Kerry Carries Water for Top Donor

[sfecap]

Kerry Carries Water for Top Donor
By M. Asif Ismail

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2003 -- Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., whose largest campaign contributor lobbies on behalf of telecommunication interests, pushed the legislative priorities of its clients in the wireless industry on several occasions, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign, lobbying and congressional records has found. That analysis is part of the Center’s research for The Buying of the President 2004 (to be published by HarperCollins), which tracks the financial backers and interests of the major candidates for the White House.

Kerry, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills favorable to the industry and has written letters to government agencies on behalf of the clientele of his largest donor.

Boston-based Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. has been the biggest financial backer of the Massachusetts Democrat’s two decades-long political career in elected office, with its employees contributing nearly $187,000 to various Kerry races, including his current presidential campaign. Kerry’s ties to the firm go beyond campaign contributions. His brother Cameron F. Kerry is an attorney at the firm’s Boston office, and David Leiter, who was the Senator’s chief of staff for six years, is a lobbyist for ML Strategies LLC, a Mintz, Levin affiliate that provides consulting and lobbying services.

Mintz, Levin advertises communications law among its areas of expertise and lobbies on behalf of wireless industry clients such as AT&T Wireless Service, XO Communications Inc. and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. CTIA is the trade association of the wireless industry; its more than 320 members include carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers. CTIA-affiliated companies and their employees have contributed at least $152,000 to Kerry. The amount includes contributions made to his presidential campaign and his previous election efforts, his political action committees and the 527 group that Kerry formed. Verizon employees donated close to a third of that amount ($45,400).

Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry have substantial holdings in telecommunications companies; between $17.6 million and $47.1 million of their combined fortune is held in companies with a stake in the industry, the Center’s analysis of his financial disclosure form revealed. That falls in a range of roughly 7 percent to 11 percent of the couple’s combined $165 million to $626 million in assets. Most of the fortune, and the stocks, belong to Heinz Kerry.


(more)

http://www.bop2004.org/dtaweb/bop2004/default.aspx?Section=ARTICLE&AID=8

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. sorely misguided

Senator Kerry has friends and family who work at Mintz Levin, ranging from his brother to former classmates who work in this Boston-based firm. In addition to having been elected to the Senate four times, John Kerry has been Lt. Governor and run for Congress in Massachusetts, so a lot of these folks go way back with him. It should come as no surprise that they would be supportive of his campaign for president and any effort to make anything more of it is sorely misguided.

On all issues, including issues important to the wireless industry, Senator Kerry makes his decisions based on what is sound policy and what is best for the people he represents.
http://www.bop2004.org/dtaweb/bop2004/default.aspx?SECTION=CANDIDATE&CID=4

[blm]

2. This article shows how CLEAN Kerry is. 187,000 over 18 years

from a GROUP of his brother's coworkers.

WOW.

Bush gets that in ONE year from just ONE of his pioneers.

[blm]

4. Now HERE is some REAL water carrying by Dean for energy donors.

http://timesargus.nybor.com/Archive/Articles/Article/23996

MONTPELIER - A leading environmentalist was asked to leave Gov. Howard Dean's council of environmental advisers after she criticized the governor's short-lived proposal for a coal-fired power plant in Vermont.

Elizabeth Courtney, executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, was one of 20 members of the governor's environmental council, which meets about once every three months with the governor.

But after Courtney wrote a newspaper opinion piece faulting Dean for his brief advocacy of a coal plant, she learned she was no longer welcome on the council. David Rocchio, the governor's legal counsel, wrote her late last month to say she will be replaced on the council by VNRC's board chairman. The move came after she had written the governor on energy issues and showed his staff her draft newspaper piece, Courtney said.

"From the tone of your letter (to the governor), the content of your (newspaper) essay, and your rejection of the concerns we have raised with you in conversation, it appears that you do not seek a dialogue," Rocchio wrote to Courtney and to VNRC's board. "The governor sees little point in continuing to try to discuss these issues with you."

Meanwhile, another prominent environmentalist - Mark Sinclair, Vermont director of the Conservation Law Foundation - was also asked to step down from the council. Sinclair said it was not yet clear whether he was being removed to make way for another environmentalist, as he was told, or because he had criticized Dean's environmental policies.
>>>>>>>

http://timesargus.nybor.com/Legislature/Story/43125.html


Dean raises money from energy sources

February 27, 2002

By David Gram

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTPELIER — When Gov. Howard Dean wanted to raise money for a possible presidential bid, he followed the example of a former governor of Texas and called on his friends in the energy industry.

>>>>>>>
“Administration actions going back some years betray an inappropriate coziness with the utilities,” said Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Service Research Group. “I am not prepared to say it’s a result of contributions given. But these contributions present the appearance of impropriety or appearance of influence that it probably would have been better to avoid.”

Dean’s close relationship with utility representatives dates back to the day he became governor in 1991. A lobbyist for Green Mountain Power and a GMP employee were among the first people Dean called in to help his transition.

A list of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers includes Green Mountain Power Corp.’s chairman, two company board members and a vice president, all of whom made donations to the Fund For A Healthy America. It also includes two longtime utility lobbyists.

Over the years, the governor has sided with the utilities on many of the most pressing issues, including the push for deregulation of the electric industry, and later backing away from that as a goal. Among other major decisions:

— After years of pushing for the companies to absorb the excess costs of their expensive contract with Hydro-Quebec, Dean’s Department of Public Service agreed to let ratepayers be billed for more than 90 percent of what those excess costs are expected to be in the coming years. The extra costs will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

[AP]

10. These energy company execs on the board, these aren't the gay

and lesbian authors of letters that Dean has under seal, to protect their priivacy, are they?

[blm]

14. That's been my take, too.

Dean has been on the side of his energy donors throughout his career.

[sfecap]

5. Nice spin. LOL.

Kerry voted to deregulate the Telecommunications industry.

Has your phone bill or cable bill gone down?

Mine hasn't.

[blm]

7. Your outrage is for THAT and not deregulating ELECTRICITY?

The telecommunications bill needs to be reworked, but, don't pretend outrage when Dean BOASTS of his affinity for deregulation, including ELECTRICITY!

[AP]

12. I can cancel the cable. But, c'mon, energy privitization is something

we all railed about at DU before Dean came along.

[blm]

13. So far they've said it's not true.

And blame the messenger for noticing Dean's position on this.

[sfecap]

19. Will you cancel your internet connection, too?

n/t

[sfecap]

17. You crack me up...

...really. If a rethug had influenced legislation in an industry in which he had enourmous personal holdings you'd be beside yourself. (Or maybe you think it's OK...)

Instead, you turn this into "Mommy, Dean. hit me..."

You must get a bit dizzy spinning for St. John, huh?

This isn't about Dean, it's about Kerry.

[blm]

20. Your post against Kerry is ALL about Dean, sfecap

and your support for him by regularly tearing down ALL of the other candidates.

I go after just Dean because it was JUST Dean who started the negative attacks on the others on January 23. The others refrained from that low road for two months while Dean and his supporters painted them as "Bushlite" despite their lifelong records of working for longtime Democratic issues and values, while Dean racked up the record of a centrist.

[sfecap]

22. Bullshit.

You are in EVERY Dean thread and on the attack.

Get real.

Look in the mirror.

St. John isn't all he's cracked up to be.

[Pez]

9. haha stole my point blm

if 187k over 20 years from his bro = heavy influence on legislation, then by that reasoning the almost 2k we got people to donate in one month must mean we are on the road to seriously influencing kerry's votes. pfffftahahahahah oh i weep.

[papau]

3. What a bunch of nothing!

What if Kerry believes in high tech?

And how does a 152K donation affect 4 elections at $10 m APIECE - or 40 million?

Seems Kerry is into small donations - and that is a good!

[sfecap]

11. Really? Small donations?

Lets see....

Here's how the candidates rank for donors of $2000.00 or more:

1. George Bush 76%

2. John Edwards 67%

3. John Kerry 56% (Average contibution is $1175.00)

4. Joe Lieberman 54%

5. Dick Gephardt 58%

7. Howard Dean 16%

8. Dennis Kucinich 15%

9. Al Sharpton 61%

10. Carol Moseley Braun 36%

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/donordems.asp?sortby=2

[blm]

15. I don't think ALL of Dean's donors want electricity deregulated

do they? Do they even know? Would they be supporting Dean if they knew?

Who would like to see a debate on electricity deregulation between Kucinich and Dean?

heheh....I would.

[sfecap]

18. Gee, you really are obsessed with electricity, huh?

Let's talk about the communications industry.

How about a debate between Kucinich and Kerry about that?

DK would kick his ass. Easily.

[blm]

21. Kerry thinks it should be modified.

And has agreed with McCain that the telecommunications companies did not live up to their promises.

Now, deregulating electricity is a BFEE goal that effects EVERY person in the country in some way. Why was Dean pushing it in Vermont and boasting of his position at the CATO Institute?

[sfecap]

23. More votes by Kerry that didn't lve up to the "promise"

Oh, the irony.

John votes, and then regrets it.

How much money did the deregulation of the telecommunications industry put in his and Teresa's pocket, I wonder?

Maybe I ought to check out his votes re HMO's. He's heavily invested in them too.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

24. Why don't you check out the facts

on HMOs instead of just making an insinuation.

[JohnKleeb]

16. so lol we are more grassroots than you all just not as much money

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. Ouch!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Remember when we had a big brouhaha here about the

importance of the stocks controlled by each candidate? I noted then that John and Theresa were heavily invested in Tel-Coms, and that it was important to know their holdings and how JK voted on T-C issues. I also maintained that it doesn't necessarily change the way that Kerry would have voted whether he owned the stock or not. It's up to the individual voter to make that judgment.


Judge away, DU'ers.

[joeybee12]

8. If the article said that Kerry PASSED water for a client, then I'd be...

...impressed!

I'm no longer a Kerry fan, but--yawn--where's the news here???????