Kerry asking FEC to use part of his campaign fund for movie about injured vets

[Mass]

Interesting. I have no clue whether it is possible or not. (Of course, Politico headline made me think it was a movie about the campaign).

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21680.html

Kerry campaign wants to make film
By JOHN BRESNAHAN | 4/24/09 5:24 PM EDT Updated: 4/24/09 6:49 PM EDT
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Sen. John Kerry is seeking permission to invest $300,000 in campaign funds in a documentary film on injured Iraq War veterans.


Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is seeking permission from both the Federal Election Commission and the Senate Ethics Committee to invest $300,000 in campaign funds in a documentary film on injured Iraq War veterans.

Under a proposed agreement with White Mountain Films, the company that would make the documentary, Kerry would serve as executive producer for the film. Kerry would not be paid. The filmmaker, George Butler, is best known for making “Pumping Iron,” a documentary about bodybuilding that helped launch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Butler also produced a 2004 documentary on John Kerry’s life story.

Among Kerry’s duties for the film would be “making introductions with respect to potential investors” for the documentary, which is tentatively entitled “Keeping Faith.”
...
Kerry’s request is unprecedented for a sitting senator, although Marc Elias, Kerry’s campaign lawyer, noted in his “advisory opinion request” to the FEC that the commission has given campaign committees “wide discretion in deciding how to spend their funds.”

[wisteria]

1. This is a very interesting undertaking. Obviously it has the potential to bring this issue to

the forefront and some resolutions may result that would greatly benefit veterans.

[karynnj]

2. I wonder why he doesn't spend personal money

rather than have any controversy. This does seem like it could be an important thing to do for vets - and Butler's Going Up River was great. But, at least he is making sure that it is approved by the FEC. (It is wise that the ethics committee is being consulted - though it is hard to see how using campaign money for something that will be nonpartisan where he gets no personal reward could be unethical if approved by the FEC.)

[karynnj]

3. The more I think of this - wanting to use campaign money for this

is really likely to generate some very nasty comments. This just seems a dumb move.

[Luftmensch067]

4. I also think this could blow up, but hope it won't

My impression is that JK sees his campaign money partly as a fund he wants to use for a positive agenda, to do good, to make things better for the country as a whole.

He's used it in that way to fund a lot of Democratic campaigns at every level, and perhaps he sees funding this movie as another way to use the money in a constructive and positive way. I would hope that no one could make a case that the message of such a movie could be interpreted as partisan but, after what we've seen, I fear my hope is unfounded...