Dems target Adelson’s politicking causes (he's hosting vets for free this weekend)

LasVegasSun ^ | 5-26-08 | J. Patrick Coolican

[STARWISE]

Ads attack Las Vegas Sands kingpin’s largesse to GOP

Sheldon Adelson is being taught some blunt lessons about politics after aggressively inserting himself into state and national races this year.

The majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands and leading Republican fundraiser, who hasn’t been so publicly involved in politics since 1998, has himself become an issue in several House races across the country and could be targeted in many more.

Adelson money — Forbes ranks him the 12th-richest man in the world — is pushing three ballot questions before Nevada voters. One would require two-thirds of voters to approve tax increases that appear as ballot questions. Anti-tax crusaders love the initiative and are no doubt thankful for Adelson’s support.

The others would divert room tax money from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to schools and other public priorities — and would help him damage the agency, which he has long held is a quasi-government boondoggle.

Adelson’s donations to conservative groups such as Freedom’s Watch and the presidential campaign of Arizona Sen. John McCain have added to his influence in national Republican politics and will mean the ear of the president if McCain prevails over the Democratic nominee, either Illinois Sen. Barack Obama or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But for all his good intentions for Republicans, he has given the Democratic opposition several new lines of attack.

Among them: his own testimony in a high-profile lawsuit that unveiled inner workings of his company, and the revelation that Israeli police questioned him in an ongoing corruption probe of the prime minister there, Ehud Olmert. (Adelson is only tangentially involved and not suspected of wrongdoing, but an unscrupulous political consultant could still make hay.)

An Adelson political consultant directed calls to Las Vegas Sands. A spokesman for Las Vegas Sands did not return a phone call last week seeking comment for this story.

In special congressional elections in Mississippi and Louisiana, Adelson found himself serving as a punching bag after supporting the Republican candidates. Sun partner Politico, a Washington, D.C., Web magazine, pointed out recently that Democrats are trying to turn Adelson into the conservative equivalent of George Soros, the wealthy financier and boogeyman of the right.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran ads on Christian radio stations in the two races tying the Republican candidates to Adelson, calling him “the world’s No. 1 casino czar and one of atheist China’s top American business partners.” China, the ad continued, is a country “that steals our jobs, persecutes Christians, uses forced labor and forces women to have abortions.”

Adelson has further vulnerabilities on China, as revealed in a Hong Kong businessman’s civil claim that he was denied millions of dollars that were promised in exchange for arranging a valuable gaming license. On Saturday a jury awarded the man $43.8 million, providing what could be more fodder for Democratic attacks.

On the stand, Adelson said company President William Weidner had violated his fiduciary duty to the company’s shareholders before retracting the statement later. He also testified he’d called former House Majority Leader Tom Delay to get the Texas Republican to quash a House resolution condemning the choice of Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. (Delay denies it.)

Political analysts say the Democrats’ tough approach is effective only to a point.

Mark Montini, a Republican consultant, said tying a candidate to a donor is good for changing the topic. So if a Democratic candidate is in trouble on some issue, roll out an Adelson ad and change the topic. Or if the candidate has had a good week but the well is beginning to look dry, roll out an Adelson ad. Or, if a candidate is on the ropes, his credibility threatened, pile on with the Adelson ad.

Paul Maslin, a Democratic pollster, said most voters understand campaigns cost money and don’t generally care too much where a candidate gets it. Still, he said, the ads could have had some effect in damping down Republican turnout. A spokeswoman for the Democrats’ campaign committee said this indeed was the strategy and said it worked well. (The Republicans lost both special election races and have lost three this year.)

Jennifer Duffy, an analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said these types of attacks on a candidate’s donor add to the negative noise the besieged candidate must break through to get his message across.

Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said such ads are a waste of time and money: “When they’re not talking about the issues or the candidates running, it’s better for us.”

A Republican pollster, who asked not to be named discussing a big GOP donor, said the ads were likely an illustration of bitterness about Adelson’s big resources and constant presence, much as Republicans were angered by Soros’ bottomless well of money. That blinding anger, the pollster said, has distracted Democrats from directly attacking the candidate or his issues.

Perhaps, but the approach of the Democratic committee suggests a growing level of aggressiveness by targeting not just Republican candidates but their donors as well. And in this political season, the Democrats have the resources to employ the strategy even in races thought to be safely Republican.

For his part, Adelson flexed his resources over the weekend. He flew in a group of injured veterans from Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a Memorial Day weekend on the Strip — a generous gesture bound to burnish his image as the campaign unfolds.

[STARWISE]

Hopefully, Adelson is tough enough to endure the attacks of the deranged libs, which you can bet will be increasing. Soros' gazillions are OK, tho.

~~~~

Wounded Soldiers Get Rock Star Treatment in Vegas

Soldiers wounded in battle are out of the hospital and here in Las Vegas. Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the Venetian Hotel and Casino, flew 40 injured vets from Walter Reed Hospital to his hotel to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend.

Complete with police escort, the red carpet was laid out for wounded soldiers and their families. But these brave faces are not used to fanfare.

"And then to walk through the doors to this welcome, with these people screaming and clapping -- I was just doing my job," said Spc. Matthew Reilly.

Reilly is one of 40 soldiers who was flown from a military hospital to enjoy this Memorial Day at the Venetian.

"If this sets the tone for the next five days, this will truly be an incredible Memorial Day experience," he said.

It is a thank you from Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson.

"They're out there defending our lives and our freedoms, the least we can do is say thank you," he said.

Adelson says he's seen the work and sacrifice of too many soldiers go unnoticed. This time he wanted to make sure a loud and sincere thanks was given to our soldiers.

"I'm going to keep sending the plane back and forth to all the wounded soldiers who have been here and give us an opportunity and our employees an opportunity to say thank you," he said.

For these men and women, the trip to Las Vegas is a welcomed change from the routine of war and recovery.

"They go to therapy, they do their exercises, they may get to go to a basketball game, which is a highlight for them. This is above and beyond and they were treated like rock stars," said Patricia Driscoll with the Armed Forces Foundation.

So for now, the appointments, doctors, and therapy will wait. These soldiers are on vacation and just for a moment, they're letting someone else carry their burden. The group, along with some family members and doctors, are being treated to a five day stay with a celebratory barbecue on Memorial Day.

Adelson says it was hard to pick only 40 soldiers from the hospital, so he wants to continue to fly in more solders until he has had a chance to thank them all.

~~~~

Fantastic honor and some well deserved fun and escape for our awesome troops. God bless him.

[wastedyears]

Unreal

There’s nothing low enough that they won’t stoop to. These people are evil.

[STARWISE]

~~Great American PING!

Sheldon Adelson.

Hopefully, folks going to Las Vegas will patronize his Venetian and its connected sister casino, The Palazzo.

[SandRat]

Sounds like Sheldon needs to have some of the “Old School Vegas Wise-Guys” have a little conversation with the Dem’s.

[STARWISE]

~~Retribution starting, PING!

[STARWISE]

~~PING!

[STARWISE]

Previous thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2021327/posts?

[gidget7]

Well at least Adelson IS AN AMERICAN! Soro’s is not, and his constant meddling in our politics is mean, hateful, bigoted, and corrupt.

[WVNan]

Finally someone on our side with money. Take that Soros.

[12Gauge687]

It’s funny how little attention the drive-by media pay to Soros, who, I think, is originally Hungarian but may now be a naturalized US citizen (who was the bureacrat who let him slip in if he is natrualized?).

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[STARWISE]

http://www.rgtonline.com/Article.cfm?ArticleId=79762&CategoryName=Gaming%20Life

Venetian welcomes wounded soldiers
23 May 2008

The wounded troops didn’t know what awaited them once they stepped on the red carpet outside The Venetian on Thursday.

Inside, hundreds of hotel employees waited. Their cheers and applause filled the column-lined entry hall. Red, white and blue banners hung overhead.

It was just the hero’s welcome that Sheldon Adelson wanted for the 40 wounded warriors who temporarily left behind Walter Reed Army Medical Center or National Naval Medical Center for an all-expenses-paid Memorial Day weekend at Adelson’s resort.

“Can you imagine what these people do for us?” he said. “And no one says, ‘Thank you.’”

The billionaire resort owner conceived the dream weekend after attending the March gala for the Armed Forces Foundation, a charity in Washington, D.C., that provides financial support, counseling and other services to veterans and their families.

Foundation President Patricia Driscoll said she had never seen anything like the reception the hotel gave the troops, and she teared up when they walked in.

“This is over the top,” she said.

The foundation helped organize the trip, which began with a flight from Virginia on Adelson’s custom 747 airliner.

The service members will stay in suites in the Palazzo tower and be treated to meals at any of the resort’s restaurants, to poolside cabanas, show tickets and other perks.

“They have the run of the house,” Adelson said.

Before leaving Washington on Thursday, the troops were given a send-off by members of Congress, including Nevada Republicans Jon Porter and Dean Heller.

“Mr. Adelson and his family at The Venetian are going as far as they can to show the men and women in uniform how much they care, but also it’s part of the hospitality of Las Vegas,” Porter said.

Adelson said he would offer the VIP weekend to every hospitalized wounded service member who wanted it, and he challenged other business owners to do the same.

Driscoll said she would have no problem finding volunteers for the next trip.

“We’ll probably have to beat them off with a stick,” she said.

One of the wounded service members, Army Spec. Matthew Reilly, said he looked forward to the Las Vegas vacation after nearly four months of medical treatment at Walter Reed.

The 30-year-old medic suffered head and spinal injuries in January while serving in Diyala province in Iraq.

Reilly said he was overwhelmed by the reception, which only added to the internal conflict he felt by taking the trip.

“I feel guilty sometimes,” he said. “My brothers are still over there (in Iraq), and I’m in Vegas.”

When he started questioning whether he deserved the hero’s welcome, his wife, Katherine, cut him off.

“Yes,” she said, “he does.”

[popdonnelly]

I’m tired of politicians pretending to be offended at something. Democrats take all the money they can get from wealthy contributors. They have no shame.

[Liberty Valance]

Keep takin’ it to’em Sheldon! You are a great American!

[gunner03]

How can we contact this man to thank him?

[KingofZion]

Thanks for the ping.

Sad that the Dems have now gone beyond the hack attacks on GOP candidates and are now targeting donors.

As for the China critique, Dems are still jealous that Nixon was the one who opened the door.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Tell the rodent punks where they can stick it, Mr. Adelson.

[Liberty Valance]

How can we contact this man to thank him?

Help a Veteran.