Free Republic

Vice President Harris hauled in nearly half a million dollars in book royalties during her first year in office, ethics disclosure forms show. Harris reported $325,000 in royalty earnings from her 2019 book “The Truths We Hold,” and another $130,000 for her children’s book “Superheroes Are Everywhere,” Bloomberg reported Friday. The cash far outstripped President Biden’s, who reported between $15,001 and $50,000 in royalties for “Promise Me, Dad,” — a heartfelt 2018 memoir about his late son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015.

When a network's ad—putatively for its own website—extensively features a candidate for office in a high-profile race, at what point does the ad constitute a contribution in kind to that politician's campaign? The question arises in light of MSNBC's ad for its new website that aired on today's Morning Joe. In the space of 30 seconds, the ad twice featured shots of Wendy Davis, Dem candidate for Texas governor, who became an overnight liberal darling on the basis of her filibuster of a Texas law imposing restrictions on abortion. For good measure, the ad also displayed what appeared to be...

If that headline has a certain man bites dog quality, it's because for almost 40 years the ACLU was the one major liberal organization that opposed campaign finance restrictions as violating the First Amendment. Although it supported disclosure of large contributions to candidates and public financing of campaigns to facilitate more speech, it resolutely opposed any limits on campaign giving and spending—including limits "voluntarily" accepted as the price of taking public funding. Expenditures by candidates (including of their own funds), contributions, advertising by political parties, labor unions, nonprofit organizations and even business corporations were all viewed by the ACLU as...

Want a chance to introduce Bruce Springsteen? You'll have to act fast - and be able to do four hours of volunteer work today for Barack Obama in Pennsylvania. That's just one of the latest bits of news about this "little" event on the Parkway tomorrow afternoon. You've probably heard about it: Free Springsteen concert. Gigantic crowd expected. Gates open at 2 p.m. Event at 3:30 p.m. It's also an Obama rally that hopes to boost voter registration before Monday's deadline in Pennsylvania, and recruit more volunteers.

Friday, March 25, 2005 10:57 p.m. EST Greer Got Donation From Mike Schiavo's Lawyer Reclaiming America, an organization backed by Rev. D. James Kennedy, reported that a serious conflict of interest may exist for the Fla. State Judge who is ruling on the Terri Schiavo case. The report from Reclaiming America follows: As if the circumstances surrounding Terri Schiavo could not get any more suspicious, the Center for Reclaiming America has uncovered evidence that Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Judge George W. Greer accepted a campaign contribution from the law firm of Michael Schiavo’s attorney only one day after "Terri’s Law” was...

[snip]Our concern is with another aspect of Moore's movie: It's basically a two-hour attack ad on President Bush. "I hope this country will be back in our hands in a very short period of time," Moore says. That is, he hopes that his movie will make John Kerry president. Moore certainly has the right to pursue such a goal as he pleases. America prizes freedom of speech, Exhibit A being all the tendentiously conspiratorial — and just plain stupid — movies that Michael Moore has churned out over the years. But should this unapologetically partisan piece of "art" count as...

Sunday, January 18, 2004 By SHANNON D. HARRINGTON and CLINT RILEY SEE ALSOSPECIAL REPORT: PAY TO PLAYAs an attorney with the politically juiced Teaneck law firm that bears his name, Edward N. FitzPatrick often joined his partners in doling out contributions to New Jersey's politicians.The lifelong Republican gave to governors and senators, county executives, and town councilmen. He gave long after his political career ended as mayor of Allendale.And, if state campaign finance records are to be believed, FitzPatrick continued to give more than a year after he died.FitzPatrick died in January 2000. Still, in the months following his...

January 15, 2004 Rolling Stone Editor and Adobe Executive Put $800,000 Into Salon Web SiteBy DAVID CARR ann Wenner, the founder and editor of Rolling Stone magazine and chairman of Wenner Media, said yesterday that he would invest $200,000 in the Salon Media Group, the financially struggling Internet media company, and join its board. Also yesterday, Salon announced that John E. Warnock, co-chairman of Adobe Systems and a longtime financial backer, would invest an additional $600,000 in the Web company.As part of the alliance with Mr. Wenner, Salon and Rolling Stone, each known for liberal political leanings, will collaborate on...