Free Republic

The MSM breathlessly tells us about the formidable Obama fundraising machine, as if the votes don't really count, it is just whoever raises the most money will be the winner. Except if you can't buy any votes with your campaign cash, well then it's worthless. For example, much was made a few days ago about Obama's spending on advertising in Florida. Obama has spent $6.5 million and run 9,785 television ads in the Sunshine State; McCain has spent zero to run zero. (This isn't counting national ads by both campaigns that run in the state.)

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani finally filled out the rest of the Republican money picture, and if you're a stalwart for the GOP, it ain't pretty. Giuliani raised $10.5 million in primary money, $11 million overall, which (barely) makes him the Republican money leader for the third quarter. And perhaps the best news for Giuliani supporters -- his campaign reports he will enter the critical final months of 2007 (when it's time to start buying all those television ads) with $16 million in cash on hand. That compares favorably to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who reported having about $9...

Its like something out of a Clouseau movie. Peter Sellars plays the bungling inspector who always get his man. Except in the case of Norman Hsu, it appears no one was even looking for him when collapsed on the train. It was a tipster who led the FBI to the hospital where John Huang, er, uh Norman Hsu was recovering from a bocthed assina-, I mean a terrible flu. What troubles me about the whole thing, is that after he bolted San Mateo county's jursidction, he stayed in the country! I would have been on the first Air China out...

Journalism: Another year, another survey, and once again the conclusion is the same: The media have an overwhelming liberal bias. But sadly, they are too self-deceiving — or dishonest — to admit their tilt. The latest survey, by MSNBC investigative reporter Bill Dedman, had a simple methodology: Go to Federal Election Commission public records and see what various media figures contributed, and to whom. The story that resulted was well-written and researched. But Dedman buried the lead in the 16th paragraph: "The pattern of donations, with nearly nine out of 10 giving to Democratic candidates and causes, appears to confirm...

Friedman leads field in individual donations; Perry holds cash lead AUSTIN (AP) - Comedic candidate Kinky Friedman has far and away the most individual donations in the governor's race this year, collecting campaign cash from thousands across Texas and across the country. Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads in total money, followed by independent Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn - both piling up millions of dollars and benefiting from some large contributions of $100,000 or more. With Perry and Strayhorn holding that strong financial advantage entering the Nov. 7 election, Friedman will be working to capitalize on what appears to be a...

With about a month to go before the October special election, the California Democrat's campaign received an injection of more than $150,000 in cash from three prominent New Mexicans or companies with which they are affiliated. Questions were raised about Bustamante's campaign finances after he lost the election.The California Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces the state's campaign finance laws, sued Bustamante in 2004 for accepting contributions over the allowable limit of $21,200.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The secretary to Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and her City Hall telephone should not have been used to receive calls for a gubernatorial campaign event earlier this week, the mayor's spokesman said Thursday. An invitation was recently sent for a campaign event at DeStefano's home following his inauguration for a sixth term on New Year's Day. The invitations were paid for by "DeStefano for Connecticut" but did not indicate whether the event was tied to the inaugural ceremony or a gubernatorial campaign effort. DeStefano is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. The invitations directed those who...

Gingrich Blasts Republican "Teamwork" Newt Gingrich, the original architect of the Republican Revolution, is obviously dismayed to see his handiwork going up in flames. Even so, the force with which Newt is blasting his party's corruption woes is surprising. As he told Bloomberg: The Abramoff scandal has to be seen as part of a much larger and deeper problem. It's not about lobbyist corruption. You can't have a corrupt lobbyist without a corrupt member or corrupt staff. This was a team effort. There are a series of behaviors, a series of attitudes, a series of crony-like activities that are not...

NY’s junior senator is in full fundraising mode for other Dems and her own possible ‘08 presidential bid WASHINGTON -- What's in a name? About $50 million for Democrats who have used Hillary Rodham Clinton's money-making moniker to raise cash for their campaigns since 2001. New York's junior senator has drummed up at least that much for Democrats around the country simply by lending her name to "Dear Friend" fundraising letters or appearing at events on their behalf, according to a new estimate of Clinton's fundraising clout compiled by her campaign. She's raised $1.2 million for Senate and House hopefuls...

Hillary Clinton Caught with Abramoff CashUnlike many in her party, 2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has been silent about the influence peddling scandal erupting around lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose plea bargain with the Justice Department is said to have more than a few on Capitol Hill quaking in their boots. Now we know why. Turns out, Mrs. Clinton is among the dozens of Democrats who accepted Mr. Abramoff's tainted contributions. Clinton spokeswoman Ann Lewis told The Buffalo News on Thursday that "after examining our records we found two contributions for $1,000 from tribes which have been clients of Jack Abramoff...

You've got the Beverly Hills mansion (a beautiful French Normandy-style estate owned by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman). You've got the celebrity entertainment (Melissa Etheridge, unplugged). You've got Wolfgang Puck's catering crew (on the menu: steak and fries, with risotto for the vegetarians). And the guest list includes some of Hollywood's top executives, who have contributed thousands of dollars to the Democratic party for the privilege of attending the event. Yet there's something missing: a number of the main political VIPs set to be feted. When it came time to stage the fundraising bash at the DeVito-Perlman residence Wednesday night,...

TAMPA - With details emerging Thursday that the Sept. 11 commission omitted crucial information from its final report last year, a group of 9/11 widows called for creation of a new independent panel. "I'm very disturbed, and I want to get some answers," said Kristen Breitweiser, whose husband, Ronald, died in the World Trade Center. "I want to know what the truth is." Her organization, the September 11th Advocates, or the Jersey Girls, was instrumental in pushing for creation of the Sept. 11 commission. On Thursday, the now-disbanded commission became embroiled in controversy, after acknowledging it omitted crucial information about...

Radio show: A program host, in Spanish, told listeners in 2004 to give to the campaign, even if the donors were undocumented immigrants WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Cannon's campaign has resolved a flap over a Spanish-language radio show the congressman appeared on last year where it was suggested that undocumented immigrants should find a way around the law to contribute to Cannon's re-election bid. The Cannon campaign quietly settled the matter with the Federal Elections Commission last month. As part of the agreement, Cannon's treasurer, state Sen. Curt Bramble, and staffer Marco Diaz agreed to attend an FEC-sponsored seminar on...

After 11 days of near silence in the face of mounting controversy, Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham released a three-page statement yesterday acknowledging that he "showed poor judgment" in selling his Del Mar house to "a friend who does business with the government." The Rancho Santa Fe Republican added that he welcomed "all appropriate investigations" and expressed confidence that they would show he "acted honorably and honestly." The controversy stems from Cunningham's 2003 sale of his Del Mar house to Mitchell Wade, a Cunningham friend and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based defense contracting company MZM Inc. Wade put the house back...

WASHINGTON – A defense contractor who took a $700,000 loss on the purchase of Rep. Randy Cunningham's Del Mar residence in 2003, and provided a yacht for his use in the nation's capital, forced his employees to make political contributions that benefited the San Diego Republican and other members of Congress, according to three former senior officials of the company. The former employees of the defense contractor, MZM, Inc., said separately that its founder, Mitchell Wade, routinely forced employees to give political donations. "By the spring of '02, Mitch was twisting employees' arms to donate to his MZM PAC," said...

Ex-Clinton aide's fate in jury's hands Rosen denies wrongdoing in reporting cost of gala to FEC Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Posted: 11:53 PM EDT (0353 GMT) LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jurors in the federal trial of David Rosen, former finance director of Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate campaign, will begin deliberating his fate Thursday. **SNIP** Defense and prosecuting attorneys finished their closing arguments Wednesday. The jury was to convene Thursday at 8:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. ET). Rosen's attorney, Paul Sandler, described his client as "courageous and truthful," adding that Rosen "has suffered for years with this sword of Damocles over...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday refused to answer questions about the indictment last week of her 2000 Senate campaign finance director. Clinton's former aide, David Rosen, was charged with filing false reports to the Federal Election Commission to cover up the true cost of a lavish Hollywood fund-raiser held on Clinton's behalf Aug. 12, 2000. When asked about Rosen by reporters at a press conference, Clinton said: "I have nothing to add to the statement that was issued last week." In that statement, released Friday night, Clinton's lawyer, David Kendall, said the senator's camp believed Rosen would be cleared once...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's former campaign finance director pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges he deliberately underreported the amount raised at a Hollywood gala for the senator in 2000. David Rosen, 40, of Chicago was released for a trial March 22 in Los Angeles. But his attorney, Paul Mark Sandler, said he planned to ask that the case be moved to Washington. Rosen is charged with four counts of filing false reports with the Federal Election Commission. Each count carries up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Sandler said after the hearing...

U.S. Defends Sealing Charges Against Former Clinton Aide By IAN URBINA Published: March 2, 2005 Correction Appended Federal prosecutors are battling attempts to dismiss their criminal case against Hillary Rodham Clinton's former fund-raising director, claiming in a court motion that they kept the indictment of him secret for more than a year to protect the identity of a witness cooperating in a separate investigation. The defendant, David Rosen, is charged with failing to report in-kind contributions and producing a false invoice in connection with an Aug. 12, 2000, fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton, according to an indictment unsealed in January. He...

A Democratic fund-raiser involved in Senator Clinton's 2000 campaign has offered a guilty plea to bank fraud charges and is likely to become a government witness at the upcoming federal trial of a top finance aide to Mrs. Clinton, David Rosen, court records obtained by The New York Sun show. As part of an FBI investigation into alleged campaign finance reporting violations by Mrs. Clinton's campaign, the mystery witness secretly taped a conversation with Mr. Rosen in September 2002 and apparently tried to elicit statements from the former Clinton staffer about financial irregularities involving an August 2000 Hollywood fund-raising event....