Free Republic

Is Meg Whitman too green for the conservative core of the Republican Party? Wednesday the San Jose Mercury News released the news that eMeg has offered $200,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund from her charitable foundation, $100,000 more than what was first thought. Then there is Steve Poizner’s Charitable Foundation accounting numbers. While all of the attention is on Meg’s gifts to environmental causes, nobody has asked the obvious question: “Why does Steve Poizner’s charitable foundation only have $7,000 as its balance?” How can a millionaire have such a small amount of cash in his (and his wife’s) charitable foundation?...

WASHINGTON – The embattled community activist group ACORN appears to be collecting charitable contributions through affiliate organizations that it then uses for impermissible lobbying and political activity, says the Republican staff of the Senate Finance Committee. The assessment, in a memo to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, further fuels the controversy surrounding ACORN, formally known as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. The GOP staff memo says ACORN-affiliated charities are being used to raise money which is then funneled to other charities or other organizations for purposes other than what a donor may have intended. In response, ACORN chief...

www.JoeWilsonForCongress.com

The American public will have to decided for themselves who is telling the truth---President Obama or the spokesman for the AARP.

Boxer raised nearly one-and-a-half million dollars during the second quarter. In a press release, she called the support “gratifying.” The Democratic senator is seeking a fourth six-year term. A spokeswoman says Boxer’s conducted prodigious and early fundraising in preparation for a possible challenge from former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. The 54-year-old Republican says she’s “seriously considering” entering the race. She has little political experience beyond her work as an economic advisor to Senator John McCain during last year’s presidential campaign. But Fiorina has extraordinary wealth that could make her a strong candidate. A recent Field Poll predicted that Boxer...

Dear Friends, I am starting up a Political Action Committee for the 2010 Congressional Elections (though I also may support/oppose state and local candidates as well)! I have Contacted the FEC (as well as..) the IRS. I have a big packet of information from the FEC in which I am currently reading (and though it is interesting-to me..)..(ok so I am a 'nerd'..a political 'junkie' to be specific..). I am humbly asking for your advice if anyone has ever attempted this and is connected to this webite or just a general fellow citizen)? What were some 'pitfalls', 'successes', 'tips', etc.....

In his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, President Barack Obama claimed: “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar University — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing.” Obama is not much of a “student of history” if he believes this. Almost every advance he attributes to the Muslims was...

WND reviewed the list of Chrysler's 789 closing franchises and databases of political donors and found that of dealership owners making contributions in the recent election, less than 10 percent gifted to Democrats while 90 percent gave substantial sums to Republican candidates. The following dealers are scheduled to lose their Chrysler franchise designation. Based on available records and databases, each of them contributed to political campaigns during the 2008 election. Many of the dealers who donated to Republican campaigns last year also contributed additional thousands to George W. Bush's presidential 2004 campaign and to campaigns to elect GOP representatives. Those...

The guy is about as popular as a pedophile in a day-care center.

Any of these guys represent you? Time for a phone call to tell them to write a check to the American Taxpayers.

The ultimate stakes could not be higher in a Supreme Court case argued today Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., which will be argued before the Supreme Court today, is one of the most important cases this term. Unfortunately, much of the press coverage of this dispute is superficial and misleading -- and as a result, the public is unaware of the momentous First Amendment issues at stake. The case has its roots in a complicated tale of political and corporate intrigue between two coal companies, leading eventually to a jury verdict of $50 million in favor of Hugh Caperton,...

From: Dorothy Rodham [mailto:info@hillaryclinton.com] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 7:39 PM To: xxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx Subject: One last request Dear Xxxx, I've been so proud watching my daughter over the past few days as she begins a new step in a life so full of accomplishment. And I know she'll continue to do great things for our country. Now I have to ask you -- for the very last time -- to give her your help. This is our last chance to help Hillary pay down the debt from her history-making campaign. I know how much it would mean to her to...

The Clinton scandals started very early in his administration, but not before there was an administration. Obama's fundraising was completely corrupt, with funds taken in from overseas and from fictitious donors like "Good Will." Once these probes get rolling, not only will Bill Richardson have some explaining to do, the Messiah may have to tell the American people exactly what he knew and when he knew about his own crooked fundraising scheme.

Watch the following YouTube video as renowned British comedian, Eddie Izzard, tells CNN that he made a donation to Barack Obama's Presidential campaign. Izzard says that as a citizen of the UK he couldn't vote for Obama, so he supported his candidacy by making a donation to his campaign. According to the FEC's records, Mr. Izzard donated $2,300 to Obama's campaign - under an LA address...

401(k)s: Employer Contributions Get the AxBy Amy Feldman – 30 mins ago When times are tough, companies find cost savings wherever they can. Now some employers are doing away with the 401(k) match, a benefit once considered almost sacred. **SNIP** Lesser of Two Evils The psychological impact of these cuts may be almost as damaging as the financial harm. Coming at a time when many Americans are struggling to save for retirement and face shrunken stock portfolios, the cutbacks make the goal of a secure retirement even more elusive. Yet for all the unhappiness over slashed 401(k)s, employees understand the...

RALEIGH — Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers’ personal retirement accounts — including 401(k)s and IRAs — and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration. Triggered by the financial crisis the past two months, the hearings reportedly were meant to stem losses incurred by many workers and retirees whose 401(k) and IRA balances have been shrinking rapidly. The testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for...

The McCain Team was on a conference call earlier today and outlined their strategy for the closing days of the campaign. Team McCain held a press conference today with campaign leaders Rick Davis, pollster Bill McInturff, Mike DuHaime and Christian Ferry to discuss the latest in national and state polling. Davis says we’re witnessing one of the greatest comebacks in political history, or at least since McCain won the primaries. Crowds are huge, and energy is high. Sarah Palin is electrifying crowds and bringing people back into the game. They feel they have the momentum, increasing polling in every battleground...

Listed below are the top 10 contributions from 62901 during the 2008 cycle. MAKHDOOM, ZAHOOR Obama, Barack (D) SELF EMPLOYED/PHYSICIAN $4,000 06/30/08 MAKHDOOM, ZAHOOR Obama, Barack (D) SELF EMPLOYED/PHYSICIAN $2,300 06/30/08 MAHKDOOM, SUMERA Obama, Barack (D) $2,000 06/30/08 MAHKDOOM, SUMERA Obama, Barack (D) $1,500 06/30/08 MAKHDOOM, ZAHOOR Obama, Barack (D) SELF EMPLOYED/PHYSICIAN $1,300 03/30/08

"Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. 'Barry' (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. . . . Guess who's in charge of all those “small” Internet campaign contributions for Obama? According to my reader, none other than his two college roommates from Pakistan: Muhammad...

In the Hawaii donation database submitted by the Obama for America campaign there are donations from a couple of interesting characters. Name: HKVKV, K VKN K V City: KHVKHVHKVHKV State: HI Employer: GH Occupation: GF Another interesting donation is: HDUSAHFD, DAHSUDHU He (could it be SHE?) gave $7,597.59 in July and August of this year. Works for: CZXVC Occupation: ZXVZXV Now if this is the level of fraud being reported, what the heck is buried in the over $200 million in WALKING AROUND MONEY?

A homeless thug now registered to vote comments: “They picked me up. They seen me walkin’ around. So day said, ‘You wanna vote?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll vote.’ (laughs) Day said, ‘We’ll take you anywhere you want.’ I said, ‘Dat’s cool’…If day say ’sign the ballot,’ just give ‘em and do exactly what they want you to do.’ I mean, hey, dis is America, you know?” (laughs). Who does this new voter support? “Barack! I mean, I want him to do his thang. You know, do his thug thizzle. You know. That’s how I like it to be. You know....

Click on the box titled "New-2008 Presidential Donor A-List Chart"

With the long-term future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac likely in the hands of the next president, both presidential candidates embraced Treasury's short-term measures to rescue the companies as a necessary step but criticized the need for government intervention. *** Republicans have long pushed for a structural overhaul of Fannie and Freddie. By contrast, Democrats have warned against making major changes until the companies were stabilized. The companies have traditionally had stronger backing from Democrats, who support their mission of bolstering affordable housing and for years have fended off calls for greater oversight. Democrats received 56% of some $1.6...

???Somebody answer quick!

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Barack Obama has received illegal donations from Palestinians living in Gaza, a hotbed of Hamas terrorists.Obama received more than $24,000 in campaign contributions over a period of two months last fall from three Palestinian brothers from the "Edwan" family in Rafah, Gaza, which is a Hamas stronghold along the border with Egypt. The story was uncovered by Pamela Geller of the Atlas Shrugs blog. (see Federal Election Commission report) ..."The donations are basically through and through illegal -- that's number one. And number two is how the Obama campaign tried to conceal it," [Debbie]...

JERUSALEM – Palestinian brothers inside the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip are listed in government election filings as having donated $29,521.54 to Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. Donations of this nature would violate election laws, including prohibitions on receiving contributions from foreigners and guidelines against accepting more than $2,300 from one individual during a single election, Bob Biersack, a spokesman for the Federal Election Commission, told WND in response to a query. The contributions also raise numerous questions about the Obama campaign's lax online donation form, which apparently allows for the possibility of foreign contributions. Last week, the Atlas Shrugs blog outlined a...

Americans who want to contribute to their presidential candidate of choice are strictly constrained in giving no more than $2300 per candidate election. But the same limits apparently don't apply in practice to foreigners who want to help Barack Hussein Obama get elected, although the Federal Election Commission clearly does not agree. The brothers Edwan -- Monir and Hasam -- hail from Rafah, GA. That's GA as in Gaza, not Georgia. As first revealed by the Atlas Shrugs blog and further developed in World Net Daily, they contributed a whopping $29,521.54 to Senator Obama's campaign, more than 13 times the...

Republican Sen. Norm Coleman said Wednesday he would give away $20,000 in campaign contributions because they came from a political action committee tied to indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. The decision comes as Coleman's Democratic challenger, Al Franken, began airing a statewide radio ad highlighting ties between Coleman and Stevens. Coleman's campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said the senator will donate the money to childhood cancer research. The specific recipients haven't been selected, a campaign official said. His decision follows that of at least five other Republican senators who are shedding contributions from Stevens' Northern Lights PAC. "The senator believes firmly...

Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling. Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month -- three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban -- compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.

The real story of this year's money race? It's much more competitive than anyone expected. As always, Obama's army of 1.7 million donors provided his campaign with a larger individual pot than McCain's: $30 million for Chicago (according to the Wall Street Journal)* vs. $22 million for Crystal City. But thanks to those higher caps on party contributions, the vast majority of McCain's money--that is, another $26 million--went to the RNC. All told, the Republicans now boast a combined cash-on-hand total of $102.6 million, according to McCain campaign manager Rick Davis--$27 million from McCain and the remaining $75.6 million from...

Obama received $71,000 in campaign cash in 2004 from a lender in Illinois, who then in February 2005 gave him a below-market mortgage rate personally saving him nearly $4,000.00 per year. Perhaps just a whiff of corruption from the Chicago Kid?

"The lack of an official endorsement from Rumsfeld most likely stems from the rift caused between the two over a statement McCain made in the past regarding Rumsfeld’s tenure in the White House. Rumsfeld, McCain declared, will "go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history." An aide for Rumsfeld, Keith Urbahn, tells The Hill Rumsfeld no longer follows presidential elections. Instead he is focusing his energy on the Rumsfeld Foundation, an organization that encourages young people to participate in public service, and his memoirs. “Mr. Rumsfeld is a Republican,” however, Urbahn quickly points out....

WASHINGTON - John McCain raised almost as much money as Barack Obama in May, placing him virtually on the same financial footing as his Democratic rival — a level of parity that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago. The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting raised $21.5 million last month. He had $31.5 million in the bank, up $10 million from the end of April. Obama had his weakest fundraising month of the year. The Illinois senator's campaign raised $21.9 million in May. The disclosure came a day after the Democratic candidate's reversal on the question of whether he would...

Barack Obama ... Democratic presidential hopeful    Fleeced Brits help Obama     By JAMES CLENCH Published: Today     AMERICAN Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has had an unlikely campaign contribution – from thieves who fleeced the bank account of a British couple. Shocked Tania Parker discovered the account had been mysteriously emptied after she tried to withdraw money from a cash point. When she called Lloyds TSB stunned Tania was told fraudsters had illegally made two donations totalling £210 to fund Obama's race for the White House. She told The Sun: "It's crazy, I couldn't believe it. I'm...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq , Feb. 26, 2008 – “Gas! Gas! Gas!” But for the contribution of one black American inventor, that familiar call might not echo through Army bases as soldiers train with gas masks against chemical-weapons attack. Army Capt. Christee Cuttino, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, personnel office, sings a spiritual song to the audience at the African-American/Black History Month program on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Similarly, the blood bank...

A new primary system Why do we use the same primary voting system in the 21st century that we did in the 18th? The old system was set up to counter the inconveniences of time and distance. Advances in communication have overcome these obstacles yet we vote as if those advances had never been made at all. A new system could be devised which would take special interests, party bosses and smoke filled back rooms out of the process. This new system would give the power to the party faithful and ensure that the party nominee would be chosen by...

Find out who in your area contributed to which presidential candidate. Candidates for President must register with the Federal Election Commission and file quarterly reports to disclose campaign finance information. This database provides campaign finance information for the current front-runners for president. Search your community's contributions for the 2007-2008 Presidential Candidates. Source: Federal Election Commission: Itemized individual contributions from the first three quarters of 2007 SEARCH PAGE: Presidential campaign contributions by zip code http://www.orlandosentinel2.com/data/campaign2007-2008/

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign called on rival Barack Obama to shut down a political action committee he controls that has contributed money to elected officials in early presidential contest states. Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson posed the demand to chief Obama strategist David Axelrod during a television interview Sunday and the campaign followed up with a press release shortly after. Wolfson accused Obama of using the PAC in "apparent contravention of campaign finance laws." The aggressiveness of the Clinton camp is a testament to the increasingly tight race between the two in Iowa, where polls show Obama in...

With all the madness in the world, I meditated Tuesday on two matters of great gratitude. One is that through vigilance and good fortune we have, so far, gone six years without another major attack on U.S. soil. The other is that I wasn't one of the Texas officials who was forced to attend a workshop in Austin in which PR flacks would try (under a $20,000 contract) to teach me techniques for selling Gov. Perry's massive toll road boondoggle. It was a small part of a $7 million to $9 million campaign that will include feel-good ads pushing Perry's...

Democratic presidential candidate and leading Chinese fundraiser Hillary Clinton has announced she is returning $850,000 in contributions delivered to her campaign by Norman Hsu. With any luck at all she expects to be able to shovel the funds out the back door before the FBI comes knocking on the front. Ms. Clinton brings real experience to the task. 22 contributors to Bill's 1996 campaign either pled guilt or were convicted of criminal campaign finance or money laundering violations. At least some of the sources were reported to be members of the Chinese Red Army's intelligence division. There is no word...

August 30, 2007 Washington Post FEC SENDS A MESSAGE ACT Fined $775,000 The Federal Election Commission yesterday issued the latest in a string of six-figure fines against partisan political groups -- this time, against America Coming Together, a group financed by George Soros and labor organizations that sunk more than $100 million into campaign activities intended to help Democrats in the 2004 elections. The decision to fine the group $775,000, the FEC's third-largest penalty in its three-decade history, was intended to send a stern message to independent groups. The FEC has said it will crack down on groups that raise...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other prominent Democrats scrambled to unload thousands of dollars of contributions from one of the party's leading fund-raisers, amid questions about his ...techniques and news [of] a warrant for his arrest... Election-law experts said the pattern raises red flags that justify a probe into whether the wealthy Mr. Hsu was improperly reimbursing the others for their donations... Beyond his $23,000 in personal contributions to Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Hsu had raised well over $1 million for the New York senator's presidential campaign, making him one of her top 20 "bundlers." ...[and] hundreds of thousands of dollars...

You may have given money to an accused sexual predator to use for his legal defense — and not even know it. If you gave money to former congressman Mark Foley's re-election campaign, that's exactly what's happening. Even if you didn't contribute you should be disgusted this vestige of public trust is being used by Foley to help him worm out of the hole he could be in. And it's not just his legal defense he's using the money for.

Tennesseans have given more than $1 million to announced presidential candidates. That's according to disclosure reports reviewed by the Center for Responsive Politics that have been filed through July 15th. The documents show that Republican Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, leads in disclosed contributions from Tennessee with more than 380-thousand dollars. Some officials say the one-million-dollar figure is likely to more than double once unannounced candidate Fred Thompson files a campaign finance disclosure. Thompson has not yet been required to file, though he has been raising money. His campaign spokesman has refused to give any figures, but some Republicans...

Edwards predicting big second-quarter drop-offBy Sam Youngman June 22, 2007 Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is expecting a significant drop-off in campaign contributions for the second quarter that might look like a pittance compared to the dollar amounts Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) are expected to raise. Though it would not be unheard of for a campaign to try and lowball its fundraising expectations, an e-mail to supporters from senior adviser Joe Trippi, of Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign, tells Edwards’s fans the campaign is two-thirds of the way to its goal of $9...

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, a prodigious fundraiser who will campaign today in California, is partner in a law firm with a generous political action committee -- one which gave nearly 40 percent of its contributions to Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections, including $5,000 to then-Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. The 2006 donations from the political action committee of the Houston-based law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani -- known as "Bracepac'' -- included $3,000 to California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and $500 to Jerry McNerney, who defeated Republican Rep. Richard Pombo in the East Bay's hotly...

Boston, MA - After nearly 1,000 Debate Watch House Parties and a highly successful national call day during "Sign Up America!", Governor Mitt Romney has signed up over 24,000 new supporters from across the country in just 24 hours. The success of this event is an indication of Governor Romney's broad-based grassroots and finance support and will help him spread his vision for conservative change in Washington. Addressing today's success, Governor Romney said, "Over the past 24 hours, hundreds have gathered at house parties and manned phone banks across the country in our successful effort to sign up 24,000 new...

Somebody's been a naughty girl...

In a show of financial muscle, Sen. Hillary Clinton today kicks off a fund-raising effort of volunteers working to direct donations from $25,000 to $1 million to her presidential campaign. The million-dollar target for some fund-raisers demonstrates the overheated pace of the 2008 money race and raises the stakes for Sen. Clinton's competitors. Her allies will be able to generate that level of giving by soliciting checks of as much as $4,600 -- the maximum allowed for the primary and general election -- from friends and family, and recruiting others to become money raisers for their account.... This strategy --...

Ben Franklin’s quip nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes, rings true for most of us. If you run a retail store you pay sales taxes on the money you collect. If you are a professional you become liable for corporate or personal income tax or both the very moment a client or a patient pays your fee. Regardless of your job, you pay taxes. You pay a tax when you drive your car to work. You pay taxes when you buy a loaf of bread. You pay taxes when you go out to eat or...