[AmericanInTokyo]

Entitled "PR MEMO ON U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN" ("Amerika daitoryo senkyo no PR memo"), the solicitation and link to the Howard Dean campaign site for volunteers and contributors is done by a Japanese national "Nobu", who has a web account sponsored by the prestious KEIO UNIVERSIY in Tokyo, Japan.

"Nobu" says that there are many explanations for the surge of US Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean and some attributable to his effective online campaign.

He states that "in contrast to Japan, there is no limit to the amount of funds you can raise over there in America for presidential election." And then, "It's all about (three yen signs) money, money, money (three more yen signs) in the USA."

He then moves into explaining how things work:

"Here is the site for (candidate) Howard Dean (links it): http://dean2004meetup.com ", and then goes on to add:

"This site is easy to access. It is easy to participate in. It is easy to leave your opinions, too" ("accessu wa shiyasuku, kanyo ga shiyasuku, ikken mo iiyasuku")

"For those that wish to make contributions, these can even be done in small denominations, and can very easily been done with just one mouseclick." And, "Well, we have examples of this in Japan, but the running costs are high."

There are several other comments made about the Dean website. Essentially it is an effort to inform people about such a political website in the USA, help them locate it through URLs, and finally, the interested party in Japan ends up with a link to the contribution page for Howard Dean. There is no clear disclaimer about foreign contributions being illegal.

Granted, this effort, upon analysis, does not seem as explicit nor in skirting Federal Law as do the current websites in Japan (in Japanese) soliciting campaign funds overseas for Dennis Kucinich in an elaborate money laundering operation using the sales of his books as a front, it does tend to call strongly into question the activities of certain Presidential Campaigns and their legal status in doing this or allowing it to be done.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Obligatory "Dennis Kucinich-san" bump, too!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Good catch my friend!

[AmericanInTokyo]

A Freeper might want to archive those Japanese websites quickly, before the 'embarrassed ones' begin to take them down or alter content.

[eureka!]

Nice find. With Canadians for Clark, MoveOn's international appeal for $$ etc., I am seeing that the left in America is running low on domestic money sources and, as is their wont, will do whatever it takes to try to regain and have power. Hopefully, Rove's presumed object of destroying the Rat party will nonetheless be achieved....

[cpst12]

>>This also follows Matt Drudge's recent expose on some Democrat candidates engaged in this questionable practice

"Questionable"...but is it illegal? Would contributions need to be returned?

[Prime Choice]

Kinda gratifying to watch the Left self-destruct, isn't it?

[Eva]

Thank you for being so alert. The question is to whom do we direct the complaint?

[CounterCounterCulture]

Excellent work AIT. You are quite valuable to FR.

[eureka!]

Drudge may like this thread. I tried to e-mail but couldn't from work...

[brewcrew]

I ran the text of this website through a Japanese-English translator, and this is what I got. The paragraph tags are mine, for ease of reading:

Although the former Vermont governor Howard Dean of the candidate the Democratic Party (54 years old) is attaching vigor quickly in the campaign of the U.S. President election PR memorandum 2003, many interpretive articles called skillful on-line campaign have come out of the secret. first of all, it is greater to raise many money (confidence will have been obtained) -- the state where there is almost nothing in restriction etc. in considerably different climates from Japan which says unlike Japan -- U.S. political campaign -- "\\\money\\\" --it is fighting by one of them At the beginning, the technique exists without number in sale of the character goods in WEB etc.

Incidentally, a political donation will achieve the surprising success of average $802,083 (it is about 96 million yen by 120 yen calculation) Japanese [ 1 ] by June 30 of Howard Dean, and information disclosure is carried out to having accumulated a total of 7 million dollars (940 millions) in April to June. (Or [ becoming what thing if money is accumulated like this in Japan ] (bitter smile))

Site http: of Howard Dean//dean2004.meetup.com/

It is easy to access, is easy to carry out participation, and is easy to say an opinion (supporter is also an example at BUROGU). A small sum comes out [ even a click ] and is also simply possible for a thing to donate money (the running cost was higher although the example also had this also in Japan). A legal portion is also kneaded. (If BUROGA and others of support starts a problem, it will become what!)

Because ‚for which the risk hedge of PR special company is surely needed, and those who are concerned are increased. If I hear that PR company observed and attacked in view of the possibility as the new technique of a network style to use of BUROGU, as for PR company which has contracted with other candidates, it is interesting whether they are.

Reference Report http: //story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20030808/ts_usatoday/11534182 Mr. Kato's mail

[GOP_1900AD]

When will the USA truly start to defend itself? How far will we let ourselves be pushed? I have long suspected Communist, Islamist and other America hating nations and foreign groups slyly manipulating our electoral process. It is war by unusual means, and it is cause for massive retaliation once the perps are IDd (assuming our protective institutions have the gonads to do the investigation...).

[yonif]

There are a lot of Japanese journalists covering the Democratic Debates, I've seen many of them.

[Eaker]

Ping to read later because your post are exceptional!!

(and I am going home)

[Eva]

Well, I e-mailed the thread to WSJ, Best of the Web. They will know what to do with it, if anything.

[Deathmonger]

Who cares? Wake me up if you find out if a *government* or large foreign corporation is dropping somoe big coin into somebody's campaign. Sure, any contributions will probably have to be returned. But some non-Dean-affiliated schmoe putting up a grass-roots website soliciting small individual contributions for a foreign election is of no consequence compared to, say the Chinese govt funding Clinton.

[Dave S]

The donations are probably not illegal. There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about overseas donations the other day. As long as the donations are made to organizations that are not the Dean campaign and are being used to support Democracy (yada yada) they are legal. Serphent head Carville and Move-On is behind this. While it flies in the face of campaign finance reform, it is legal.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Very interesting find on your part. It's unfortunate that it will probably never see daylight in mainstream media.

Well....mebbe we could do something about that.

[Southack]

Nice work (again)!

However, what is your comfort level regarding being able to say that our Japanese allies are refraining from doing this for Bush at the present time? Have you performed enough due diligence that we won't be caught with our pants down if we start raising Caine on this topic against Dean?

I say this not to offend, just to cover our bases.

[Az Joe]

Good job, I sent a notice to the FEC with the relevant facts. I encourage all to do the same.

aford@fec.gov

[Tacis]

What if all the Al-Qaeda members in Japan signed up to volunteer for Dean? He has to be their candidate of choice and certainly would appreciate their help. Japanese communists? Members of the Japaense Society for the Consumption of Whales and Baby Fur Seals? Communist Party of Japan. Gee, if we could only find the key folks in Japan who, if found to have volunteered to help Dean, might cause him all sorts of embarassment when discovered. But then, that's the sort of thing McAuliffe might do.