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Udall accepted money from firms associated with Abramoff
Rocky Mountain News ^ | April 16, 2008 | Lynn Bartels

Posted on 04/16/2008 9:06:08 PM PDT by george76

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall took $1,500 in contributions from two firms that once employed disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Udall's campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said the donations from the companies' political-action committees to the Eldorado Springs Democrat's congressional campaigns were legal.

But, she said, Udall plans to donate the $1,500 to an organization in the Marianas Islands that assists victims of human trafficking.

Abramoff and the islands have become an issue in Udall's Senate race against former Congressman Bob Schaffer...

Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, ripped Udall on Wednesday, questioning why he waited to return donations he received in 2000 and 2002.

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: abramoff; democratparty; democrats; election; elections; jackabramoff; markudall; udall

1 posted on 04/16/2008 9:06:10 PM PDT by george76
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To: george76

McCain appears strong enough in Colorado that he may bring this seat home for the GOP. Latest Rasmussen have him up big there over both Obama and Hillary.


2 posted on 04/16/2008 9:08:39 PM PDT by MovementConservative (John Roberts and Sam Alito.... Thank you GWB)
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To: george76
Udall's campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said the donations from the companies' political-action committees to the Eldorado Springs Democrat's congressional campaigns were legal.

But, she said, Udall plans to donate the $1,500 to an organization in the Marianas Islands that assists victims of human trafficking.

Here's why it helps to read some things twice: I could have swore I thought that second sentence read "...an organization in the Marianas Islands that assists people in human trafficking."

Side note here: where is Eldorado Springs? I know a lot of towns in CO, but not that one...

3 posted on 04/16/2008 9:23:58 PM PDT by GOP_Raider (Let's Get Cup Crazy! Let's Go Sharks!)
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To: GOP_Raider

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Eldorado+Springs,+CO,+USA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title


4 posted on 04/16/2008 9:28:56 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Okay, thanks.


5 posted on 04/16/2008 9:34:43 PM PDT by GOP_Raider (Let's Get Cup Crazy! Let's Go Sharks!)
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To: george76

Standard New Mexican Democrat. Nothing new here and no one will take notice even after it is a topic on Villinuchi.


6 posted on 04/16/2008 9:37:50 PM PDT by CougarGA7 (Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.)
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To: CougarGA7

That’s the cousin, this is Colorado Udall.


7 posted on 04/16/2008 9:40:36 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: MovementConservative; colorado tanker; MtnClimber
McCain would defeat Hillary in Colorado 52-40 and beat Obama 51-39.

It's one mere poll in April, but

8 posted on 04/16/2008 9:42:29 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

I didn’t bother to read which one. Didn’t care. They all look alike.


9 posted on 04/16/2008 9:47:34 PM PDT by CougarGA7 (Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; familyop
Democrat Bill 'Slick Willie' Ritter is not having a good week.

Nor the mayor of Denver and fellow Democrat, John Hickenlooper...

Apparently the Denver Police Department gave the aforementioned Mr. Anthony preferred treatment - going so far as to take good care of his Mercedes, which cost in excess of one hundred thousand dollars, and checking him into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Denver.

10 posted on 04/16/2008 9:50:38 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

Too bad Denver is so rodent, but hopefully you guys will be able to run Auggie Ritter out on a rail. Boy did that Owens leave a damnable mess behind. Worthless RINO.


11 posted on 04/16/2008 10:06:55 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: george76; fieldmarshaldj
The prospects for the Congress races are depressing. However, I am still going to donate. I feel charitable to Bob Schaffer and Norm Coleman.
12 posted on 04/16/2008 10:08:35 PM PDT by Kuksool
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To: george76

Schaffer’s likely a good one, IMO. And as we know, we are paying for not having already elected him to the US Senate.


13 posted on 04/16/2008 10:41:44 PM PDT by familyop (Noachide follower)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Owens? I had no idea. I remember reading a puff piece about him in the National Review or something.


14 posted on 04/17/2008 3:03:33 AM PDT by Impy (The democrat party, "Ridin' Dirty" since puberty.)
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To: george76

Shaffer also had some type of contact with Abramoff and took a congressional trip to the Mariannas Islands to investigate violations of work standards. I am not sure what the contact was, but Abramoff seemed to have contact with both Democrats and Republicans before he became radioactive.

I have been donating to Shaffer’s campaign as I also did in Allard’s campaign. Udall would be a disaster in the Senate.

At least both candidates had contact with Abramoff, but with Udall getting campaign contributions I think it is more damaging. I was afraid that even having contact with Abramoff would harm Shaffer.

This is going to be a very expensive Senate race! I hope that the DNC convention turmoil I expect will harm the rodents in this election cycle.


15 posted on 04/17/2008 7:57:10 AM PDT by MtnClimber (Obama: baby is punishment; tax increase is bundle of joy)
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To: MtnClimber

Abramoff money likely ended up everywhere.

Udall tried to pretend that he was clean.

Now, not so.


16 posted on 04/17/2008 8:07:21 AM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

Abromoff was a lobbyist and I am sure he had lots of contacts in both parties. That was his job.

Here is what I found about the Schaffer contacts with Abromoff. It dealt with clothing companies operating in the Mariannas islands, a US Protectorate. These clothing companies legally brought in foreign workers and were able to put the “Made in USA” label on the clothes. Unions objected and brought up large numbers of allegations of worker abuse (like that is what they really cared about). Abromoff represented some of these clothing companies as a lobbyist. Schaffer went to investigate the charges himself and found only one issue, almost all union charges were false. The only issue is that Schaffer may have stayed at a hotel for free and he did some sightseeing while there. Doesn’t seem like much. Here is from the Denver Post:

“Schaffer and his wife stayed for free at a palm-studded beach resort and, besides factories, also toured historical sites and met with clients of Preston-Gates, Abramoff’s firm, according to a copy of the trip’s agenda archived in Schaffer’s congressional papers.

He left believing that allegations of widespread abuse were largely unfounded - blaming them on Big Labor’s efforts to shut down a booming textile industry allowed to use the “Made in USA” label but dependent on tens of thousands of imported workers.

In a recent interview with The Denver Post, the Republican candidate for Colorado’s open Senate seat described the protectorate’s guest-worker program as a “model” lawmakers could use as they overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

“At its base it is a union fight that has been taking place there,” Schaffer said in a recent interview about what he found on the islands. “I insisted that it be a real investigation, which it was,” he said, noting that he visited more than 20 factories and found serious problems in only one.”


17 posted on 04/17/2008 9:31:10 AM PDT by MtnClimber (Obama: baby is punishment; tax increase is bundle of joy)
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To: george76

This is not a Democrat state. What the Democrats have got they either paid big bucks for or got by Republican self-destruction.


18 posted on 04/17/2008 10:08:32 AM PDT by colorado tanker (Number nine, number nine, number nine . . .)
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To: Impy

The CO GOP had monumental solid majorities in the legislature that years of rodent Governors couldn’t budge (save for a single two-year period back in the ‘70s), but thanks to Owens (and not helped, ironically, by term limits), the rodents made dramatic gains, and now the state has a liberal rodent Gov and moonbat legislature. It morphed into New Mexico.


19 posted on 04/17/2008 11:17:47 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Obviously he was a poor leader but I thought he was a solid conservative.


20 posted on 04/17/2008 3:55:39 PM PDT by Impy (The democrat party, "Ridin' Dirty" since puberty.)
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