dookus]

28. this is meaningless....

if he spoke about his campaign in violation of a technical rule, he will make it right. I will bet my house against it.


I think some people are upset that people want to pay to hear Clark over some other candidates. Clark delivers.

[Pastiche423]

29. He is a neophyte and it shows

For a Rhodes scholar, it ain't too swift on the uptake of campaign rules. Did he not prepare for the "fight" of his life?

Btw, your excuses for him are getting quite thin.

[pope piel]

32. Newbie Gafs

We have a great candidate like Dean and are allowing this newbie to drain our funds and screw up our chances in 2004. We need someone with experience and not just a few stars on the shoulder. We need a Democrat and not a chameleon.

[truthisfreedom]

21. this is good. so what.

he can afford to pay back the speeches... this only proves that more conservatives are worried about him, and gives him more news attention. it's all good.

[roguevalley]

27. then sue him.

Honestly. Can Cheney pass the smell test?

There is no bottom for them, is there.

[arwalden]

33. Blah, Blah, Blah... "Buddhist Temple...." Blah, Blah, Blah

Blah, Blah, Blah... "phone calls from the office" Blah, Blah, Blah

Has it started yet? Is this it?

-- Allen

[KittyWampus]

34. Is This Why Donnie Fowler Left?

???

[BenFranklinUSA]

35. Why can't we win by following "the rules"?

After we win, we can change the rules. :)

Blam! There goes another toe!

[im4]

39. What about the campaign manager?

Didn't he just quit? That's kind of odd isn't it?