GOP Insanitea
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 6th, 2010
Good morning…
Not to go all politico again, but we are getting down to the wire and I just can not stress how important this November election is to the Democrats, not to mention the GOP. Especially the GOP, who are desperate to go back to the good ole days and get their country back.
I posted this as a link in one of my writes a few weeks ago, but how many of you actually clicked on it and read this report? Well…here it is again just in case you didn’t.
REPORT: Conservative Groups Gearing Up To Spend $400 Million On Midterm Election
In the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, corporations and special interest groups now enjoy the ability to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. Now, with less than 10 weeks until November, it’s clear just how far conservative groups are willing to go to try to influence the midterm elections.
According to a new report from ThinkProgress, conservative organizations have committed (or already spent) $400 million to advance their conservative agenda at the ballot box this year. For comparison’s sake, this outside money alone is more than the Democratic campaign committees spent combined when they took back both houses of Congress in the last midterm election. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal notes that special interest groups have already spent three times as much in 2010 than they had in 2006.
Among the outside groups that plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars electing conservatives are some familiar faces and some new ones as well. While the NRA and the Chamber of Commerce have long supported conservative causes, the former plans to double its spending from $10 million in 2006 to $20 million now and the latter will triple its commitment to $75 million this year. Many new groups are also entering the scene in a big way, including Karl Rove’s American Crossroads group with $52 million and Norm Coleman’s American Action Network with $25 million.
Those conservative groups trying to use $400 million in outside spending to tip the midterm election include:
- Chamber of Commerce has pledged to spend $75 million
- American Crossroads has pledged to spend $52 million
- Americans for Prosperity has pledged to spend $45 million
- Republican State Leadership Committee has pledged to spend $40 million
- American Action Network has pledged to spend $25 million
- American Future Fund has pledged to spend up to $25 million
- Club for Growth has pledged to spend at least $24 million
- National Republican Trust PAC has pledged to spend at least $20 million
- An unnamed health insurance industry coalition has pledged to spend $20 million
- National Rifle Association has pledged to spend $20 million
- Faith and Freedom Coalition has pledged to spend $11 million
- FreedomWorks has pledged to spend $10 million
- Americans for Job Security has pledged to spend $10 million
- Susan B. Anthony List has pledged to spend $6 million
- Our Country Deserves Better (Tea Party Express) has already spent $5 million
- Tax Relief Coalition has already spent $4 million
- Republican Majority Campaign has pledged to spend $3 million
- Campaign for Working Families has pledged to spend $2 million
- Heritage Action for America has pledged to spend $1 million
- Financial Services Roundtable has already spent $0.5 million
- Family Research Council has raised $0.5 million
- Citizens United Political Victory Fund has pledged to spend $0.2 million
TOTAL: $399.2 million
Given the number of progressive accomplishments in the 111th Congress, including health care reform, the economic stimulus bill, and Wall Street reform, it’s no wonder that conservative groups are fighting tooth-and-nail to prevent a repeat next term. Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist who has also been involved in many independent-expenditure campaigns, told Politico, “If there is a time for independent groups to step up, this is it. This is the year for independent groups to put up or shut up.” Indeed, with conservative special interest groups putting it all on the line this November, their $400 million pledge may even increase before long.
And now the latest….
After Landmark Supreme Court Case, Citizens United Group Finds Its Niche
Jim Kuhnhenn
The Associated Press
September 28, 2010
In a pair of town houses less than 10 blocks from where the Supreme Court gave his group a place in legal history, David Bossie is making movies and cutting a path for a new art form: the nonpolitical political ad.
Bossie is the president of Citizens United, a conservative group whose anti-Hillary Clinton movie in 2008 led to a landmark ruling this year. The Supreme Court threw out parts of a 63-year-old law prohibiting corporations and unions from paying to air ads for or against political candidates.
The decision has contributed to an explosion in political advertising by outside groups, so far most of them allied with the Republican Party, that have flocked to raise big money from individuals and companies and flooded into some of the most competitive races across the country.
Bossie, however, is sticking with his movies — conservative documentaries that are critical of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress or that champion conservative icons and causes.
Over the next week, Bossie says he plans to spend “a couple hundred thousand dollars” on 30-second ads on national cable television promoting four of his new films, available on DVD. The amount is modest compared to the millions being spent by other outside groups, but the political message in the ads is clear — Obama’s and the Democrats’ policies are wrong and conservatives need to assert themselves.
“Getting people activated, getting motivated is clearly part of our goal,” he said, sitting in his office two floors above Pennsylvania Avenue and next door to his film studio.
“The stakes on Nov. 2 are just unbelievably important,” former Democratic strategist-turned-conservative commentator Dick Morris says in one ad, referring to congressional elections that could determine whether Democrats keep their majority in the House and Senate. Images of Obama appear, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid behind him. “He has no understanding of how to be president,” Morris adds. “Elections have consequences.”
But the ads, according to the Federal Election Commission, do not amount to electioneering.
In June, the FEC concluded that Citizens United was entitled to a “media exemption” extended to news stories or commentary by broadcast, cable or satellite television or radio stations that aren’t owned by a party, political committee or a candidate.
As a result, Citizens United doesn’t have to include a disclaimer that identifies who paid for the ad or assert that it is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee, like other political groups must do.
The ads will promote DVD movies such as “Battle for America,” the one featuring Morris; “America at Risk,” calling for a new commitment to fighting terrorism; “Generation Zero,” about the financial meltdown; and “Fire for the Heartland,” a salute to conservative women.
Bossie, a top Republican congressional investigator who led inquiries into President Bill Clinton’s Whitewater land deal and his fundraising, said he takes his inspiration from director Michael Moore, the provocative left-wing documentary maker who directed “Fahrenheit 911,” which accused President George W. Bush of using the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a pretext to go to war in Iraq.
“A lot more people saw the ads than saw the movie,” he said of “Fahrenheit 911.” “It permeated the culture.”
Still, the Supreme Court decision prompted by his anti-Hillary Clinton movie has done far more to expand the reach of political advertising for other outside groups than it has for Citizens United.
“It was always a custom-designed test case,” said Trevor Potter, a campaign finance lawyer who worked on John McCain’s Republican presidential campaign and is a critic of the ruling. “The beneficiaries were always going to be other players.”
Obama, who took the unusual step of denouncing the court’s decision during this year’s State of the Union address, has made the case a staple of his current stump speech and has criticized it twice during his Saturday morning radio and Internet addresses.
“I want you to understand right now all over this country special interests are planning and running millions of dollars of attack ads against Democratic candidates,” Obama said at a Democratic fundraiser in New York on Wednesday. “Because of last year’s Supreme Court decision inCitizens United, they are now allowed to spend as much as they want, unlimited amounts of money, and they don’t have to reveal who is paying for these ads.”
Obama’s chief political adviser, David Axelrod, continued that line of criticism Sunday, complaining that Republicans had blocked legislation to require groups that air political ads to reveal their donors.
“You know, there’s an old saying that if you want to keep things secret, you have something to hide,” Axelrod said on ABC television.
Bossie takes delight in the attention.
“You can see by the actions of the White House and the Congress, this Citizens United ruling has gotten under the skin of the liberal establishment, the leadership of the House and Senate and the White House,” he said. “They are completely emotional.”
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I’ll end with a little political humor...
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Robert, Mindy: I am delighted that both of you are going. As I mentioned, I would love to hear your comments on the documentary.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 6th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Hi Misch, read it the first time, glad you reposted though…voting is coming up fast…
Nora, I was speechless last night when I read your comment originally.
Now – well, I guess I asked for it, rather than being satisfied with ‘yes’ to the alive q I had to go and push it and ask about the ‘…and well’ part, this news about Anonz’s condition saddens me, 73% body burns is tough to recover from, and while I’m guessing he knew there might be physiacl consequences going in, I’m sure this was not part of his plan for any of his men or himself. As fas all the rest of your information and its content, well, I’m still speechless, too much death for me to absorb without feeling fatalistic myself, I’ll think about it as the day goes on, slowly…
As always, I wish him the very best : ) I hope he lives long enough to have that…the very best of whatever it is a man like him seeks. Thank you for the update (I think).
Luv, Zen Lill
October 6th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Estate Planning Time Bombs
Martin M. Shenkman, Esq., CPA
When reviewing your estate plan, watch out for common traps that can ruin your legacy…
Trap: Lost or obsolete beneficiary designations. Among your most critical estate-planning documents are the beneficiary designations you have filed for employer-provided retirement plans, IRAs, life insurance policies and investment accounts.
And yet these are also among the most likely of your documents to be lost or out-of-date. Examples…
IRA beneficiary designations filed years ago with banks and brokerages that have since gone through mergers and reorganizations often are simply lost.
In that case, when you die, your IRA will be distributed according to state law by a “default” method that’s probably contrary to your intent. It may even result in a big tax bill that could have been avoided.
Any beneficiary designation you made years ago could now be obsolete due to changes in your family circumstances — such as divorce, remarriage, death of a family member, birth of a child or simply a change in the financial needs of family members.
Obsolete beneficiary designations could send funds to the wrong person — even to a former spouse or a family member from whom you now are alienated.
What to do: Check all of your beneficiary designations, and update them where appropriate.
Do this once a year. Keep copies of them with your will and other estate-planning documents.
Trap: Inadequate life insurance. You need enough insurance to cover your family’s financial obligations after your death.
What to do: Update your coverage when your family’s needs change.
Examples: To cover future mortgage payments after buying a property… for children’s schooling.
If you own a private business, you may have extra insurance needs — such as to help the business survive until it can be sold.
If you have a buyout agreement with your partners, insurance can be used to fund the purchase of company stock.
Opportunity: Life insurance costs have fallen in recent years — so while improving your coverage, you may actually reduce your premiums.
Trap: An old will and planning documents. If your estate-planning documents are three years old or older, they probably contain costly mistakes.
Beware: The federal estate tax law has been changing year by year. Many states are changing their own estate tax laws as the federal law changes. Nontax laws affecting inheritances frequently change.
What to do: Review your estate-planning documents with an expert at least every third year — or sooner if your situation changes.
Trap: Long-term-care exposure. Most people greatly underestimate the risk that they will need long-term nursing care.
They especially underestimate it during their working years, while they are still relatively young, when need for care may result from a disabling injury or illness.
Danger: Nursing care can cost $10,000 a month or more and wipe out a family’s lifetime savings, leaving nothing for heirs.
Safety: If you’re still working, ask your employer whether long-term-care insurance is available as a benefit and whether you can maintain the coverage after you leave the company.
If coverage isn’t available through an employer — and to cover exposure during retirement years — consider buying your own long-term-care policy.
Trap: Disability exposure. During your working years, you are more likely to become disabled than to die — yet far more people lack disability insurance than life insurance.
Safety: Check to see if disability insurance protection is provided by your employer. If not, or if it’s inadequate, consider buying a policy.
Trap: Lawsuit exposure. A lawsuit brought against one family member could reach the entire family’s assets. Risks and what to do about them…
When one spouse owns a business or is in a profession that could generate business or malpractice liability, a plaintiff’s claim for damages could reach personally owned assets.
Safety: Organize a business as a corporation or limited liability company to limit personal liability for claims against it… buy business liability and malpractice insurance… have the spouse with less risk for a lawsuit own personal assets. You will need professional help to set all this up.
If you have a home office, injuries to a business visitor may not be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy.
Safety: Buy an insurance rider protecting the office.
Lawsuit claims are becoming so large today that even common claims from auto and slip-and-fall accidents may exceed standard auto and homeowner’s insurance coverage limits.
Safety: Buy at least $1 million of additional “umbrella” liability insurance (also called personal excess liability) against auto and homeowner claims. It may cost only a few hundred dollars a year. If your estate is worth more, increase the coverage.
Bottom Line/Wealth interviewed Martin M. Shenkman, Esq., CPA, a New York City attorney who specializes in trusts and estates, http://www.LawEasy.com. He is author of 34 books, including The Complete Book of Trusts (Wiley).
October 6th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
I couldn’t get this in yesterday. If you don’t like it Michelle, could you just tell me in your intro. My daughters keep telling me to put my jokes in your blog.
They think that I am not trying. I try but I keep getting a note that says You said that.
Here is my joke again.
Ken and his wife Edna went to the state fair every year,
And every year Ken would say,
‘Edna, I’d like to ride in that helicopter’
Edna always replied,
‘I know Ken, but that helicopter ride is fifty bucks,
And fifty bucks is fifty bucks’
One year Ken and Edna went to the fair,
and Ken said,
‘Edna, I’m 75 years old.
If I don’t ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance’
To this, Edna replied,
“Ken that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks’
The pilot overheard the couple and said,
‘Folks I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and don’t
say a word I won’t charge you a penny!
But if you say one word it’s fifty dollars.’
Ken and Edna agreed and up they went.
The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard.
He did his daredevil tricks over and over again,
But still not a word…
When they landed, the pilot turned to Ken and said,
‘By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn’t.
I’m impressed!’
Ken replied,
‘Well, to tell you the truth,
I almost said something when Edna fell out,
But you know,
“Fifty bucks is fifty bucks!’
=========================
Jackie, my wife loved it. But if you don’t, let me know so I can pick another one.
Clark
October 7th, 2010 at 5:48 am
Michelle
Why are you lecturing us about political awareness when you are aware of the fact that the republicans are the most crooked organization in America. They are prepared to use any method to take political control of the United States of America.
You have to get Madaline to assist us. If we do out part at the polls and the republicans have their way we will lose anyway.
Jennifer
October 7th, 2010 at 7:20 am
They didn’t win last time…