Free Republic

Bill Clinton's triumphant return from North Korea with two rescued US journalists had Hollywood written all over it -- from the Burbank airport to the big-time producer who bankrolled the expedition to the celebrity public-relations firm that orchestrated the homecoming. A key player in Clinton's high-flying diplomatic mission to rescue Laura Ling and Euna Lee was entertainment mogul Steve Bing, a longtime "Friend of Bill" who lent the ex-president his private Boeing 737. The multimillionaire mogul paid about $200,000 in fuel and other costs that came with the trans-Pacific flight.

A wealthy Hollywood producer paid for the flight that carried former President Bill Clinton and two American journalists home from North Korea, a California businessman confirmed Wednesday. Stephen Bing, a close Clinton friend and longtime Democratic fundraiser, is the plane's owner, said Marc Foulkrod of Burbank, Calif., chairman of Avjet Corp., the company that manages the aircraft. Foulkrod said the Federal Aviation Administration "at the highest levels" cleared the flight plan, which required an exception because U.S. planes are not allowed to fly into North Korea. The effort to set up and clear the flight only started four to five...

LOS ANGELES Lawyers behind a California ballot proposal that could benefit the 2008 Republican presidential nominee have ties to a Texas homebuilder who financed attacks on Democrat John Kerry's Vietnam War record in the 2004 presidential campaign. Charles H. Bell and Thomas Hiltachk's law firm banked nearly $65,000 in fees from a California-based political committee funded almost solely by Bob J. Perry that targeted Democrats in 2006. Perry, a major Republican donor, contributed nearly $4.5 million to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that made unsubstantiated but damaging attacks on Kerry three years ago. The Perry-financed committee in California,...

A $4 billion tax on oil companies would fund research into cleaner-burning fuels, reducing pollution and saving the lives of future California residents, supporters say. But what will happen to prices at the gas pump? That depends on whom you ask. Proposition 87 aims to reduce petroleum consumption by 25 percent over a little more than one decade. If approved by voters in November, the tax would pay for incentives encouraging the production and purchase of vehicles that run on alternative energy. Sixty percent of the state's air pollution woes can be blamed on moving vehicles that burn gasoline or...

The state doesn't need an oil company 'extortion tax' to pay for clean energy research, already a booming segment in the venture capital industry. WHEN GAS PRICES GO THROUGH the roof, two things inevitably happen: Voters see red, and all kinds of nutty proposals are floated aiming to make oil companies share their pain. Hence Proposition 87, which would impose an oil extraction tax on companies that drill in California and use the proceeds to pay for alternative fuel research. Even by the warped standards of ballot initiatives, Proposition 87 — the result of confused economic thinking — is deceptively...

LOS ANGELES - Movie producer Stephen L. Bing is believed to have set a new California campaign contribution record with Thursday's announcement that he has donated an "unprecedented" $40 million to Proposition 87, the oil tax initiative on the November ballot. While other wealthy activists have contributed large sums to their own political campaigns, no individual is known to have contributed this much to a ballot measure in California. Airline executive Al Checchi, for instance, gave more than $40 million to his 1998 gubernatorial campaign before losing the Democratic primary. Former President Bill Clinton praised Bing for his $40 million...

What happens after you — yes you, voters — approve billions of dollars in spending and then walk away? Plenty. In 1998, voters passed Proposition 10 and increased the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack to fund children's health programs. This has arguably done a lot of good. But in 2004, auditors found large amounts of the Proposition 10 money unspent, with no consistent rules in place to govern contracts. In rural Kern County, commissioners used $1,400 to put up bronze plaques honoring themselves in tot lots. ... --snip-- Now, California is getting ready to spend $3 billion for...

Backers of a measure that would hit energy companies drilling in California with $4 billion in new taxes planned to start running a hard-hitting TV ad across the state today urging voters to "make oil companies pay.'' There's nothing subtle about the new ad, said Paul Begala, a consultant for Proposition 87. "We're not shy; our most important goal is to get California off its dependence on oil,'' said Begala, a former Clinton White House aide and CNN television commentator. "If you want support, you have to build support.'' Prop. 87 would tax companies for oil pumped in California, based...

In California politics, Silicon Valley executives used to be considered newbies, nerds or simply multimillionaires with too much time and money on their hands. No longer. Emboldened over the past decade by some success passing ballot propositions, a handful of the valley's most influential power brokers are once again aiming to use the initiative process to put their stamp on public policy in California. Two of the boldest electoral initiatives yet to emerge from valley interests will be on November's ballot: NetFlix founder Reed Hastings and Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist John Doerr are backing Proposition 88, an unprecedented statewide real...

The Proposition 87 campaign is shaping up into a big bucks battle between big oil companies and "no oil" investors and environmentalists. Chevron and other major energy producers are fueling the drive to defeat the November ballot measure that would impose a severance tax on California oil production to pay for alternative energy. Venture capitalists with multimillion-dollar investments in "greentech," meanwhile, have joined forces with environmentalists to finance the campaign to create the $4 billion fund for alternative energy. Proposition 87 would impose a tax on California oil producers of 1.5 percent to 6 percent, depending on the per-barrel price...

Vinod Khosla is bankrolling a ballot initiative that would tax oil producers and subsidize alternative energy -- technologies he invests in as one of the valley's most prominent venture capitalists. If California voters embrace the November initiative, the tax on oil companies could generate $4 billion for projects intended to reduce the state's dependence on oil by 25 percent within a decade. Such political moves are still new territory for the well-heeled venture capital community more accustomed to funding start-up companies than ballot campaigns. That changed in 2004, when the industry put its money behind another technology-building initiative: stem-cell research....

George Soros is an exacting  taskmaster. In return for his money, he demands productivity. What he requires of employees and business associates in the investment world, Soros also demands from the political operatives he funds. “Mr. Soros isn't just writing checks and watching,” notes Wall Street Journalreporter Jeanne Cummings. “He is also imposing a business model on the notoriously unruly world of politics. He demands objective evidence of progress, and assigned an aide to monitor the groups he supports. He studies private polls to track the impact of an anti-Bush advertising campaign, and he is delivering his money in installments,...

In California, 'progressive' thinking has progressed to the idea that because money in politics is bad, political competition is, too. Dec. 5, 2005 issue - Attacks on freedom of political speech are becoming more brazen. Because the attackers aim to enlarge government's control of the political campaigns that decide who controls government, the attacks advance liberalism's program of extending government supervision of life. Some liberal senators have filed a brief urging the Supreme Court, in a case concerning Vermont's speech restrictions, to affirm that people like the seven senators—"elected representatives and seasoned participants in the electoral process," meaning professional politicians—"are...

Bryon York, author of The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, correctly notes that the Democrats were bankrolled in the last election by five major contributors, people whom I think should be heretofore referred to as The Gang of Five, for they are surely determined to set up a left wing government totally at odds with our elected government and Constitution. Quote: Although Democrats often maintain that their unprecedented outside-the-party campaign against President Bush last year, led by the so-called 527 groups, was a broad-based, grassroots effort, it was, in fact dependent in substantial part on just five donors: financier George Soros,...

........ Campaign for America's Future _____________________________________________________ -- CAF Funded By Liberal Allies, Including George Soros: The Top Two Individual Contributors To Campaign For America's Future Were . . . George Soros ($300,000) And . . . Stephen Bing ($100,651). Political Money Line Website, http://www.tray.com, Accessed 1/8/05) o Soros Contributed The Most Money ($27,030,105) Of Any Donor To 527s In The 2004 Cycle, And Has Been Called The "Daddy Warbucks" Of . . . Drug Legalization. (Political Money Line Website, http://www.tray.com -- Accessed 12/8/04; Joseph A. Califano Jr., Op-Ed, "Devious Efforts To Legalize Drugs," The Washington Post, 12/4/96) o Bing Described...

Ten Liberals to Watch in 2005 Posted Feb 11, 2005 Evan Bayh Democrat senator from Indiana # Born: Dec. 26, 1955, Shirkieville, Ind. # Resides: Indianapolis # Significance: Son of former liberal Sen. Birch Bayh, he is chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, the "moderate" organization that helped launch Bill Clinton. Served as governor of Indiana. Likely 2008 presidential candidate, who has tried to position himself to the middle (voted for the partial-birth abortion ban), but ultimately delivers for liberals (voted for judicial filibusters). One of 13 senators to vote against confirming Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Also opposed Atty....

Billionaire George Soros is undeterred after the Democrat's disastrous showing last November -- and the fact he pumped tens of millions into the campaign -- to no avail. In the face of President Bush's strong re-election showing, a group of left-leaning billionaires led by Soros has resolved to pump even more money into the cause of "progressive" politics. Their goal is clear: build a left-wing coalition whose aim is to stop the political stampede of conservatism in America. The Financial Times reports the billionaire group not only includes hedge-fund guru and noted Bush-hater George Soros, but California savings-and-loan owners Herb...

Anyone with any sense knows the makers of the unpleasant children's movie "Polar Express" were foolish to unload it just days after the release of the excellent, can't-miss animated hit "The Incredibles." But some in Tinseltown seem eager to lose money. The good news about the failure of "Polar Express," already being nicknamed "Polar Distress," is that it's hurting Bush-bashing fat cat Steve Bing, one of those left-wing tycoons who tried to buy the presidential election for John Kerry. Bing put up half the money for "Polar Distress" (the rest came from the Democrat media leviathan Time Warner) and squandered...

There is now link but in today's Wall Street Journal on page B1 there is a story on the Tom Hank's movie "Polar Express" which is turning into a mega bomb. The reviews have been pretty awful. The film cost $170 million plus $125 million in distribution costs and has sold about $23.5 million. It will probably start disappearing from the theaters soon. Time Warner was lucky that they offloaded half of the project's marketing and production budget ($62.5 million) on Steven Bing. Bing is a multi-millioanire and real estate heir. He also funded Kerry's 527 to a tune of...

[O]ne big loser was... McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform".... Preliminary reports say a record $3.9 billion was spent on this year's Presidential and Congressional campaigns, 30% more than four years ago. Instead of severing the supposedly corrupting links between big money and politics, the reform's main effect has been merely to channel the cash through different political hands, and with less accountability. ...McCain-Feingold has succeeded in the narrow goal of staunching the flow of contributions from corporations, Big Labor and wealthy individuals to the two major political parties. Labor unions have turned more of their attention to voter registration and turnout....

Liberal activist Norman Lear told me last week that if George W. Bush wins re-election, "watch what happens to real estate in New Zealand." He wasn't joking. Mr. Lear may have an exaggerated notion of the number of Americans with means to relocate to the other side of the globe. But he accurately reflects the intense feelings of a few who do: himself, financier George Soros, insurance executive Peter Lewis and Hollywood mogul Stephen Bing. Together, they have spent more than $50 million to register new voters and defeat President Bush. They are the X factor in this year's election:...

Steven Bing, Peter Benjamin Lewis, George Soros It is late in the day, but there is still time to ask the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee about their financing sources. Equally important to ask is just what do these ridiculously rich and strange people expect to get for their millions of dollars. Let's look at three of Kerry's friends, probably responsible for at least $30 million in donations. Steven Bing: Our Victorian ancestors had the right words to describe Bing. He would have been known as "a cad and a bounder," while today he is dismissed as a...

It is late in the day, but there is still time to ask the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee about their financing sources. Equally important to ask is just what do these ridiculously rich and strange people expect to get for their millions of dollars. Steven Bing: Our Victorian ancestors had the right words to describe Bing. He would have been known as "a cad and a bounder," while today he is dismissed as a "poor little rich boy." Born in 1965, Steve is approaching his midlife crisis with all the arrogance of having inherited on his 18th...

Zach Exley - Former director of special projects for the MoveOn PAC is now the online communications director for the Kerry campaign. He’s also the one who started the Bush cocaine smear in 2000. Jim Jordan - John Kerry’s former campaign manager is now a spokesperson for America Coming Together, which is helping to sponsor anti-Bush concerts and is famous for using convicted felons to including sex offenders, to try and register voters door to door. George Soros - A direct contributor John Kerry’s campaign, he has donated literally, tens of millions of dollars to MoveOn.org, ACT, and The Media...

Top Individual Contributors to 527 Committees 2004 Election Cycle

When leftist billionaires such as George Soros, Stephen Bing, Peter Lewis and Ron Burkle donate to 527s and other groups trying to defeat President Bush, the media make, maybe, a passing reference to their Democrat party ties. For the most part, these donors are simply portrayed as "philanthropists." But when a wealthy conservative Republican donates to help the president, every donation he ever made and every Republican connection he ever had must be unearthed and splashed across the papers. After all, there must be a vast right-wing conspiracy at work. Take, for instance, Texas homebuilder Robert J. "Bob" Perry, who...

The Men Behind Edwards Our editor, Walter Olson, has covered this territory before, but it's worth revisiting as Kerry and Edwards make their way across key states in their bus caravan campaign. The report on the men behind John Edwards at EdwardsWatch makes for interesting reading.:According to published reports, Edwards received $4.65 million from 3,220 lawyers, 29 paralegals, 17 legal assistants and 555 people with the same address as a personal injury attorney contributor (such as a spouse or close relative). The $4.65 million represents 63% of the total money raised by Edwards. Over one-third of those contributors gave the...

All Page Six Stories TOP KERRY DONOR'S MAFIA PAL By Richard Johnson Fri Jul 30, 1:30 AM ET A SCANDAL might be brewing in John Kerry's camp over revelations that his biggest donor, billionaire playboy Steve Bing, has close ties to a Mafia hitman. Bing, who inherited a $600 million real estate fortune courtesy of his grandfather, Leo Bing, has amassed over $16 million for the Democrats. He has donated $8.1 million to groups that are creating and airing anti-George Bush TV ads, according to Variety. Now, ABC News reports that one of Bing's close friends is Dominic Montemarano, a.k.a....

Sorry This content is not available. We apologize for the inconvenience. Acording to Glenn Reynolds, ABC News.com has pulled the Steven Bing story about his alleged mob connections. Earlier I linked to an ABC story about suggested mob connections regarding Hollywood moneyman Stephen Bing. Now when you follow the link you get a "content not available" page -- though the link and synopsis for the story still shows up when you search "Stephen Bing" on the ABC site. This either means that the story has been pulled because it contains errors, or because somebody persuaded ABC to pull it for...

Slightly less interesting than Michael Moore in the booth with Jimmy Carter, but still: From left to right: Hillary, Willie Nelson, Stephen Bing.

B O S T O N, July 28, 2004 — As Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards arrived in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, so did the California man who is their single biggest contributor. He is Stephen Bing, a wealthy film producer who, with little fanfare, has managed to steer a total of more than $16 million of his money to Democratic candidates and the supposedly independent groups that support them. "To most of the people who track money and politics, they're like, who the hell is Steve Bing?" said Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for...

Glenn Reynolds on instapundit pointed this out Stephen Bing SearchThe story shows up in the results at the top, but Click on the Story Nothing

B O S T O N, July 28, 2004 — As Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards arrived in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, so did the California man who is their single biggest contributor. He is Stephen Bing, a wealthy film producer who, with little fanfare, has managed to steer a total of more than $16 million of his money to Democratic candidates and the supposedly independent groups that support them. "To most of the people who track money and politics, they're like, who the hell is Steve Bing?" said Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for...

B O S T O N, July 28, 2004 — As Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards arrived in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, so did the California man who is their single biggest contributor. He is Stephen Bing, a wealthy film producer who, with little fanfare, has managed to steer a total of more than $16 million of his money to Democratic candidates and the supposedly independent groups that support them. "To most of the people who track money and politics, they're like, who the hell is Steve Bing?" said Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for...

AUGUST 2, 2002 Having dragged a group of Manhattan elites back from the Hamptons last week to attend a fund-raiser at a tony Chelsea night club, Al Gore criticized the Bush administration for "working on behalf of the powerful, and letting the people of this country get the short end of the stick." Back when he was exhibiting the Democrats' renowned good sportsmanship after he lost the presidential election, Gore managed to fund his tantrum with donations sent in from such ordinary Americans as dot-com multimillionaire Steven Kirsch ($500,000), former Slim-Fast Foods chief S. Daniel Abraham ($100,000) and Minneapolis multimillionaire...

B O S T O N, July 28, 2004 — As Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards arrived in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, so did the California man who is their single biggest contributor. He is Stephen Bing, a wealthy film producer who, with little fanfare, has managed to steer a total of more than $16 million of his money to Democratic candidates and the supposedly independent groups that support them. "To most of the people who track money and politics, they're like, who the hell is Steve Bing?" said Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for...

George Soros says he’ll pony up his $7 billion fortune if it could defeat George Bush this November. Soros has already donated tens of millions to groups like MoveOn.org and left wing "527’s” to defeat Bush. But Soros is not the only billionaire who has a passionate hatred for George Bush. MoveOn recently reported that Peter B. Lewis, chairman of Progressive Corp., has already given 1.5 million to the group. Lewis is so anxious to help MoveOn he now promises to match the amount contributed to MoveOn by any contributor, 50 cents for each dollar donated upto $20,000. Progressive (you’ve...

Edwards' new digs The new issue of Washingtonian magazine provides a glimpse of Edwards' new Georgetown digs. The front of the $3.8 million home is included in a four-page spread, "Knocking on the White House Door," that examines the residences of presidential aspirants. The magazine notes that Edwards' home is "just one block from JFK's first house with Jackie." Edwards and his family recently purchased the house in the historic neighborhood of D.C. but are waiting to move in until renovations are complete. The Edwardses' neighbors will include U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, another Democrat looking to move to...