Obama Campaign Worker Discussed PAC Donations

[rinsd]

By John Solomon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 30, 2007; Page A08

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign helped recommend several of the donations his political action committee made in recent months to politicians in key primary states as the campaign was working to secure endorsements, campaign officials said yesterday.

The acknowledgment alters the campaign's original account of how donations were directed and raised questions among some legal experts about whether the presidential committee was using Obama's leadership PAC to benefit his campaign. The Obama campaign said it is confident it complied with the law.

Obama's Hopefund Inc. distributed more than $180,000 in donations to political groups and candidates in the early presidential voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and more than $150,000 to federal candidates in other states with primary dates through mid-February. The donations accounted for nearly three-quarters of the money the PAC has given out since this summer.

An Obama campaign spokesman last week said that "there is no connection" between the PAC donations and the presidential campaign.

But Bob Bauer, the private counsel for both Obama's campaign and Hopefund, said yesterday that campaign workers were involved over the summer in identifying and recommending possible recipients when Hopefund was deciding how to spend its remaining money. In particular, Bauer said, senior campaign strategist Steve Hildebrand was consulted "multiple times" on potential donations.

<snip> I wanted to include this from Bauer

Bauer said he is confident that the PAC and the campaign complied with rules the Federal Election Commission enacted in December 2003 governing how leadership PACs can operate when their candidate is running for office. "There's not even a remote question about whether this is legal," he said.

More at the link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902229.html?hpid=topnews

[joeybee12]

1. This in itself, I don't care about...

...I'd be willing to bet most of them do it. It just affirms my opinion of Obama as a career politician, not some outsider who will change the way Washington is run.

[MNDemNY]

2. Doing it is one thing,

doing it and then saying your not, is another.

[joeybee12]

6. Very true, and...

...like I said, while it's illegal, I can't really get riled up over this...it's just one more notch in Obama's career politician betl.

[rinsd]

3. Yup, this is common practice.

Hillary did not spread those millions around in 2006 as an altruistic gesture.

It was about helping allies and recruiting new supporters.

[MNDemNY]

4. Is the denial common practice as well? Or is that just a lie?

[cuke]

9. Not common practice. Just a lie

Hillary has never done this.

[geek tragedy]

16. And, donating money to other Democrats should

not be a cardinal sin. One sign of leadership is party building.

Are they entirely altruistic when handing this stuff out? Of course not.

[AtomicKitten]

5. As long as this is within the confines of the law, I don't care

if any of our candidates cling to the inside wall of legality, and this finger-wagging over something that is not illegal is gratuitous. That said, until campaigning financing restrictions are effected across the board, I want our candidates to have every advantage available to them and I EXPECT them to use it. The Republicans intend to play dirty hardball and I have no intention of accepting a loss in 2008.

[EV_Ares]

7. LOL, to me Hillary taking Rupert Murdoch's money is pretty wild. Hillary's

supporters here are really having to reach here to try and find something negative about Obama. One day they are scared of Edwards, another day its Obama, beginning to feel sorry for them actually.

[cuke]

8. What's funny is the way Obama supporters don't mind when he does it

but whines when anyone else does

[EV_Ares]

10. Does what, didn't do anything. Its you guys that appear to be whining all the time. LOL

Here read this about Hillary's big supporter Murdoch.

http://www.freepress.net/news/28568

[cuke]

11. Obama is buying support

and it's OK when Obama does it. It's very, very, very wrong when Hillary does it

[EV_Ares]

12. OK, I'll bite, who is Obama buying support from? Is it a right wing

conservative like Murdoch? There is nothing wrong with her taking his money if she wants to be indebited to him and do whatever favors he is expecting from her for his money.

[cuke]

13. The people he is giving money to

And Obama has hired a Carlyle consultant, so yes he is giving money to the right wing.

Hillary TAKES their money. Obama PAYS them.

[EV_Ares]

14. LOL, oh man, ok so where is this info about the Carlyle consultant

and where is this money and how much money and to what right wing organizations is he giving it to? Since you have all the facts on this, I am sure you can provide us with the information.

I don't know what kind of violations he has made and I also don't know anything about it but will check with the headquarters and see what you are talking about.

[cuke]

15. The thread is in GDP

It was posted yesterday. Do a search

Hillary hasn't made any violations either, so I guess you think she hasnt done anything wrong

[EV_Ares]

17. No, I don't know of any violations she has made other than the

two scandals earlier in the campaign. Don't know what happened there.

All of her money from Murdoch, nothing illegal with that as well. However, the relationship is questionable to a lot of people.

As far as the Obama thing you are talking about, I can find out about that tomorrow. I am not too worried about him doing like Hillary with the right-wingers.

[cuke]

19. So now you're making stuff up

There have been NO violations. None


And Obama is already in with the rightwingers. That's why he can't stop repeating their arguments (SS has a crisis. We don't need universal health care, merit pay, etc)

[EV_Ares]

20. What are you talking about? Nothing made up, those scandals

were all in the news. The Murdoch relationship still is in the news. What is made up about that.

You are the only one who has made unsubstantiated statements. Everyone on the board knows about Murdoch and Hillary. Nobody ever said there was anything wrong with it. Anyone can hold a fundraiser and donate money within guidelines.

You need to regroup.

[cuke]

21. No violations

You said there were two. There were none

And Obama has more than two scandals.

And another poster has posted corroboration (see below)

[EV_Ares]

22. Thats right and she gave the money back. Go back and read

the news as it was all over the tv and newspapers. The guy has been indicted. They are still trying to find the money involved in Chinatown. So yes, she has two past incidents. Look it up yourself.

I can't help it about her and Murdoch, if you like the guy so be it. Maybe she can get you on Fox news when it is all done.

Yeah, as the poster stated don't know how right-wing.

[cuke]

23. There ya go again, making stuff up

There were no violations. Obama has his Rezko, his wife's raise coinciding with his election, and now his possibly illegal use of PAC money

Obama's New Politics sure looks a lot like the Old Politics

[EV_Ares]

25. You are really too much, you will go all night arguing about this

and its not worth it because everyone knows about those two incidents. Maybe you were asleep when they were being reported.

Its funny you say Obama politics looks a lot like the old politics. I think that is one of Hillary's problem that people see with her. However, you have more than likely been sleeping through that as well. You haven't as you usually do not even provided any support for your usual posting of something.

Have a good evening.

[cuke]

26. True, but the difference is I won't make stuff up. You will

And in his short career, Obama has already racked up more fuding scandals than Hillary has accumulate in 35 years of public service

[EV_Ares]

27. And again you are talking about all of these funding scandals nobody

but you has heard of. No documentation, only you posting the stuff.

[cuke]

29. It's been all over DU

First, there's Rezko. Are you going to deny that you've heard about Rezko?

Then there's the raise Michelle got shortly after Obama was elected. Feel like denying that one?

And then there's this latest, which you will also deny, even as you post in the thread

[NYCGirl]

18. This Carlyle consultant also worked for Kerry and Gebhardt, so how right wing

he is remains to be seen.

[cuke]

24. A little right wing is like a little pregnant

[EV_Ares]

28. Whats that make Hillary with Murdoch?

[cuke]

30. A lifelong liberal Democrat

What does Obama paying a Carlyle consultant make him?

Or is it OK when Obama does it?

[NYCGirl]

31. Hiring the Carlyle consultant that Kerry and Gebhardt hired? Are they right wingers?