Gore Pledges Over $6 Million to Democrats

Comcast ^ | April 28, 2004 | RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

[NewLand]

WASHINGTON - Al Gore, drawing from his 2000 campaign accounts, said Wednesday he will donate more than $6 million to five Democratic Party groups and help John Kerry fight President Bush's "outrageous and misleading" re-election bid.

The former vice president pledged to donate $4 million to the Democratic National Committee. The party's Senate and House committees each will get $1 million, and the party from Gore's home state of Tennessee would receive $250,000.

The Democratic Party in Florida, site of the divisive 2000 election recount, will get $240,000 from a separate Gore campaign account. Republican campaign committees still hold a fund-raising advantage over Democrats.

"The outcome of this election is extremely important for the future of our country and for all that America stands for," Gore said. "I want to help John Kerry become president and I want to help Democrats retake control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives."

Gore, who favored Howard Dean over Kerry in the fight for the Democratic nomination, met privately with the presumptive nominee Tuesday at a Cleveland hotel.

"John will be a great president for all Americans, and I want to do everything I can to help him fight against the outrageous and misleading campaign being waged by the Bush-Cheney campaign," Gore said.

Most of the money comes from Gore's general election legal and accounting compliance fund, which showed $6.6 million on March 31. The $240,000 going to the Florida Democratic Party comes from an account established to help pay for the 2000 recount drive.

Gore narrowly lost Florida and the presidential race after the Supreme Court stopped the disputed recount.

Under FEC rules, money in such compliance funds can only be used to pay for lawyers and accountants to comply with federal election law. But the rules also permit money left over in such accounts to be transferred to a national, state or local party committee, or to be donated to charity.

Gore could not transfer or donate the money directly to the Kerry campaign. But by transferring it to the DNC and other committees, restrictions under which the money was originally raised would no longer be in effect, FEC officials said.

Money remaining in the compliance fund will be used to cover any administrative costs. Anything left will likely go to charity, said an official familiar with Gore's thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The former Tennessee senator and Bill Clinton's vice president, Gore won the popular vote in 2000 but lost the electoral vote to Bush in one of the closest elections in history.

He shocked the political community late last year by endorsing then front-runner Dean, whose campaign collapsed several weeks later in Iowa.

Gore effectively endorsed Kerry during a Democratic Party unity dinner in March.

DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe called the contribution "a major boost for Democrats nationwide in our battle to win races up and down the ballot." He said the party, typically in debt in the spring of a presidential election year, has $35 million in the bank.

[NewLand]

Good news! algore delivers the kiss of death to Kerry...

[NewLand]

Calling all Cain Crusaders...

[NewLand]

((((( PING AWAY )))))...oh MeekOne!

[Shaun_MD]

Maybe the new and improved GoreBot 2000 will save the day.
I hear he's been completely refitted this time, complete with new Mac software.

[PRND21]

Anything left will likely go to charity, said an official familiar with Gore's thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

That's funny.

[Izzy Dunne]

Gore effectively endorsed Kerry during a Democratic Party unity dinner in March.

Not quite the "effect" that Al Query was hoping for, though...

[drypowder]

The outcome of this election is extremely important for the future of our country and for all that America stands for

In short, if Kerry becomes our next president, WE ARE F@%$ED!

[NewLand]

"NO REALLY, I'M ENDORSING KERRYTHIS TIME...TRUST ME!"

[Shaun_MD]

We will survive. We survived Clinton and others like him. If Kerry is elected, we'll still make it through.
I have faith that the vast majority of Americans know just what is at stake here. The media wants everybody to believe
that we are a nation divided, and that we are stupid and
weak. Don't buy into it because it's completely false.
Most of the people see through it. I have faith that in
November the right choice will be made.

[small voice in the wilderness]

Gore comes through. Evidently money DOES grow on trees.

[wingnuts'nbolts]

No, it is the taxpayer's money. It is the matching funds money Gore got from the Gov't for running for President. It is left over from 2000 and he is donating it to the Dems, of course, or, he could take a long vacation, rent a jet, get a haircut. There is no controlling legal authority on how he spends this money. Do you suppose he is getting a tax break for donating OPM? At least that is how I understand it.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The former vice president pledged to donate $4 million to the Democratic National Committee

Does this mean AlGore found a job?

[NewLand]

[NewLand]

Al Gore, drawing from his 2000 campaign accounts...

Some interesting questions around this;

-Is this all that he has left, or is there more?
-Has this money been earning interest for him since 2000?
-Does GWB have any 'leftover' cash?

[HP8753]

The WOODMAN cometh.

[King Prout]

doing my bit down here in Brooks County.

[drypowder]

I agree that this country will survive regardless of who our president is only because there are enough good Americans to overcome the scum that want to destroy our way of life. My point is that a lot of people in this country need a reality check re the dangers associated with emotional governance v the real world. A liberal democratic president at this time will certainly expedite that reality.

[FreeAtlanta]

kiss of death bump

[ARCADIA]

The former vice president pledged to donate $4 million to the Democratic National Committee

What's the going rate for the VP's office? (with Gore you never know - he is almost a classic hollywood sidekick)

[gitmo]

CFR?