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Harold Simmons Dies at 82; Backed Swift Boat Ads
New York Times ^ | 12-29-13 | Emma G. Fitzsimmons

Posted on 12/30/2013 3:05:15 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

Harold Simmons, a billionaire who helped finance the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attack ads against Senator John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election and donated substantially to other conservative causes, died on Saturday in Dallas. He was 82.

His death was confirmed by Greg Abbott, the Texas attorney general, in a statement.

Mr. Simmons, who started out in business with a single drugstore in Dallas, became a buyout investor and made his fortune by buying stakes in major companies. This year, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $10 billion.

He was one of the largest donors in the 2012 presidential election, giving more than $26.9 million to “super PACs” opposing President Obama, whom he called “the most dangerous American alive” in an interview with The Wall Street Journal because, he said, the president wanted to “eliminate free enterprise in this country.”

In 2004, Mr. Simmons donated $2 million to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose advertisements against Mr. Kerry, the Democratic candidate for president, included one impugning his military service as a Swift boat captain during the Vietnam War. The allegations were later discredited. Mr. Simmons gave heavily to other groups through the Dallas-based Harold Simmons Foundation, which is run by two of his daughters, Lisa Simmons and Serena Simmons Connelly.

Harold Clark Simmons was born in Golden, Tex., on May 13, 1931. His parents were teachers in the rural East Texas town. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and built a chain of 100 drugstores across the state.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: johnkerry; karlrove; money; swiftboat

1 posted on 12/30/2013 3:05:16 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

The allegations were later discredited. <<<

WRONG!!!!!!!!!

Where’s that DD214 John???


2 posted on 12/30/2013 3:10:11 AM PST by M-cubed
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To: afraidfortherepublic
The allegations were later discredited

....what allegations?

3 posted on 12/30/2013 3:12:12 AM PST by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: afraidfortherepublic
"In 2004, Mr. Simmons donated $2 million to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth"..."The allegations were later discredited."

You need to re-post this during regular hours, maybe around 10am ET or so.

Funny how they say the allegations were discredited. It is a known fact that Kerry collaborated with communists, here and abroad, during the US communist-led, so-called 'anti-war' movement. I say so-called because the organizers, like today, were communist organizations, such as Communist Party USA, who had supported mass murderer Joseph Stalin. US communists aren't pacifists. They've never met a bloody communist uprising or revolution that they didn't welcome and support. Their heroes are people like Mao Zedong, 'Che', and Fidel Castro. Hard to be a pacifist when you idolize monsters like these. They weren't really anti-war, just anti-US, anti-Capitalist, and pro-Communist.

4 posted on 12/30/2013 3:31:18 AM PST by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

> “...advertisements against Mr. Kerry, the Democratic candidate for president, included one impugning his military service as a Swift boat captain during the Vietnam War. The allegations were later discredited.”

Ahem...this IS the NY Times. Need look no further.

God bless the soul of Mr. Simmons who died a patriot.


5 posted on 12/30/2013 3:36:05 AM PST by Hostage (ARTICLE V)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
"The allegations were later discredited."

By whom ? So factual accounts by eyewitnesses are now "allegations" and are declared "discredited" by an obit writer for a far-left, anti-American propaganda sheet ? More cognitive dissonance again.

6 posted on 12/30/2013 3:50:55 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

By whom? Why, by the New York Times, whom else?


7 posted on 12/30/2013 3:57:58 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Doing the same thing and expecting different results is called software engineering.)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
Yes, the same lovely folks who dispatched armies of dumpster divers to Sarah Palin's home in Alaska, but whom couldn't be bothered with looking at anything into Zero's background. Talk about a discredited publication...
8 posted on 12/30/2013 4:01:17 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

May he rest in Peace, a great man who kept a traitor out of the WH, too bad he could not save us from a Muslim.


9 posted on 12/30/2013 4:29:16 AM PST by Venturer (Half Staff the Flag of the US for Terrorists.)
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To: Venturer

Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying!!!!!!!!!!

...and on another note.

“The allegations were later discredited. Mr. Simmons gave heavily to other groups through the Dallas-based Harold Simmons Foundation, which is run by two of his daughters, Lisa Simmons and Serena Simmons Connelly.”

If they are anything like their father, remember those names.

...and speaking of allegations, there is no way in you know what, that there was anything that could be called a discrediting. Truth is eternal and sooner or later Mr Kerry will have to face the truth.


10 posted on 12/30/2013 5:18:10 AM PST by wita
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To: afraidfortherepublic; RaceBannon; stowaway; Mrs.LoneGOPinCT; underbyte; badbackman; Bigfitz; ...

allegations later disputed????


11 posted on 12/30/2013 5:22:52 AM PST by RaceBannon (Lk 16:31 And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will theybe persuaded)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
He was one of the largest donors in the 2012 presidential election, giving more than $26.9 million to “super PACs” opposing President Obama, whom he called “the most dangerous American alive”

Too bad he gave it to Karl Rove. He would have been better off burning the cash in his fireplace. At least he could have kept warm.

12 posted on 12/30/2013 5:40:11 AM PST by montag813 (NO AMNESTY * ENFORCE THE LAW * http://StandWithArizona.com)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Kerry, in his own words, admitted to removing an asset from combat to position unknown. IMHO that alone was enough to get him booted from the Navy.


13 posted on 12/30/2013 5:57:41 AM PST by onedoug
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To: RaceBannon

Sign the DD-180.


14 posted on 12/30/2013 11:33:42 AM PST by Little Bill (A)
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To: Little Bill

SF-180 :)


15 posted on 12/30/2013 1:52:57 PM PST by RaceBannon (Lk 16:31 And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will theybe persuaded)
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To: RaceBannon
RE: "allegations later disputed????"

Yeah. The slime balls at it once again.
16 posted on 12/30/2013 2:49:37 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (Galt level is not far away......)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; Lonesome in Massachussets
the same lovely folks who dispatched armies of dumpster divers to Sarah Palin's home in Alaska, but whom couldn't be bothered with looking at anything into Zero's background. Talk about a discredited publication...

And, who are now claiming Benghazi was all because of that video, after all. A discredited publication, indeed.

17 posted on 12/30/2013 3:00:04 PM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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