Howard Dean Will Take Back America .... For Corporations

[Zomby Woof]

According to Center for Responsive Politcs, the second biggest donor to Dean presidential campaign is AOL/Time Warner executives and employees.

Dennis Kucinich, from www.kucinich.us : "Dr. Dean promised to make it a campaign issue if any of his opponents opted out of public funding. I'm making it an issue now. Dr. Dean may feel that he can drag his supporters into agreeing with his preconceived decision because in the end he believes they have no other place to go. Well, he's wrong. Our campaign is reaching out to them. They don't have to give up hope."

Campaign finance is not the only issue on which Dr. Dean may have let you down.

"The end of public financing means a tighter grip on the political process by special interests. Howard Dean has called for the people to take back America. His attempt to kill public financing will take back America -- for the corporations. Simply by asking the question, Dr. Dean has broken faith with small donors who saw him as a reformer who claimed to be from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. Dean's small donors gave to a candidate who promised to use public funding and who painted himself as the type of person who would never do otherwise. They should ask for their money back. In order to keep pace with Bush's fundraising, Dr. Dean will inevitably rely even more heavily on the corporate interests who are already sponsoring his campaign.

"Dean has misjudged the most effective way to defeat President Bush: challenging the corporations who control our government with money. By ending his commitment to public financing, Dean unwittingly supports the worst fears of the American people that there's really no difference between Democrats and Republicans on the most critical issues affecting the very nature of our democracy. We all know that the current campaign finance system is not perfect. But the answer is not to roll back three decades of progress and return to pre-Watergate standards."


According to a Feb. 25, 2002, Associated Press article by David Gram, titled "Dean Turns to Utility Executives to Finance New Campaign": "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. Nearly a fifth of the roughly $111,000 collected in its first months by Dean's presidential political action committee, the Fund for a Healthy America, came from people with ties to Vermont's electric utilities, according to a recent Federal Elections Commission filing. It should be no surprise. Dean and utility executives have had a long and friendly relationship…"

[Nlighten1]

1. You do realized that...

the corporations already "have" America.

[Zomby Woof]

3. of course!

DK is turning Dean's overhyped campaign slogan on him. He is not in any way saying we're not currently in their grasp. That is THE POINT: REAL campaign finance reform will weaken corporate influence.

I think DK was just giving the Bad Doctor a shot in the arm. ;-)

[Myra]

7. Yep, and Dean seems to be part of the problem not part of the solution.

eom

[eileen_d]

2. Kucinich - that graphic kicks ass.

Someone's gotta keep "the good Doctor" honest around here...

[Zomby Woof]

4. Oh yeah

Plus, I have always loved Charlie Brown. ;-)

[dajabr]

5. 0.0024496047430830039525691699604743

Percentage of the monetary influence they hold over Dean.

[mzmolly]

6. Wow, what a catchy yet inflamatory opening statement

which doesn't appear to reflect the truth at all.

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/summary.asp?ID=N00025663

In fact, Dennis Kucinich has recieved more $$ in PAC contributions then Howard Dean.

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/summary.asp?ID=N00003572

[Rose Siding]

11. It might get him some press

and he needs press. I wonder if he realizes that once the attack has been chewed and swallowed, the hounds still won't come sniffing around him.

[dsc]

8. shame on employees of AOL

for giving money to Dean. You would think they were american citizens or something. Dean's average donation is in the range of $75 bucks and his ratio of little donations to big is larger than that of anyone but Kucinich. And he beats Dean by only a couple percent. No other candidate comes close. Yea I am sure that $75 dollars buys them a ton of favors. Oh and your link doesn't even lead to the right place on the sight.

[Zomby Woof]

12. AOL is the devil

Plus, the URL stays the same wherever you go on the site, so it goes to the homepage by default. Sorry! :evilgrin:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. Yep.

Another corporate whore. He's Bush in sheep's clothing. Look at all the corporate money flowing into his campaign...oh, wait,... that's Edwards and Kerry (www.opensecrets.org)...

I've got no beef with Dennis but you're attacking the wrong dude(s).

[slinkerwink]

10. yep-----ZW----how do you address that Kerry and Edwards get more

money from corporations than Dean does?

[Eric J in MN]

13. Are we supposed to be against AOL Time Warner? I'm not.

Are we supposed to be against AOL Time Warner? I'm not.

CNN doesn't have Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) or Joe Scarborough (MSNBC).

[clarknyc]

14. Okay

Nearly a fifth of the roughly $111,000 collected in its first months by Dean's presidential political action committee, the Fund for a Healthy America, came from people with ties to Vermont's electric utilities, according to a recent Federal Elections Commission filing.

Nearly a fifth! A fifth of $111,000! About $20,000. Wow! That'll buy influence! That's a fifth of the amount it takes to be knighted a Pioneer by Bush. How many Pioneers and Rangers for Bush are there? Many more than one fifth of one, I'm certain.

[Moderator]

15. I am locking this thread...

It is inflammatory.

Thanks,
DU Moderator