Potential Opportunity for the GOP to link Hillary to Abramoff

[Ignacio Upton]

Apprently, according to one Daily Kos diarist, Hillary was given money from the Tan family, a wealthy textile group that operates in the Mariana Islands. They also have ties to Jack Abramoff and to Tom DeLay. Now, I don't know why exactly they would donate money to Hillary (the dates of the family member's donations, interestingly, coincides with the week after Tom DeLay's indictment....maybe they donated to her to give bipartisan "cover" to help the GOP) but this has the potential to be used against us in a "Abramoff helped both sides" bullshit meme. Deborah Howell will be licking her chops once she get a hold of this. So will Chris Matthews and Wolf Blitzer. If this situation is what the Daily Kos diarist claims it is, then Hillary must give back all of the Tan money. We already have Cynthia McKinney and Mollohan in trouble in ways that could undermine us fighting against the corrupt Republicans, but we don't need another "Democrats took Abramoff-related money" talkingpoint.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/22/22836/4229

Note: PLEASE DON'T TURN THIS INTO A HILLARY-BASHING THREAD. It's bad enough that the knee-jerk Hillary-haters over at DKos did this to the diarist's thread. Please, use constructive criticism of Hillary, and be sure to call her office and notify her that she has tainted money, and ask her to give it back!

[rooboy]

1. I am getting really sick of these "running scared" posts. n/t

[Ignacio Upton]

2. The FEC records show her receiving contributions from the Tan family:

Donations to Hillary Clinton from the Tan Family
KIM LAM, PEK, Homemaker; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, JOISE, N/A/Homemaker; 10/2/2005; $2,000
TAN, RAYMOND, Luen Thai/President; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, SIU L, Tan Holdings Corp./Chairman; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, WILLIE, Luen Thai/COO; 9/30/2005; $2,000

Interestingly, they all donate to her around the same week. I think that they feel that by donating to Hillary, they can either deflect attention away from their Republicans friends, or they feel that Hillary will actually vouch for them (she has done nothing in the way of legislative quid pro quos, unlike Tom DeLay, who legislatively acted in the Abramoff/Tan Mariana interest's. )

[Old and In the Way]

3. That is interesting.

Looks like innoculation to me. She's a cash machine, I doubt anyone's contributions will buy her vote...but it does send a signal to Democrats to understand where your donations are coming from and why you may be getting them.

[Ignacio Upton]

4. The Daily Kos diarist also called up her office

And he thinks that they aren't responding to this, either out of ignorance or a poor chain of command. We have to get Hillary to return the money, or else Deborah Howell and the rest of the Republican-media will make this into a "Democrats are Abramoff friends too" arguement.

[noahmijo]

5. So the GOP gets a chance to knock Hillary....what the hell else is new

Let them knock Hillary all they want, she's not my choice for pres never was and never will be and I think come primary time if she is even in the running most voters will agree with me on this.

[Ignacio Upton]

6. Hillary herself won't be hurt by this news

But we a a whole party will not blast with this whenever we bring up the GOP's ethics.