Bernie Sanders Gets an Alaska ‘Super PAC’ Aimed At Millennials

[KittyWampus]

http://time.com/4261350/bernie-sanders-super-pac-alaska-millenials/


snip

The Anchorage-based America’s Youth PAC, made up almost entirely of former Bernie 2016 campaign staffers, is the latest unconventional outside group to throw its support behind the Vermont senator. Its leaders broke off from the Sanders campaign last week and have holed up in an old mall on the outskirts of town, just steps away from the official campaign’s office in the same building.

snip

The group also exists in murky legal territory, as federal election law requires a “cooling-off period” that prevents a candidate’s staff from leaving the campaign and doing certain kinds of work for a supporting super PAC within 120 days. America’s Youth PAC disputes it is doing anything illegal, but several independent campaign finance experts said it was pressing the boundaries of election law.

The so-called “cooling off period” is intended to prevent coordination with the campaign. Technically, the law prohibits former campaign staff from assisting on paid “public communications” that rely on material knowledge from the campaign. The sticking points, campaign finance experts say, are in the meaning of “public communications” and what knowledge the new super PAC used from the campaign. Canvassing is not traditionally defined as “public communications” in the way that television advertisements are.

“A campaign staffer cannot leave the campaign with special insider information about what the campaign is trying to do, and then rely on that information, utilize that information to go work for the super PAC to help super PAC spending,” said Paul Ryan, deputy executive director of the Campaign Legal Center.

snip

Limited federal laws, and a dysfunctional Federal Election Commission, make it difficult to prosecute questionable cases. Under current election law “it is possible for people to leave a campaign and go basically do the campaign’s work through a super PAC that is not regulated the same way under campaign finance law and accept unlimited contributions,” said Trevor Potter, a former FEC commissioner.

snip
The Alaska group is just the latest example of Sanders’ support among super PACs that are out of his control. The Vermont senator repeats at almost every campaign event and in fundraising email blast that he does not have a super PAC. “No super PACs. No millionaires or billionaires. Just you,” the Sanders’ campaign latest fundraising email said on Monday night, “and our political revolution.”

As of mid-March least three super PACs have now spent money supporting Sanders, including National Nurses United, a nurses’ union, and Progressive Kick, a small California group, despite Sanders’ consistent opposition to outside campaign spending.

snip

[upaloopa]

1. Along with stealing voter data, false claims of support and endorsements, falsely

campaigning as union members, Saint Bernard has some splainin to do.

[NurseJackie]

3. I'm pretty sure that someone on the campaign is thinking to themselves ...

"Fuck it! What have we got to lose?"

[UglyGreed]

12. Yeah sure more artful smears

BTW DNC officials and a staffer at NGP VAN recommended Josh Uretsky. Also NGP VAN had the same type of problem in 2008.....not too good at the job they are hired to do........or are they doing what the client requested HMMMMM



Also why did the DNC not let the lawsuit which the Sanders campaign filed run it's course??? Perhaps they felt it would reveal some interesting secrets that they felt best to be left out of the public's view......

[MADem]

19. No one cares about a group photo from 2008 that has no meaning. They care about

violation of FEC law this week.

[UglyGreed]

20. No cares about corruption

also it seems......

[MADem]

27. No, your "VAN" faux scandal didn't float the first time it was launched.

FEC regulations are being violated by former Sanders staffers. It's a SMART thing that the Sanders campaign has spoken up and disavowed these people.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of throwing mud, you'd do well to ECHO what the campaign you support is saying, and agree STRONGLY that this is wrong--that would be the smart approach, I think.

These Super Pac guys shouldn't be doing what they're doing. It doesn't help their candidate. One has to wonder if this is a way to cut people loose from the campaign (thus lowering the campaign expenditures) while having a private backer with fewer constraints in effect, pay the salaries of people who will still be working--for all intents and purposes--on the campaign? That IS what it looks like, and that is why the FEC has rules against it.

[UglyGreed]

29. The DNC stopped the lawsuit

for a reason.......

[MADem]

36. Not sure how you can find anything "nefarious" in that.

You can try, but I suspect your justifications aren't shared by most people.

If they were, your view would prevail. It doesn't, though.

[UglyGreed]

37. Do a bit of research

Google is your friend BTW Debbie is pulling the same stuff on Canova........

[MADem]

38. If one has to "research" it's obvious NOT AN ISSUE.

We'd be reading about your failed "suspicions" on the front page.

That dog just won't hunt. You are in a small minority if you think it will.

[UglyGreed]

40. Did you see my

edit and the DNC did not want to go to court because it may of revealed a bit of bias and things of that nature. Thanks for your replies

[MADem]

45. Obviously I don't go back and re-read posts after I've replied to them.

That said, your claim is just not supported. Your picture, and ancient history from two POTUS election cycles ago, are non-issues. Trying to drum something up about them is a failed effort, and is so dull as to be not a distraction.

This present FEC violation IS a current event. It's not going to cause any Sanders supporters to defect, most likely, and it may sway a few undecideds, but probably not too many. The bigger picture isn't that Sanders ex-staffers have violated FEC regulations--it's that SANDERS IS DUMPING STAFF. All those paychecks that used to be paid by Sanders are now being paid by this Super Pac.

That tells me that Sanders is "divesting." And that's the first thing someone does as they begin the process of closing up shop.

[UglyGreed]

47. I replied to a post

commenting on the DATA BREACH..........

[MADem]

48. You can roll your eyes all you want. Sanders' people DID steal Clinton's data.

We know that. That's a bad mark on his integrity, but it's old news. Like pictures from 2008 that mean nothing -- and certainly not what you want to pretend they do -- are old news, too.

The new news is that Sanders is shoving his staff off towards Super Pacs. Did they jump? Or were they PUSHED?

Bottom line--they aren't on the payroll anymore.

What's the first thing you do when you are closing up shop? You give workers their notice. You fire staff. You get rid of assets. You pay off your bills, you reconcile the books.

I think the most important signal from this transfer of workers to that Super Pac is that Sanders is getting RID of people. Shrinking the payroll. Making economies.

Beginning of the end. Those twenty seven dollar donations are starting to dry up.

[UglyGreed]

52. Once again you are

mentioning something I did not address at all.... If it is OLD NEWS then tell the person I replied to since they brought it up........... SMH

[MADem]

53. You seem a bit overwrought. Why use one emoticon when ten or more will do? nt

[UglyGreed]

54. Go tell the other

poster about the fact they posted about "old news" instead of just digging a larger hole for yourself with this attempt of an artful smear.........

[MADem]

55. You keep quoting SECSTATE Clinton--apparently that comment REALLY upset you!

If she can get under your skin that easily, she'll make very short work of Donald Drumpf. She'll have him tipping his hat and blowing his stack in no time!

[UglyGreed]

56. Changing the subject

again???? LOL

[MADem]

57. Oh--is THAT what you were doing by using that phrase? Now I understand!

LOL!

Hey, when that's all you've got, that's all you've got. You have to pull out the little kid with the bro expression doing the fist pump, and make do!

[UglyGreed]

58. Are you having fun

yet?????

[MADem]

59. Obviously you are.

Perhaps you'll tell us all why you've posted what looks like a picture of your cat in a tinfoil klan hood?

Poor thing--I don't like seeing innocent animals abused in that fashion. Does that pass for humor with your set?

[UglyGreed]

60. You keep on replying to me

and taking the conversation is all sorts of directions since you think that fortifies your position.....

[MADem]

61. You're the one with all the meme-ish pictures of the Baby Bro Beach Baby....not me. nt

[UglyGreed]

63. Bro meme

lol next you will me call a sexist once again here I'll give you some fuel for your slander fire.....



Like water off of a duck's back........




your memes and accusations are entertaining to me and as troublesome as a cloudy day

[MADem]

64. You're the ones with the memes in this thread.

They are childish, but more to the point, they just aren't very good, or clever. Amateur hour, I'm afraid.

[UglyGreed]

65. More condescending

remarks.............. you can't help yourself can you???

[MADem]

67. I am simply pointing out your behavior. It's pretty obvious that you KNOW you are behaving badly,

but perhaps you want to find a way to "blame" your immature conduct on me, so you persist.

Sorry, that's not going to float. You're posting pictures of silly "memes," and coming off like a high school sophomore in so doing. Don't use up all the pictures at "pyschopathfree dot com" (that's where that latest picture you posted came from-just remove the space after the "." and that's where you end up.... https://www.psychopathfree.com/images/articles/sup. png ) now....

Not sure what you're getting out of this. Your efforts to manipulate or mock just aren't resonating.

It's an interesting study in internet behavior, though.

[UglyGreed]

68. You should monitor your own behavior

and not try to get the last word every time. I google photos not websites so now here comes the "source" meme. LOL funny stuff can't wait for your next reply.......here's the little Bro.....he's back

[MADem]

69. Here--I'll stoop to your level, and do it your way....since you NEED it so badly!

[UglyGreed]

72. Good to see

you have decided to take the mature approach and allow me to be rid of your persecution because of my reply to a comment which you considered old news and not worthy of discussion......

[Ken Burch]

21. There were no false claims of endorsements.

This kind of post does nothing to help your candidate.

[JaneyVee]

43. Yes there was. Numerous.

Heres one http://time.com/4206874/bernie-sanders-campaign-ad-valley-news-nashua-telegraph/

[Ken Burch]

49. It was a mistaken post, not an intentional false claim. Bernie would have won NH anyway.

n/t.

[R B Garr]

2. I'll be looking forward to BS denouncing this heinous development in his name.

"The group operates in murky legal territory." Yeah, that's what the FEC has noticed about Sanders' phantom donors, as well.

What utter hypocrisy he is peddling.

[KittyWampus]

5. To be fair, they have. But that's the thing about Super PAC's…

they're not officially supposed to be tied to your campaign.

Hence, this group's membership making their participation illegal.

Hence the hypocrisy of slamming Clinton for SuperPAC's supporting her.

[MADem]

42. I think this could be a way to move a big chunk of the payroll off the books.

All the people working for the PAC aren't getting SANDERS paychecks. It's a way to save money.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of this. If it persists, it could suggest that the spigot of cash is slowing down, with the realization that a Sanders nomination is pretty much out of reach.

Bottom line--the FEC has no teeth to do anything about this, and it's better to balance the books than be left with a massive amount of campaign debt. The devil and the deep blue sea, as it were...!

It is hypocritical, but his supporters don't care about that. They'd rather have the manpower working on the campaign, even if it is a "legal grey area" or "murky" or what-have-you.

I think, though, that stepping back and asking WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS? is the bigger question--and I think the answer is FOLLOW THE MONEY (or the lack thereof).

[KittyWampus]

46. The FEC is toothless but today was supposed to be when Sanders

should explain not one but two months worth of illegal overseas donations etc

[Seeinghope]

70. It is part of the revolution

It is tied to Sanders but it should take on a life of it's own. It should not be shut down just because it looks like Sanders may not get the nomination. If some former staff are branching off and starting to fight the system with their own methods... More power to them.

Bernie Sanders is still raising a lot of money.

[Skwmom]

4. You left out the most important part.

The Sanders campaign was quick to disavow the super PAC. “We had no idea about this, we did not organize it, nor do we condone any violation of election law,” said Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for the Sanders campaign. “If these folks want to help Bernie, they should volunteer at a local field office, not open up a super PAC in defiance of both FEC regulations and Sen. Sanders’ wishes.”

Hmmm..... didn't the Democrats say they needed to register new voters. I guess mentioning Bernie would help get them registered. I wonder who this is really intended to help... Who is the person driving this train....

[giftedgirl77]

7. Considering the PAC is made up of all former BS staffers

All of the fingers point back to the gut they were working for but congrats on the feeble effort to deflect.

[Skwmom]

28. Oh please. They could have lured the guy away for another position and he talked some of the

campaign workers into going with him. Or it could have just been a difference of opinion. 9 days before the caucus makes you go hmmmmm...

[giftedgirl77]

32. Lol, you go with that.

[KittyWampus]

8. Why is that important? He still has SuperPAC's advocating for him.

Maybe now you'll understand that Hillary Clinton isn't in control of any SuperPAC's and isn't coordinating with any of them… but you probably won't grasp that.

And just because they SAY that, it still remains ILLEGAL for so many of Sanders' former campaign staff to be doing this so soon after leaving his campaign.

Also, why should I believe anything from Sanders campaign?

They stole data and have engaged in unethical behavior for months now.

[Skwmom]

6. So the America Youth Pac was founded LAST year. Who approached Chris Johson and hired him to run

the Super Pac? Who is writing the check for the PAC?

Chris Johnson, the executive director of the super PAC and former Sanders field director in Alaska, said they abandoned the Sanders campaign over “creative differences.”

The Sanders campaign was quick to disavow the super PAC. “We had no idea about this, we did not organize it, nor do we condone any violation of election law,” said Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for the Sanders campaign. “If these folks want to help Bernie, they should volunteer at a local field office, not open up a super PAC in defiance of both FEC regulations and Sen. Sanders’ wishes.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. Minor point of contention,

the mall may be old, but it's not "on the outskirts of town." The Bernie Sanders campaign office just opened up there last weekend. I don't know anything about this other group.

[BainsBane]

11. It's a superpac run by staffers who just left his campaign

It's right there in the article.

[BainsBane]

10. I'm glad you posted this

Saves me the trouble.

[UtahLib]

13. K&R

[MADem]

15. Karl Rove's SUPERPAC was running commercials to help Sanders by shitting on Clinton in recent

contests.

He should have strongly disavowed these, but he did not.


http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/20/bernie-sanders-gets-some-outside-help-he-didnt-ask-for/

Senator Bernie Sanders often boasts that he has no “super PAC” supporting his candidacy and he has vigorously tried to keep any from forming. But he has been getting some unsolicited if mischievous help from Republican groups actively promoting the Vermont senator’s surging campaign.

America Rising, a Republican political action committee, reacted with glee on social media on Tuesday to a CNN/WMUR poll that showed Mr. Sanders with a large lead over Mrs. Clinton in New Hampshire, sharing the news with “BREAKING” qualifiers and links to news stories.

Karl Rove’s American Crossroads recently created an ad parroting Senator Bernie Sanders’s critiques of Mrs. Clinton’s ties to Wall Street, made repeatedly last week in the days before Sunday’s debate.

And during the debate, Republican groups were blasting out rapid emails defending Mr. Sanders’s positions, including his universal health care plan, an issue many Republicans would embrace as warmly as they would higher taxes.

All of it, of course, is intended to get under Mrs. Clinton’s skin and promote the Democratic candidate they believe would be weaker in a general election. Republican groups and super PACs have spent nearly $5 million targeting Mrs. Clinton so far this cycle. They’ve yet to spend a dollar on advertising attacking Mr. Sanders.

This is not an accident that you saw a LOT of this Rovian crap end up on the pages of DU. The Rove and other SUPERPAC crap infiltrated itself into the heart of Sanders-supporting strongholds at reddit, twitter, fb, etc. and it got shared and passed around.

More to the point, though, these Sanders supporters ignoring election law don't help Sanders at all, EITHER. It's a short-sighted approach and "The rules don't apply to US" attitude doesn't cut it. Just because the FEC doesn't have the clout to prosecute doesn't mean people won't look at what they're doing and regard it as cheating.

It won't make a damn bit of difference at the end of the day, anyway. It will just leave a bad "anything to win" taste in people's mouths. Not cool.

[BainsBane]

16. And now he has his very own,

run by staffers who just left his campaign, which is illegal according to the article in the OP.

This, combined with the earned delegate poaching strategy Tad Devine announced, shows that the entire justification for his candidacy is not at all what he has claimed.

Super Pacs, no problem. The democratic will of the electorate: inconsequential. Winning is all that matters, even if it means violating Democratic Party rules and overturning the results of democratic elections. Of course it won't happen, but that they seek to do so exposes Bernie for what he is.

[MADem]

18. It is rather like they're setting fire to the bridge before they've even crossed it.

It's an awful error of judgment, IMO! Hard to walk this kind of thing back...

[kath]

17. Such a lovely bunch on this thread! 5 of the 12 people who've posted on this thread should still be

on timeout.

Yay for Skinner's amnesty - really improving the atmosphere on DU.

100 points to whomever can ID them without checking transparency pages. It's not hard, because they are all chronic offenders who have been on MULTIPLE forced vacations.

[vintx]

22. Thanks, that explains a lot. nt

[MADem]

23. Now, now--this is a discussion and you don't like it that your candidate isn't being shown in a

favorable light.

That's understandable that you are piqued.

But demanding that posters run around checking TRANSPARENCY pages? I just checked yours--and it's nothing to write home about, either, so I'm not sure that you've a leg to stand on.

I think HIDE THREAD might be your friend. Sanders has a SUPERPAC problem, and we are going to discuss it, even if that bothers you.

[kath]

26. What the HELL are you talking about? My Transparency Page has NEVER been showing, not now, not ever.

I've NEVER been on timeout. I'm pretty sure you can't say the same. How many forced vacations have you had?

[MADem]

34. I haven't had any, but I've been alert stalked a lot.

I shouldn't have used the word TRANSPARENCY, because I was referencing your 90 day report card.

2000 or more total posts: +20
200 or more days of membership: +20
20 or more posts in the last 90 days: +20
Not a Star member: +0
2 posts hidden in 90 days: -40
TOTAL: 20

Mine is nothing to write home about, either--but anyone looking at the HIDES would have to admit, if they put partisan bias aside, that they were unfair in the extreme. I don't insult people, or get crude or vulgar--my HIDES happened because I didn't support Bernie Sanders.

My point is, though, that criticizing people for having a conversation about something that is in the NEWS, and using their "DU records" to justify that criticism, that's pretty lame. You'd be better off just hitting HIDE THREAD. Trying to discredit a thread by putting down "those people" and, in effect, naming-and-shaming them (don't look at those transparency pages!!! Translation--LOOK at them) is just a low form of argument.

[kath]

39. "They were unfair in the extreme" - ah, yes,

, the CLASSIC HRC Supporter Persecution Complex. None of their hides are EVER fair, and they whine incessantly about them.

[MADem]

44. I think there are a few reasons to hide a thread, and saying "I don't like Candidate X" is not one

of them.

I think insulting a DUer is a fair reason, being excessively, disgustingly vulgar in a NSFW way is a good reason, but I don't think criticizing a candidate is. YMMV.

Here, you don't think this is unfair? Seriously?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1252626

That's an ENTIRELY partisan, might-makes-right, hide. And that's not a whine--it is a self-evident truth.

[Jefferson23]

24. Indeed. n/t

[giftedgirl77]

33. Someone has a sad.

[BeanMusical]

50. Look at post 14. That poster is now flagged for review with 8 hides.

And has been on timeout so often that I stopped counting, yet, still not banned. The admins are so fair and balanced.

[azurnoir]

66. yep

[DesertRat]

25. K&R

[wysi]

30. K & R

[TM99]

31. So you want to discuss SuperPAC's in legal grey areas now?

Fuck yeah, how about we start with Correct the Record? Then we can move on to Brock's other SuperPAC's. And then we can go on from there with the Clinton campaign.

Y'all are so transparent psychologically now that it is quite pathetic. Any possible whiff of anything that remotely resembles what Clinton is actually doing with regards to lies, rat-fucking, unethical behavior, inappropriateness, etc. y'all push to try and tear down Sanders with it.

It just doesn't work and it makes y'all look foolish. Get back to me when your candidate actually speaks out about the legal grey area of Correct the Record bypassing FEC voting rules by only doing rat-fuckings online.

[KittyWampus]

62. you apparently don't know what "ratfucking" means. I've seen it used improperly

by Sanders supporters time and again.

Note- it doesn't mean "something unflattering to Sanders you don't like". Nor does it even refer to what you mis-perceive as "dirty tricks".

Sanders campaign is the one who has stolen data, engaged in unethical behavior multiple times and received illegal foreign donations two months in a row.

[TM99]

71. Oh, I know exactly what a rat-fucking is.

Jonathan Capeheart pushing that a photo is not a photo of Sanders in the civil rights movement coupled with John Lewis implying that Sanders was never in the movement because he didn't 'see him' is swift-boating Sanders right before the Southern AA heavy states began the primaries.

Yes, that was a Brockian rat-fucking.

And the smears and lies continue. No data was stolen, and the investigation ended apparently when Sanders wanted the truth to come out. He never engaged in unethical behavior and if money was illegally received, it was returned.

Nice try but it is all pure projection which is the hallmark of the Clinton supporter.

[sufrommich]

35. Imagine the exploding heads if you replaced "Sanders"

with ""Clinton" in this OP. So much hypocrisy.

[CalvinballPro]

41. No Super PACs, huh? The Sanders campaign falls to Earth. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

51. Thanks, it is easier to admit there are super pacs than denying, Hillary

Knows there are super PACs, knows they can not be run by the campaign or herself. Perhaps a Rovian move here.