Who Owns Your Government Officials?
Who Do You Want to OWN YOUR Government?
Get to Know Barack Obama
Senator Barack Obama:"This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship... and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change......"
and
"...I think the American people should know whose paying for people's politics....I bring the experience of speaking out, even when it's not comfortable...standing up to special interests, speaking truth to power ~ those are the experiences, I bring to bear to the Presidency of the United States of America"
How do you continue to "play" clean while campaigning and with no outside groups "unofficially" funding your campaigning and not get beat by "the game"?
That is Barack Obama's scenario. If voters don't take the time to see what is going on, they can be swayed by these "tried and workable" tactics.
Molly Ivins wrote January 20, 2006:I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone.
........................................................................................
Paid Lobbyists have been successfully influencing our elected officials in Washington, D.C. and it will continue until WE say we won't allow it anymore.
Winning at all costs is business as usual. If it matters "how you play the game" a vote for Obama is a vote for this value.
PJL 's comment spells out what John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are doing to win and in the process mislead voters about Barack Obama.
Obama pitches undecided voters in Iowa
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) -- Barack Obama sealed the deal Saturday with Hal Geren.
Geren entered an Obama campaign event unsure of whom to support in next week's Iowa caucuses. He left as an Obama backer, convinced that the Illinois senator has what it takes to win the election and shake up Washington.
"I think he's a lot tougher than people think," said Geren, a 56-year-old postal service employee. "He's not afraid to stand up." Read more
Online politics with the Chicago Tribune.
Lineups for Sunday December 29, news shows.
What's a 527_group I wondered, since I have been hearing about it in regards to candidates other than Barack Obama.
527: A 527 group is a type of American tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, . A 527 group is created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. Although candidate committees and political action committees are also created under Section 527, the term is generally used to refer to political organizations that are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission or by a state elections commission, and are not subject to the same contribution limits as PACs.
Congress is currently considering new limits on 527s (comment on bill, analysis of bill.)Because 527 organizations do not make expenditures to directly advocate the election or defeat of any candidate for federal elective office they avoid regulation by the Federal Election Commission. The line between issue advocacy and candidate advocacy is the source of heated debate and litigation.
Many 527s are run by interest groups and used to raise money to spend on issue advocacy and voter mobilization outside of the restrictions on PACs.
Examples of 527s include Americans for Dr. Rice, Americans for Honesty on Issues, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Texans for Truth, The Media Fund, America Coming Together, the Moveon.org Voter Fund, the Progress for America Voter Fund, United American TechnologiesNovember Fund. and the
During April of 2004, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) held hearings to determine whether or not 527s should be regulated under campaign finance rules. The Commission ultimately decided that the law did not cover these independent 527 organizations unless they directly advocated the election or defeat of a candidate.
Top Twenty 527 groups, 2004 election cycle
Some of these listings identify a parent organization that has created a 527 group but that also engages in many nonpolitical activities. Democratic/liberal leaning groups are highlighted in blue, Republican/conservative leaning groups are highlighted in pink.
| Rank | Name | 2004 Fundraising | 2004 Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | America Coming Together | $78,652,163 | $76,270,931 |
| 2 | Joint Victory Campaign 2004* | $71,809,666 | $72,347,983 |
| 3 | Media Fund | $59,394,183 | $54,429,053 |
| 4 | Progress For America | $44,929,174 | $35,437,204 |
| 5 | Service Employees International Union | $42,609,668 | $43,979,395 |
| 6 | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees | $24,998,802 | $25,465,222 |
| 7 | Swift Boat Veterans for Truth | $16,818,390 | $22,424,420 |
| 8 | Club for Growth | $13,383,974 | $16,575,435 |
| 9 | MoveOn.org | $12,517,365 | $21,205,288 |
| 10 | New Democratic Network | $12,221,608 | $12,194,451 |
| 11 | Citizens for a Strong Senate | $12,848,730 | $10,143,121 |
| 12 | Sierra Club | $8,727,127 | $6,147,176 |
| 13 | EMILY's List | $7,684,046 | $7,938,328 |
| 14 | Voices for Working Families | $7,466,056 | $6,809,102 |
| 15 | College Republican National Committee | $6,372,843 | $8,207,393 |
| 16 | AFL-CIO | $6,322,226 | $6,380,028 |
| 17 | League of Conservation Voters | $6,049,500 | $4,947,072 |
| 18 | Club for Growth | $4,115,037 | $3,927,530 |
| 19 | Democratic Victory | $3,824,969 | $2,603,654 |
| 20 | Laborer's Union | $3,294,410 | $3,274,785 |
| As of January 11, 2005. | |||
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