When not even the New York Times is buying your conspiratorial bullshit anymore, it’s probably time to pack up your stuff, rein in your unwieldy wife, and retire to your cushy pension and your Bulls season tickets:
Ever since he raised the issue in his State of the Union speech nearly nine months ago — prompting head-shaking by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. of the Supreme Court — President Obama has been warning about the danger of foreign money creeping into elections as a result of the court’s landmark campaign finance ruling.
In two campaign stops Thursday, Mr. Obama invoked what he portrayed as a specific new example, citing a blog posting from a liberal advocacy group as he teed off on a longtime adversary, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, over its political spending.
“Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations,” Mr. Obama said. “So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections.”
But a closer examination shows that there is little evidence that what the chamber does in collecting overseas dues is improper or even unusual, according to both liberal and conservative election-law lawyers and campaign finance documents.
In fact, the controversy over the Chamber of Commerce financing may say more about the Washington spin cycle — where an Internet blog posting can be quickly picked up by like-minded groups and become political fodder for the president himself — than it does about the vagaries of campaign finance.
Organizations from both ends of the political spectrum, from liberal ones like the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the Sierra Club to conservative groups like the National Rifle Association, have international affiliations and get money from foreign entities while at the same time pushing political causes in the United States.
In addition, more than 160 political action committees active in campaigning have been set up by corporations that are based overseas, including military contractors like B.A.E. Systems and pharmaceutical giants like GlaxoSmithKline, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research service.
Such groups, which collectively have spent hundreds of millions dollars on political causes to advance their agenda, are required by law to ensure that any foreign money they receive is isolated and not used to finance political activities, which would violate a longstanding federal ban. The Chamber of Commerce says it has a vigorous process for ensuring that does not happen, and no evidence has emerged to suggest that is untrue.
Richard L. Hasen, an election-law specialist at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said there were legitimate questions about whether foreign money could be making its way into campaigns, particularly because many groups are not required to disclose their donors. But he added, “I’ve seen no proof of the chamber funneling a penny of foreign money into U.S. elections.”
Of course, we have, in recent memory, had reason to ask some of those “legitimate questions about whether foreign money could be making its way into campaigns.”
So, you know, thanks for the reminder.
As Michael Barone quips, “Hope and change!”
Barcky is brazen in his asshattery. As though he gives one flying fuck about legal funding of campaigns. That he can say something like that without his head assploding is a testament to how deeply dishonest he is.
Unemployment shows no sign of abating and Obama is attacking the Chamber of Commerce? Yeah, that’s the way to create jobs.
Good thing that other clause about “without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion” isn’t in the Presidential Oath, ain’t it?
– Hey, if it wasn’t for lobbying and illegal campaign money flowing into Washington, nothing would ever get done.
So now Obama’s going to tell State and Justice to tell Mexico to take a flying leap regarding their “petitioning” the 9th Court re: Holder v. Brewer, right?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43199.html
Ah, see, and I thought the reminder was about Gore and the Chinese. I’d forgotten all about that more recent bit of history.
I find it somewhat odd that Captain Wonderful and the Left are concerned about foreign money influencing elections when they do everything possible to thwart measures to ensure that foreign nationals don’t vote in American elections.
When Obama cheerleader Bob Scheiffer asks David Axelturf, “Is that the best you can do?”, you know the Dems are in deep trouble.
Just wondering, is all that money from George Soros foreign money or domestic money?
What the hell is going on in this country? The President of the United States is attacking the US Chamber of Commerce? I think this should be the real story.
bumblefuck’s propaganda whores at NPR produced not one but two stories last thursday to buttress his message
– Soros is listed as a British citizen, so using the Progs “one world” meme, that makes his donations to all things Left domestic.
– The COC is conservative and represents business, so it must be eeeeeevil.
– Always a hoot when the Left whines about getting out-maneuvered in its own tactics.
Dear President Bumblefuck,
You are an idiot.
Sincerely,
Everyone
Hey! That is mean. Probably prejudicial.
Yeah JD. Stop paying the man compliments; his ego’s already too damn big.
When was the last time that a sitting President attacked the US Chamber of Commerce with a dishonest smear?
Even if President Dipstick has temporarily backed off the claim for now, expect it to come up again the next time the left wants to limit political speech.
For some reason I’m thinking Bill Clinton did it at least once. After they came out against HillaryCare.
The fact that their
marching orderscues come from ThinkProgress should raise a number of red flags. Can you imagine Bush working the best Freeper conspiracy threads into his speeches?President Obama has his talking points. However, the conversation with the American public seems to be going like this:
Talking point 1: The economy is a mess because of those eeeevil Republicans and GW Bush.
American Electorate: Umm, you’ve been in office almost 2 years, Mr. President. What about government spending?
Talking point 2: Republicans have been nothing but obstructionists toward my plans.
American Electorate: Democrats control Congress. What about government spending?
Talking point 3: That darn Boehner is just a shill for big business and special interests.
American Electorate: John Who? What about government spending?
Talking point 3: The US Chamber of Commerce is taking money from special interests.
American Electorate: US Chamber of who? What about government spending?
in today’s rino news:
Unreal. Allen West’s primary opponent endorses democrat Ron Klein
The GOP has a bad case of RINO-virus. It’s long past time to find a cure.
Who knows? It’s filthy lucre any way you look at it.
“When was the last time that a sitting President attacked the US Chamber of Commerce with a dishonest smear?”
Dunno JD,
When was the last time that a sitting President attacked The U.S. Supreme Court….. at a state of the Union speech?
Seems that Obama is setting all kinds of precedents. Hopefully, inspiring the biggest election day losses evah will be next.
A little drill down from Newrouter’s link:
http://cubachi.com/2010/04/07/col-allen-west-tells-the-truth-about-islam/ (right up sdferr’s alley btw)
Col West for Prez.
SHUTUP!
Oh, but not you
Or you,
Or you,
Or you,
Or you,
Or you,
Or especially you, you little secret Shhhhhhh…….
Their “special interests” are pure and good, geoffb.
Well they always seem to ride the bus for free.
And here I thought that the United States Chamber Of Commerce was just a bunch of dumpy white guys sitting around trying to think of ways to make North Dakota interesting.
Who knew?
the Los Angeles Times is trying to keep the dirty socialist Center for American Progress’s name off its propaganda fail…
so you just have to know that “liberal-leaning” in this particular context means “a bunch of Soros-fellating propaganda whores fucked up”
i will call all my fellow nazi guards- – on my trail of tears to the wash-hey Soros/ ur looking spiffy/ did u pay for that outfit?
duty calls! duty calls!
where can i get a more absorbent towel for my shower?