"Kerry and Edwards boasts hardly tell story"!

[jpgpenn]

Kerry, Edwards Boasts Hardly Tell Story
JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Democrats John Kerry and John Edwards are fond of telling voters they are spurning special-interest money during their White House bids, but voters beware. Their boasts hardly tell the whole story.

Sen. Kerry, who says he hasn't taken a dime of political action committee money for his presidential campaign, in fact ran a tax-exempt political committee that collected nearly a half million dollars directly from companies and labor unions just before those types of donations were outlawed in late 2002, tax records show.

Many of the biggest donors to that effort came from companies with direct interests before Kerry's Senate committee, and the Massachusetts Democrat spent much of the money laying groundwork in early presidential primary states, the records show.

Sen. Edwards, who tells voters he rejects donations to his presidential campaign from Washington lobbyists, took one donation in 2002 directly from a lobbying firm. He also collected more than $80,000 from people who aren't formally registered as lobbyists but nonetheless work for some of Washington's powerhouse firms.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/7850840.htm

This, I have to say, doesn't surprise me in the least!

[papau]

1. JOHN SOLOMON of the AP is an idiot that knows the Kerry veterans PAC

is not a re-election funding device.

So he tries to smear him with facts that actually show Kerry doing good.

The AP showed their true colors about a month ago with the lies about Dems that they finally confessed to about a week later. The media whores seem to have a lot invested in Bush winning in 04.

[girl gone mad]

3. and, again..

"The note of reality is he has been brought to you by special interests," said Charles Lewis of the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity, a watchdog group that has closely studied the senator's relationship with special interests. "It's very hard to utter this rhetoric without some hollowness to it."

"I think it's harder for someone like Kerry to take on" Bush over special interests "because he's taken money . . . from a lot of the same" corporate sectors, added Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which monitors money in politics. Dean, who has raised more money than Kerry in this campaign, has taken considerably less from lobbyists.

[papau]

10. AP distorts Kerry's good deed veterans PAC-that doesn't fund re-elections

AP distorts Kerry's good deed veterans PAC-that doesn't fund re-elections


Kerry's verterans PAC is a good deed - and doesn't fund re-elections

but god-forbid that this make it into the story.

INSTEAD WE HAVE SPIN "I'm the only person in the United States Senate who has been elected four times who has voluntarily refused to ever take one dime of political action committee, special interest money in my elections," Kerry said just last week -While technically correct ...... - AND NOW WE SPIN?




AND A PAC THAT DOES GOOD, NOT USED FOR ELECTIONS IS
"Kerry collected more than $470,000 directly from companies and unions in 2002 for his Citizen Soldier Fund, and spent large amounts of it sowing goodwill in key primary states"

SO DOING GOOD IS NOW "SOWING GOODWILL" AND THAT PROVES KERRY IS A HYPOCRIT?

[jpgpenn]

6. and Kerry is a man who has

smeared good men like Clark by trying to paint him as a lobbyist. here it turns out mister Kerry has much effection for lobbyists after all. It's enough to make ya puke:puke:

[jpgpenn]

18. complete pile of lies, huh?

don't think so

[girl gone mad]

2. Just as much as...

taking money from the special interests, it bothers me that they are running as anti-special interst.

That's the kind of thing Bush does, i.e. "compassionate conservative" when he isn't either one.

[sandnsea]

5. Dean in bed with HMO's & pharmaceuticals

He's taken more money from them then any other candidates. Woe is me. I just don't know how he's going to go after Bush on Medicare.

And Clark, he IS a Washington military lobbyist. How is he going to go after military waste like he's said he would.

It's just all such a debacle. I think we should all become Republicans.

[bicentennial_baby]

9. WAS

WAS a lobbyist, but that's ok, keep pushing the Kerry campaign smear. Oooh, he lobbied for electric bicycles and a vaccine! So scary!

[Toucano]

14. Can I get a link

to the assertion that Clark IS a military lobbyist? TIA!

I imagine Clark would be the best candidate to challenge military waste considering he has so much first-hand knowledge of it.

[jpgpenn]

8. yes i agree

This act they are trying to pull on the average person is enough to make ya sick!

[funky_bug]

4. Tag, you're it.

I just hope Kerry and Edwards get the same treatment Dean and Clark did. Maybe if the media takes them all down, the voters will actually have to do a little research and make informed decisions.

[TheDonkey]

11. no they'll vote for bush, american hero

help stop spreading the lies and rnc talking points among the party!

[funky_bug]

15. Since when are facts

only considered RNC talking points? If the facts are there, they belong to the american public, regardless. Better yet, if the facts are there, they belong to the originator, not the reporter.

[jpgpenn]

13. I just hope

The Democratic American voter gets to hear this info before they vote. As compelling as this is, I don't expect to hear any major media outlet letting folks know!

It's all about controlling the tempo.

[bigtree]

7. John Kerry's revenue sources

John Kerry Releases Fundraiser Names in Effort to Improve Transparency
Challenges Democratic Rivals to Follow His Lead
October 21, 2003
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_1021b.html

Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry today released the names of supporters who raised over $50,000 for his presidential campaign. The list has been posted for the public on his web-site at www.johnkerry.com

John Kerry said, “Throughout my career I have fought for reform in the campaign finance system and I believe strongly that voters should know who is funding campaigns. There is no better reason for transparency than the Bush Administration’s blatant reward of campaign contributors with tax breaks and special favors at every turn.”

“I hope that every Presidential candidate will show their commitment to transparency by releasing the same information from their campaigns.”

The Washington Post said, “Mr. Kerry's release of the names puts him in the forefront of meaningful disclosure


John Kerry's donor list:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/donors.pdf

[funky_bug]

16. Oh puleez!

"The Washington Post said, “Mr. Kerry's release of the names puts him in the forefront of meaningful disclosure."

The forefront? So I guess Clark's reading room weeks ago was just prep work for Kerry?

Whatever.

[Adjoran]

12. Thanks for the donor list

Unfortunately, it doesn't include the employment of the individuals, just the names and cities. Guess we'll have to wait for someone to do the research.

I saw Kerry on TV the other day saying he didn't actually take any money from the special interests, just from the individual "employees." I thought that all special interest donations came this way because corporations can't donate directly to federal campaigns.

Are we to believe that these lobbyists donated to Kerry because he was working against their clients' interests? Seems to me the lobbyists would have a lot of explaining to do once the FEC reports were published and their employers saw that.

[nathan_avery1985]

17. Kerry supporters! Question for yawl!

I'm a kerry supporter, and I want to know

a.) why this matters, because he's still consistently voted in the public interest at every available moment

b.) how we can make the argument that this doesn't really matter.