Can Nader be forced to reveal who is contributing to his campaign?

[MoonRiver]

I heard him say he refuses to release his income tax records. I'll bet the RNC and/or other rightwing groups are his main 2004 campaign backers. Prove me wrong, and open up the books, Ralph.

[WitchWay]

1. You heard him say that?

Really? Because that is not what the transcript said.

Please note the last sentence.

I just happened to be reading the transcript from meet the press.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4304155/

MR. RUSSERT: When you ran in 2000, you had a financial disclosure which showed your wealth at $3.8 million. Will you release your tax returns this year as well?

MR. NADER: First of all, about 85 to 90 percent of everything I've earned and raised has gone to all the citizen groups all over the country that for 35, 40 years have saved millions of lives and injuries, taken dangerous drugs off the marketplace. I think I have to remind people, especially young people, of what we've done and how much we love our country by the sweat of our work for justice for all Americans and also how important it is to give every American the chance to improve his or her country, not block them by corporate interests and their politic allies.

MR. RUSSERT: But in terms of...

MR. NADER: Wait. Wait.

MR. RUSSERT: ...full disclosure.

MR. NADER: Let me tell you. There's a government ethics disclosure law that discloses everything. I have never supported political candidates releasing their income taxes because they have a lot of personal information. They may have a retarded child in an institution. All the economic information, the investments, everything will be disclosed in accordance with federal law.

[MoonRiver]

4. By saying:

"I have never supported political candidates releasing their income taxes because they have a lot of personal information. They may have a retarded child in an institution. All the economic information, the investments, everything will be disclosed in accordance with federal law,"

the clear implication is he won't be releasing his income tax records. He'll come up with something that barely passes the federal law smell test. That's all he's promising.

[WitchWay]

11. nice try, but...

The quote said:
"All the economic information, the investments, everything will be disclosed in accordance with federal law,"

The clear implication from the rest of the quote is that Nader has privacy issues with this law. So, if you have a point to make about Nader's views on these privacy issues, please make them.

As for coming up with something that barely passes the federal law smell test -- what do you mean by "barely"? Either income is legally filed or not.

Do you think that any other political candidate for office should be required to willingly divulge personal information that is not required of them by law? Should Kerry, also, for instance, PROMISE to divulge MORE information than is required by law? How much more?

[MoonRiver]

15. Well, I guess that will become apparent when he and the other

candidates release their records. We can compare differences in the degrees of transparency then. I certainly got the impression that Nader is setting up a scenario, justifying keeping much of finances away from the light of day.

[LoZoccolo]

2. You can find out who gave last time here.

http://www.opensecrets.org/2000elect/lookup/P20000527.htm

[WitchWay]

5. thanks, but...

doesn't seem to be working for some reason.

[MoonRiver]

7. I can get to your link, but it won't open up for Ralph's records.

Just sends me back to the originating document.

[ldoolin]

12. Here's a link that works, try this instead

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=nader%2C+ralph&txt2000=Y&Order=A

[Eloriel]

3. What an ill-informed question

ALL political contributions are indeed disclosed quarterly by law. See the FEC website, and several other public issues websites.

[Padraig18]

6. Only to the extent that every candidate must do so.

:shrug:

[comradebillyboy]

8. kkkarl rove is probably the number one

contributor, followed by the rnc

[MoonRiver]

9. No doubt it's disguised under the name of some bogus

"philanthropist" agent. Kind of like Pukes hiding their assets through the off-shore tax haven scam.

[WitchWay]

14. great work....

Now could you back your allegations up?

[MoonRiver]

16. I'm giving you my opinion.

I did not imply anything else. Nader is scum, IMO. You obviously hold an entirely different position.

[ldoolin]

10. www.opensecrets.org

Morris Dees gave Nader $2000 during the 2000 election cycle.

[Tinoire]

13. Naw. Not all of them. Murdoch & other GOPers r backing Kerry after all.

Media chiefs back Kerry campaign

Owen Gibson
Tuesday February 10, 2004


Kerry: media chiefs have pledged to raise between $50,000 and $100,000

Fresh from his latest win in Maine, the favourite to challenge George Bush for the US presidency has secured the financial support of some of the most powerful media moguls in the world.
As John Kerry's campaign to secure the Democrat nomination - and with it a crack at the White House - continues to gather pace, it has emerged that it is being bankrolled by key executives from News Corporation, MTV-owner Viacom and Sony.

<snip>

Unsurprisingly, the donation from News Corp's boardroom came not from chairman Rupert Murdoch, a committed Republican, but from the company's chief operating officer, Peter Chernin.

Mr Chernin, one of Mr Murdoch's most trusted lieutenants, is among several media chiefs who have pledged to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 to support the Vietnam war veteran's campaign for the White House.

Others who have pledged to raise more than $50,000 include the Viacom chief executive, Sumner Redstone, and Sony chairman Howard Stringer, whose name has recently been linked with the vacant chairmanships at ITV and the BBC.

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0%2C13918%2C1144797%2C00.html




===

Now Kerry must face up to those tough questions

Republicans will focus on senator's love of lobbyists

Paul Harris in Washington
Sunday February 15, 2004
The Observer

<snip>

Kerry - like Bush - has recruited an army of 'bundlers' who skip around strict campaign finance laws by gathering $2,000 cheques from friends and employees into bundles of $50,000 or $100,000. Kerry has 32 $100,000 bundlers and 87 $50,000 bundlers. They come mainly from powerful law firms, real estate companies, financiers and lobbyists.
Kerry has received more money from lobbyists over the past 15 years than any other serving senator. Some of Kerry's close links with lobbyists have raised eyebrows among supporters used to his campaign slogan: 'From the moment I take up office, I will stand up to special interests.'

Kerry has strong ties to lobbyists for the telecommunications industry. Michael Whouley, a top Kerry political aide, is a registered lobbyist for telecoms giant AT&T. Kerry has also taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from Boston lobbying firm Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky. Kerry's brother Cameron is a lawyer for the company which represents communications firms and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.

Between 1999 and 2002 Kerry sponsored two law bills and co-sponsored six more that were seen as advantageous to CTIA's interests. One of Kerry's main bundlers, Chris Putala, is employed as a lobbyist by the CTIA. 'We are beyond the point of whether he takes money from special interests, but rather what, if anything, has been done in response to the funds,' said Steve Weiss, spokesman for the Centre for Responsive Politics watchdog.

<snip>

But Paul Davis, co-founder of internet firm Predictive Networks, has seen the process of how fundraising and legislation mix. Kerry met a top Predictive executive on 25 July, 2000. A day later Kerry introduced a Senate bill that would allow internet firms to monitor what their consumers were viewing and that Predictive had been lobbying for. In February 2002 Predictive chief executive Devin Hosea threw a fundraiser for Kerry in Boston. Kerry was given a lift back to Washington DC in a private jet. Hosea threw a second fundraising party that summer. In the end Hosea become one of Kerry's $100,000 'bundlers' .

Davis said many executives and investors at the firm were disturbed by the links with Kerry, as they were Republican supporters. But some even wrote Kerry cheques at the parties. 'One (Republican) wrote out a cheque for the maximum amount. Philosophically, you look at that and think what could they possibly have in common,' Davis told The Observer.

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1148524,00.html

[Crachet2004]

17. Nader's exploratory website has a Donate button on it....

And you can bet the GOP is gonna take full advantage of it. Ralph will have plenty of money to run, you can bet on that.

You can also bet that there are people on the left who have begged him not to run this time, who know all about his finances, campaign and otherwise, who will now spill the beans.

I thought Ralph looked like the left side of his face was drawn, like a stroke victim.

Anyway, I feel sorry for anyone who still has faith in him, because they are about to get their bubble busted as sordid details start coming out on Ralph. He has infuriated too many people who are "in the know" about him.

Ralph for president? The left is gonna run him alright, right out of town. By the look of him today, I wonder if his health can stand the abuse getting ready to come his way. Even if it can, I am pretty sure that big, overinflated ego cannot. Poor Ralph. We see you, and through you. It won't work this time.