Pay to Play Republicans

[deminks]

Not defending anyone or any method of raising money. Just wondering why we don't have wire taps on some of these people as well. Yes, we need to fry, roast, toast Blago. But what has he done that hasn't been done by the rethugs since their 'Contract on America'?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/nyregion/14giuliani.html?hp

Giuliani Plans to Aid Hopefuls, for His Share

WASHINGTON — With the Republican Party in need of money for the November elections, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has offered to appear at fund-raisers around the country for G.O.P. candidates. But there is a catch: He wants some cash out of the deal

Mr. Giuliani’s aides have told the National Republican Congressional Committee and Congressional candidates that if he makes an appearance, he wants the candidates to help him get rid of his presidential campaign debt.

The unusual request underscores the financial predicament Mr. Giuliani finds himself in, after he ended his presidential bid this year with roughly $3.6 million in campaign debt. Traditionally, prominent party figures help lower-tier candidates by headlining fund-raising events in return for good will and future political alliances, but do not receive funds themselves.

(end snip)



http://usliberals.about.com/b/2006/05/27/quote-of-the-week-howard-dean-on-enron-republican-pay-to-play-politics.htm

Quote of the Week: Howard Dean on Enron-Republican "Pay-to-Play" Politics

"Today's guilty verdicts are another victory against the Republican culture of corruption that led President Bush’s buddy Ken Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Jack Abramoff, Representative Tom Delay and others to believe that they were above the law.

The Enron scandal epitomizes the pay-to-play politics that has enveloped the Bush White House and Republican-controlled Congress. Ken Lay was defrauding his employees and investors but he had no problem keeping the Bush campaign and RNC flush in cash.

(end snip)


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0107-01.htm

WASHINGTON -- For around $4,000, industry executives can play golf and have dinner with key congressional Republicans at a Phoenix resort today, then "help Congress write its to-do list" on air pollution and energy policy during the next three days.

They also will hear top Bush administration officials talk about an upcoming rewrite of the federal Clean Air Act and the effect of energy policy on business interests.

By the end of the week, "members of Congress, senior administration officials, Western governors' office representatives, miscellaneous policy experts and invited business leaders" will draft a "Top Ten to-do list for Congress" this year, according to a published agenda.

"Unfortunately, this is not a joke, but an actual money-for-access transaction to take place at a golf resort in Phoenix, starting tomorrow," Frank O'Donnell, executive director of the Clean Air Trust, said yesterday.

(end snip)

There are many more examples that we cannot forget.

So, where are the wiretaps on Guiliani, Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain, Cindy McCain, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera?

[deminks]

1. Where's the wiretaps on Norquist, Santorum?

The K street project:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/congress/jan-june06/reid_1-18.html

(snip)

Think about this, the "pay and play" program. You as a lobbyist, you pay, and we Republicans will take care of you legislatively. That's why it hasn't come to the forefront. The arrogance of power, the culture of corruption has not come to the attention of the American public as it has the past several months.

(snip)

SEN. HARRY REID: Having Sen. Santorum talk about reform is like having John Gotti talk about doing something about organized crime. He's one of the problems. So --

JIM LEHRER: Why is he one of the problems?

SEN. HARRY REID: Because he was the liaison to K Street, he has gone down to the meetings, they meet every Wednesday in Grover Norquist's office.

(end snip)

[deminks]

2. Who could forget Ohio's Coingate?

http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=475691

(snip)

As the extent of "Coingate" unfolded, questions were raised as to how Republican state officials, who benefited from Noe family's generous fundraising, would be able to investigate the scandal in a nonpartisan and effective manner. Republicans dominate every branch of government in the state and the Noes had donated to everybody who would be responsible for overseeing an investigation. Governor Taft received the most money of any state official, but the Secretary of State, the State Auditor, and the Attorney General all took contributions as well. Five out of the seven State Supreme Court Justices had to recuse themselves from the investigation because they took money from the Noes in their election bids.

Particularly troublesome to many critics is the suspicion that Noe was using the missing funds to give campaign contributions. Even Republicans have speculated that Noe could have misappropriated state funds not only to maintain his lavish lifestyle, but also to recycle the money back into the hands of state officials in the form of political donations.

But the question of the role that money has on policy decisions extends past Thomas Noe. An analysis by the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that two-thirds of the 212 companies that manage investment accounts for the BWC gave almost $5 million to Republicans from 1997 through 2004. Democrats and other critics have questioned as to whether the BWC's investment portfolio was chosen not because they represented a sound investment strategy, but that campaign donations gave some firms an advantage in the procurement process -- what is often known as 'pay-to-play'.

(end snip)

[deminks]

3. Pay to play was the Rethuglican mantra

(snip)

But there’s more at work here. In many ways, Republicans have nobody but themselves to blame for turning the mutually beneficial and philosophically aligned relationship between corporations and GOP caucuses into little more than a transactional one, easily discarded at first evidence of a market disruption.

Republican leaders threatened a freeze-out of business lobbyists who dared hire a Democrat or ignored the names on the leadership’s private hiring tip sheet.

Pay-to-play became the insider mantra during the Republican reign. But “extortion” was how many CEOs described the annual shakedowns by committee chairmen with jurisdiction over their industries.

No group expressed greater relief — privately and publicly — than the business community when the 2002 McCain-Feingold law banning unlimited corporate donations to politicians became law.

(end snip)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6359.html

[Hubert Flottz]

4. And while were at it let's repo all those barbie outfits from queen

Skagway...

[deminks]

5. Cheney, Stevens, Palin, pipelines, Alaska...

http://www.atlargely.com/2008/08/cheney-pay-to-p.html

A two-year-old letter by Vice President Dick Cheney that pushed a controversial Alaska natural-gas pipeline bill is getting renewed scrutiny because of recently disclosed evidence in the Justice Department's corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens. In a conversation secretly tape-recorded by the FBI on June 25, 2006, Stevens discussed ways to get a pipeline bill through the Alaska Legislature with Bill Allen, an oil-services executive accused of providing the senator with about $250,000 in undisclosed financial benefits. According to a Justice motion, Stevens told Allen, "I'm gonna try to see if I can get some bigwigs from back here and say, 'Look … you gotta get this done'." Two days later, Cheney wrote a letter to the Alaska Legislature urging members to "promptly enact" a bill to build the pipeline. The letter was considered unusual because the White House rarely contacts state lawmakers about pending legislative matters. It also angered state Democrats, who accused Cheney of pushing oil-company interests. The former executive director of Cheney's energy task force had gone to work as a lobbyist for British Petroleum, one of three firms slated to build the pipeline.

But this is nothing new, because Cheney has done this before. I know, because I reported it two years ago.

(end snip)

Where are the wiretaps from the Vice President of the United States of America???

[deminks]

6. Pay to Play is The Hammer's philosophy

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/04/CONGRESS.TMP&type=printable

(12-04) 04:00 PST Washington -- Republican leader Newt Gingrich helped the GOP recapture the House in 1994 by portraying Democrats as too corrupt to lead after a series of scandals that led to the resignation of some of the party's top leaders.

More than a decade later, the roles are reversed. As the party in power, Republicans now are under fire for ethical problems ranging from Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleading guilty last week to taking $2.4 million in bribes, to the mushrooming scandal involving GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's indictment on charges of violating campaign finance laws. And Democrats hope to take advantage when voters go to the polls for the midterm elections next year.

But some say no matter who is caught in the criminal net, the corruption issues put a spotlight on the pervasive influence of money in politics.

"It seems to be kind of cyclical," said Melanie Sloan, a former assistant U.S. attorney and executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group. "The Republicans took over the House in large part making the case that they would clean up the House, where there had been a lot of ethics scandals. ... Here we are now, 10 or 11 years later, and apparently they learned nothing from all of that."

(snip)

"What you are seeing play out for the Republicans is Tom DeLay's philosophy, which is that you have to pay to play," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a campaign finance reform group that has repeatedly criticized both parties for their aggressive fundraising tactics.

"If you want to do business with Republicans, you have to give your money to Republicans -- and not give any money to the Democrats -- and you have to hire Republicans from the Hill to be your lobbyists," Wertheimer said.

[deminks]

7. The Dukester

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/under-their-noses-why-di_b_11741.html

Under Their Noses: Why Did the Washington Press Let the Duke-Stir Slide?

Update: via Hotline on Call via San Diego Union Tribune: "Digging deeper into Duke Cunningham's relationship with 'co-conspirator No. 1,' a.k.a. lobbyist Brent Wilkes...according to the U-T, Wilkes also 'ran a hospitality suite, with several bedrooms, in' DC -- 'first in the Watergate Hotel and then' in a Capitol Hill hotel." Unfolding...


The culture of corruption has a new poster boy, Randy “Duke” Cunningham. So prepare for a tidal wave of breathless coverage, laying out all the juicy details of his brazen greed.

The media are shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that defense contractors had bribed the former Top Gun war hero with what Mike Kinsley dubbed “a comic cornucopia of baubles” -- including a luxury home, a fancy car, a yacht, as well as high-end furniture, rugs, jewelry and cash. Expect to learn as much about his sleigh-style bed, his two 19th century French commodes, and $9,200 Laser Shot shooting simulators as we did about Dennis Kozlowski’s $6,000 shower curtain and $2 million Sardinia birthday bash for his wife.

(snip)

The Cunningham case is a textbook example of how the pay-to-play system works -- and a powerful advertisement for the value of graft (“It really, really works!”).

[deminks]

8. McCain Co-chair Rick Renzi

http://donnatella.mydd.com/

Rep. Renzi, a McCain Co-Chair, Indicted

By Matthew Mosk

A federal grand jury has indicted U.S. Rep. Richard Renzi (R-Ariz.) on 35 criminal counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and official extortion, the Reuters news wire service reported this morning.

Renzi is an Arizona co-chair of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

The indictment stems from plan by Renzi and an associate to benefit from a land-exchange plan in order to receive Renzi's support for necessary federal legislation, court documents said. "It was an object of the conspiracy for Renzi to enrich (his associate) and personally benefit himself," the indictment said. It also accuses Renzi of embezzling premiums from clients of an insurance business to fund his congressional campaign. Renzi was first elected in 2002, Reuters reported.

[deminks]

9. Westar and Tom Delay

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/18/AR2005081801989.html?nav=rss_politics

The Federal Election Commission yesterday fined Westar Energy Inc., two former corporate officers and the firm's lobbyist a total of $40,500 for their roles in channeling contributions to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) and other Republicans.

Westar, a Kansas energy company, was fined $20,000; it admitted in a conciliation agreement that it violated campaign laws by engaging "on two separate occasions in the practice of facilitating corporate contributions to candidates for federal office." Corporations are barred from contributing to federal campaigns.

[deminks]

10. Karl Rove and the Bush 'Liebary'

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/workplace/92383/pay-to-play:_karl_rove_taking_lead_on_george_w._bush_presidential_library_/

Pay-to-Play: Karl Rove Taking Lead on George W. Bush Presidential Library

Bush crony Stephen Payne was caught on tape offering access to Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice in exchange for donations to the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

True to the president's legacy, the Bush Library will be a $500 million partisan institute housed by Southern Methodist University and administered with tax dollars, but accountable only to the library foundation.

The library is to be the Mother of All Think Tanks. It will reward the truly loyal Bushies with cushy jobs burnishing the legacy of George W. Bush.

[deminks]

11. McCain's reversal on oil drilling

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/07/pay-to-play-mccains-drilling-f.php

Oil Industry Gushes Bucks for McCain after drilling reversal


Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his position on the federal ban on offshore drilling.....

McCain delivered the speech before heading to Texas for a series of fund-raisers with energy industry executives, and the day after the speech he raised $1.3 million at a private luncheon and reception at the San Antonio Country Club, according to local news accounts.

"The timing was significant," said David Donnelly, the national campaigns director of the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan campaign finance reform group that conducted the analysis of McCain's oil industry contributions. "This is a case study of how a candidate can change a policy position in the interest of raising money."

[deminks]

12. Bushco tries to frame Siegelman for pay to play.

http://truthinjustice.org/siegelman.htm

Don Siegelman, a popular Democratic governor of Alabama, a Republican state, was framed in a crooked trial, convicted on June 29, 2006, and sent to Federal prison by the corrupt and immoral Bush administration.

The frame-up of Siegelman and businessman Richard Scrushy is so crystal clear and blatant that 52 former state attorney generals from across America, both Republicans and Democrats, have urged the US Congress to investigate the Bush administration’s use of the US Department of Justice to rid themselves of a Democratic governor who "they could not beat fair and square," according to Grant Woods, former Republican Attorney General of Arizona and co-chair of the McCain for President leadership committee. Woods says that he has never seen a case with so "many red flags pointing to injustice."

The abuse of American justice by the Bush administration in order to ruin Siegelman is so crystal clear that even the corporate media organization CBS allowed "60 Minutes" to broadcast on February 24, 2008, a damning indictment of the railroading of Siegelman. The "60 Minutes" segment is so compelling that the Republican-owned CBS affiliate in Alabama, WHNT, blacked out the broadcast, offering a lame excuse of technical problems that CBS in New York denied. The Republican-owned news media in Alabama worked hand in glove with the political prosecution to ruin Siegelman.

The injustice done by the US Department of Justice (sic) to Siegelman is so crystal clear that a participant in Karl Rove’s plan to destroy Siegelman can’t live with her conscience. Jill Simpson, a Republican lawyer who did opposition research for Rove, testified to the House Judiciary Committee and went public on "60 Minutes." Simpson said she was told by Bill Canary, the chief GOP political operative in Alabama, that "my girls can take care of Siegelman." Canary’s "girls" are two US Attorneys in Alabama, both appointed by President Bush. One is Bill Canary’s wife, Leura Canary. The other is Alice Martin. According to Harper’s Scott Horton, Martin is known for her abusive and wrongful prosecutions.

[deminks]

13. Norm Coleman ally under investigation for pay to play

http://www.twincities.com/ci_11180391?nclick_check=1

Federal investigators are looking into allegations that a longtime friend and benefactor tried to steer money to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the Pioneer Press has learned.

Agents with the FBI have talked to or made efforts to talk to people in Texas familiar with the allegations, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Houston is where the first of two lawsuits was filed alleging Nasser Kazeminy, a Bloomington financier, tried to steer $100,000 to Coleman via his wife's Minneapolis employer. The second suit, filed in Delaware, alleges Kazeminy initially tried to get money directly to the senator.

Both Coleman and Kazeminy have denied any wrongdoing, and Coleman last month said he welcomes an investigation.

via TPM:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/report_fbi_probing_charges_in.php

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. Google "Jeb Bush" and "Anderson Columbia"

A notorious cement company known for its pollution and skirting of environmental laws wanted to build a smoke emitting cement kiln along the banks of the Ichetucknee River, one of the most pristine and clear rivers in all of Florida (and the United States). Public outcry initially forced then Gov. Bush to opposing granting the permit to Anderson Columbia. However, Bush mysteriously did an about face and voted to grant the permit to build the plant. Mere days after Bush changed his position, Anderson Columbia's owners donated nearly $190,000 to Bush and the GOP.

http://www.whoseflorida.com/cement_plant_on_the_ichetucknee_.htm

[deminks]

15. Time to kick this again this morning, since it seems to be the topic this morning.

I will try to find more cases this evening.

The rethugs are in shock and awe about Blago, they forget they took this form of fundraising to the top. I am still asking, where are these wiretaps?

[KharmaTrain]

16. Voters Pay To Play, Too

That's what elected repugnicans for years. They didn't promise a direct bribe, but an indirect one..."tax cuts". Vote for them and pay less in taxes or shelter more of your money away. Now we've seen what nearly 30 years of GOOP griping about taxes and spending and the results haven't been pretty. While Blago is a stupid shit who needs to go, pronto, his game was obvious, the goop play theirs in the dark and we rarely heard about them until its too late. Blago has embarassed my state. The repugnicans have drained OUR treasury and ruined the governement. You tell me which "pay for play" was worse.

Cheers...

[RedEarth]

17. After several right wing freaks brought up the Illinois scandal,

I asked them what they thought about Stevens and the Duke.....shut em in a hurry.