John Kerry, the DNC and the 527 Connections

The Citizen Journal ^ | 09/27/04 | Robin Mullins Boys

[Chickenhawk Warmonger]

Media Pushes Fictions over Facts By Robin Boyd Posted On September 27, 2004 @ 09:58 PM EST [Post Comment] The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were the focus for crucial weeks of the 2004 Presidential Campaign. Day after day, Democrats decried the use of “partisan money” to fund the Swifties’ ads, calling on President Bush to denounce the partisan attack against John Kerry. John Edwards called on the President to stop hiding behind what he called a “front group.”

The media’s search for Bush/Cheney connections to the Swift Boat vets was also relentless, and it is a study in media bias; so focused were they on uncovering anything that could possibly damage the Bush re-election effort that they completely overlooked some obvious, striking facts. One might not have guessed, though, that John Kerry and the Democratic Party have benefited from numerous connections to 527’s having assets that dwarf the $100,000 contributed to the Swift Boat Vets by Bob Perry.

In documents found on four websites (JohnKerry.com, the Center for Public Integrity, the Center for Responsive Politics and Project Vote-Smart), the connections are obvious and ripe for the picking. As of September 12th of this year, all of the top 25 individual contributors to 527’s contributed exclusively to Democrat/liberal organizations. The total amount contributed by this group is over $57 million; Peter B. Lewis has donated over $14 million while George Soros has forked over close to $13 million. 527 contributors have extraordinary ties with John Kerry and the DNC. Of note:

• Frank Brunckhorst: Top individual contributor to 527’s; Joint Victory Campaign donor; America Coming Together donor; Sierra Club donor; DNC Finance Patriot; DNC Credentials Committee member. (Total contributions to 527’s: $750,000.)

• Susie Buell: Top individual contributor to 527’s; Joint Victory Campaign donor; Emily’s List donor; DNC Finance Patriot; Kerry campaign fundraiser; Businessmen for Kerry endorser; DNC Rules Committee member. (Total contributions to 527’s: $1,020,000.)

• Joe Carmichael: Missouri DNC Member; Co-chair, Grassroots Democrats.

• Miguel Contreras: DNC Credentials Committee; Board Member, Progress for America.

• Lewis Cullman: Top individual contributor to 527’s; ACT Donor. Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values donor; MoveOn.org donor; DNC Finance Patriot; Businessmen for Kerry endorser. (Total contributions to 527's: $1,650,000.)

• Linda Chavez-Thompson: Vice–Chair, Democratic National Committee; Treasurer, Voices for Working Families.

• Antonio Villaraigosa: Super Delegate for John Kerry; National Co-chair, Kerry/Edwards Latino Steering Committee; DNC Platform Co-Chair; America Coming Together Board Member.

• Gov. Bill Richardson: DNC Credentials Committee, permanent Chairman; Democratic Governors Association Vice-chair; Voices for Working Families Vice-President.

• Leon Lynch: Super Delegate for Kerry; DNC Rules Committee member; United Steelworkers of America International Vice-President; Board Member, Voices for Working Families;

• William Lynch: Super Delegate for Kerry; DNC Member; Board Member, Voices for Working Families Board Member; Director, Grassroots Democrats.

• Minyon Moore: Kerry African-American Steering Committee; Kerry/Edwards Advisor & Strategist; America Coming Together Strategist.

• Morton Bahr: Kerry Super-delegate; Co-Chair, Grassroots Democrats; Member, Voices for Working Families Board.

• Lt. Governor Diane Denish: New Mexico Steering Committee for John Kerry; Kerry campaign fundraiser; Board Member, Grassroots Democrats.

• Donald Fowler: Super-delegate for Kerry; Member of the DNC; Board Member, Grassroots Democrats.

• Harold Ickes: DNC Executive Committee; America Coming Together Chief of Staff; President, Media Fund; Emily’s List Past Trainer.

• Edward McElroy: Super-delegate for Kerry; DNC Member; Treasurer, American Federation of Teachers; Member, Voices for Working Families.

• Mark Weiner: Kerry Super-delegate; Kerry Campaign fundraiser; DNC Finance Patriot; Director, Grassroots Democrats.

Also on the list are Mary Beth Cahill, Marla Romash, Michael Meehan, Steve Elmendorf and Bill Robinson (all members of the Kerry-Edwards campaign). And working for the Kerry camp is not all they have in common. Each one has served as a past trainer with Emily’s List.

Individuals are not the only ones with a common thread linking them to the Kerry camp, the DNC and 527’s. Many organizations are intertwined in the web of funding and endorsements. Each one of the top 20 organizational contributors to 527 organizations gave exclusively to liberal/Democrat groups. 8 of the 20 organizations have directly endorsed the Kerry/Edwards ticket. As of September 12th, the top 20 organizations had contributed a total of $148 million to 527’s. The number one organizational contributor, the Joint Victory Campaign, has given $35 million to 527’s. Number 20 of the top 20 list, the Sheet Metal Workers Union, has contributed $1.3 million.

What happened? Where’s this story?

The media used all of their power to discredit the Swift Boat Vets and insinuate connections with President Bush. Meanwhile, the facts about Kerry, the DNC and 527’s have been swept under the rug, and in the rush to land the “big story,” the media all but ignored the real one, which awaited them with open arms. But for a media that is pulling for John Kerry, I guess forgeries and half-truths are much more interesting than facts.

Robin Boyd can be reached at rboyd@robinboyd.us.

[wrbones]

Well, that's a start. I have more if anyone else is interested.

[KOZ.]

i'm interested.
what else do you have?

[GOP_1900AD]

Of note:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227932/posts