Posted on 09/18/2011 11:18:06 AM PDT by libh8er
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the GOP presidential front-runner, may be leading the pack in the money game as well, as a new "super PAC" supporting him gears up to raise $55 million or more - a potential game changer for the 2012 race.
The new pro-Perry political action committee, Make Us Great Again, is one of the emerging "super PACs" that started springing up after last year's groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling in Citizen's United v. FEC, which allowed unlimited cash from individuals and corporations for PACs that are separate from a candidate's campaign.
"These are new vehicles for vast sums of money," said Bill Miller, an Austin, Texas, political consultant to Republicans and Democrats who is not affiliated with Perry. "It's a new day in campaign finance. They're going to play an incredible role."
The Make Us Great Again PAC promises to set a new pace, flooding Iowa and other early voting states with ads.
"Super PACs can make or break a presidential candidate," said Virginia-based GOP consultant Tom Edmonds. "The incredible amount of money they can raise and spend has incredible influence."
A pro-Perry PAC spokesman, Jason Miller, confirmed that "an early planning document" had set the $55 million figure, first reported by NBC News, but he declined to release any updated amount. "Fundraising is going very well and there's a lot of enthusiasm for Governor Perry," he said.
Mark McKinnon, a Texas consultant who worked with former President George W. Bush, said, "It ain't chump change. And I suspect every penny will be used to attack Romney." Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is Perry's closest rival.
The committees by law may not coordinate with a candidate's campaign. But the Perry super PAC has some built-in radar: It's led by Austin lobbyist Mike Toomey, a former Perry chiefOfStaff,
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
bump.
The ruling-class has its candidate!
Meanwhile, Obama is trying to raise $495 billion.
So how many slush funds does Senor Ricky have? This is what we know to date----could be many many more slush funds.
<><> “Texans for Rick Perry” committee is a $102 million slush fund he uses at will. Some PAC mega-donors paid in $100,000 each in order to influence Perry's official actions.
<><> Perry's "Make Us Great Again PAC" is geared to flood Iowa and other early voting states with ads promoting their boy.
<><> At the time he was saying he WAS NOT running for president last year, Ricky's Super-Pac raised $55 million for a presidential race---in $2500 max per person/ $5000 max per corporate PAC contributions. Perry organizers would not say what the Perry presidential groups has raised to date.
<><> Perry bragged at the Tea Party debate that he had actually raised $33 million for reelection that year and that he was "offended" at the inference that he could be "bought" with Gardisil mfg Merck's $5000 campaign donation.
<><> The $295 million Texas Enterprise Slush Fund doles out millions of tax dollars to Perry supporters who then kick-backed to his campaign coffers. TESF also gave $20 million to Countrywide Mtge---the crooks at the heart of the US financial meltdown---- Ricky said the $20 million was to (cough) "create jobs."
<><> Perry raised funds for the Republican Governors' Association and, in turn, the Perry campaign received two $500,000 checks from the RGA.
<><> His wife Anita Perry's $60,000-a-year salary at the Austin "nonprofit" "Texas Association Against Sexual Assault" comes indirectly from Gov. Perry's political donors, state contractors and companies that do business with the state or have issues before the Legislature. Of 37 major donors during Anita Perry's tenure as fundraiser, ONLY three have NO ties to the governor or state business. Anita Perry is paid from the "nonprofit" money pool that includes political contributions. TAAS also receives grants from state agencies AND the governor's office. Donating to the TAASA seems to be another way Perry dreamed up for those with an interest in state government to influence Perry. State grants to the "non-profit" could be easily laundered especially w/ Mrs P at the helm.
<><> Perry also has a pot of "inaugural committee" monies (bet that comes in handy).
<><> And do on and so forth, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.
Yep. I think with the constant attention we have been told who our canidate is suppossed to be....Never mind what the Tea Party Republicans or any one else wants.
This is funds for the GOP Primary race. However Obama will set a very high dollar bar for the Presidential race that will be tought for any GOP nominee to reach.
Every penny SHOULD be going to attack Obama.
This is one thing I don’t really get about the US system. The sheer waste of money involved in the primaries, where you out-spend, attack and smear each other, basically doing your opponents job for them. Can someone explain the logic?
You are facing an incumbent president, who, despite fond wishes on conservatives behalf, is NOT going to be primaried. Eased out and replaced in a coronation, possibly - I have posted about that before, but not primaried. The Dems waste tax payer money, not their own.
Yes and it's Mitt Romney.
Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Mike Huckabee, Jimmy Carter, Bill Kristol, Chris Wallace and others have all said he'll be the nominee or championed his campaign this past week.
Do you think that $495 billion isn’t funds for the DNC war chest?
They have billionaire bundlers benefitting from stimulus dollars, regulatory waivers and outright malfeasance along with Big Labor's confiscatory dues funneling money into DNC Super PACS.
Why don’t you explain all this to me....... Okay.
Good for him!
In politics you either raise donations and secure contributions or you lose. Simple as that.
Perry ping
Dang, 55 million in new cronyism debt.
Perry needs to raise a lot of money to compete with the Obama machine that intends to and will raise over $1 BILLION for his reelection campaign.
“In politics you either raise donations and secure contributions or you lose. Simple as that.”
Exactly so.
The only ones complaining about Perry raising funds are the ones who want him to lose.
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