Obama - Code Pink Scandal Breaking

The mainstream media and Republican operatives are finally starting to notice the connections between presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (IL) and the terrorist supporting group, Code Pink.

The Politico reporter Jonathan Martin has an article this evening on the scandal:

A co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, which has made a name for itself by interrupting hearings on Capitol Hill, is a fundraising bundler for Barack Obama.

Jodie Evans has pledged to raise at least $50,000 for Obama, according the Democrat's campaign site.

According to research being circulated by GOP sources, Evans has a record of inflammatory statements such as saying that women were better off in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, "Men are dying in their Hummers in Iraq so you can drive around in yours" and, my favorite, that the invasion of Iraq amounted to "global testosterone poisoning."

That an activist liberal is raising money for Obama isn't all that surprising. But in a campaign that has been dominated as much by the associates of candidates as the candidates themselves (Jeremiah Wright, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush), Evans is a reminder that what may not have mattered much in a primary has the potential to be resonant in the general.

GOP Oppo Research Targets Code Pink Co-Founder
Republicans are apparently targeting Jodie Evans, the co-founder of Code Pink, in their opposition research, as she is a bundler for Barack Obama.

Evans is well known in Democratic politics in California, and, along with Max Palevsky, co-hosted Obama's first big Hollywood fund-raiser in February, 2007, at the Beverly Hilton. Much of the attention to that event, however, went to the three other co-hosts: DreamWorks partners Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen and Steven Spielberg.

The Obama-Code Pink scandal first broke six months ago with a press release by the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com demanding Obama renounce Evans' $2300 contribution to his presidential campaign:

The D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com, an independent grassroots group comprised of veterans, military families and other patriotic Americans, is urging Senator Barack Obama to renounce a $2300 contribution to his residential campaign by terrorist supporter Jodie Evans of Venice, California.

The Washington City Paper reports in its current issue that Ms. Evans is co-founder of a group that publicly supports the terrorist-led insurgency in Iraq against Americans and free Iraqis:

Drawing perhaps the most fire is Code Pink's support for the Iraqi insurgency that has killed more than 3,700 American soldiers and wounded nearly 30,000 since post-combat operations began there in May of 2003.

The group's co-founder, Jody (sic) Evans, was an international observer at the World Tribunal on Iraq in June 2005. The Tribunal culminated in a statement signed by ativists (sic) from 10 countries that characterized the insurgency as "legitimate and justified" and called for war crimes charges against Bush and other world leaders who backed the U.S. invasion. (Washington City Paper, issue of January 11-17, 2008)

Ms. Evans, who markets herself to the media as a peace activist, issued the following statement regarding her support for the terrorist-led insurgency in Iraq while at the tribunal: "We must begin by really standing with the Iraqi people and defending their right to resist. I can remain myself against all forms of violence, and yet I cannot judge what someone has to do when pushed to the wall to protect all they love. The Iraqi people are fighting for their country, to protect their families and to preserve all they love. They are fighting for their lives, and we are fighting for lies." (AlterNet, June 26, 2005)

The tactics of the insurgency that Ms. Evans supports has included chlorine gas truck bombs, massacres of civilians, using children as suicide bombers, hideously torturing freedom-seeking Iraqis, and assassinating police, judges and other duly appointed civilian officials of the freely elected Iraqi government.

The Iraqi insurgency Ms. Evans supports without judgment has murdered, mutilated and booby-trapped the bodies of American servicemen they have captured.

Code Pink has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and humanitarian aid to what the group has described as 'families of the other side' in Iraq since 2004. As the recent film about the insurgency in Iraq, Meeting Resistance, showed, family members of the insurgency are intimately involved in aiding terrorist activities.

Code Pink has also waged a campaign of psychological warfare against America's wounded warriors and their families by protesting at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, targeting them with signs bearing messages such as "Maimed for a lie" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton."

Evans and other Code Pink leaders have traveled the world visiting state sponsors of terrorism including Cuba, Syria and Iran in their efforts to undermine the United States in the global war on terror. She has also paid her respects to Fidel Castro acolyte Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Kristinn Taylor, co-leader of the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com, issued the following statement regarding Ms. Evans' contribution to Sen. Obama: "Barack Obama has a credible chance to be the next commander-in-chief of America's armed forces. The leader of our military must have the confidence of the American people that he is not in bed with America's enemies. It is therefore incumbent upon Sen. Obama that he immediately repudiate the $2300 terrorist supporter Jodie Evans has contributed to his presidential campaign. Rather than return her blood money to Ms. Evans, the money should be given to a troop support organization of Sen. Obama's choice.

"Should Sen. Obama elect to keep Ms. Evans' contribution, it will tell the American people that he shares her support for the terrorist-led insurgency in Iraq."

All politicians, political parties and political action committees that have received contributions from Ms. Evans are also urged to repudiate her support. Among the recipients of her blood money are the 2008 presidential campaigns of former Sen. John Edwards and Gov. Bill Richardson, and the 2004 presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry.

Ms. Evans has also contributed heavily to the Progressive Patriots Fund which has funded the campaigns of Code Pink ally Sen. Jim Webb and other senators including Bernie Sanders, Tim Johnson, Bob Casey, Mary Landrieu, and Ben Nelson.

Further research showed that Evans was also a bundler who had brought in between $50,000 and $100,000 for the Obama campaign.

Human Events writer Catherine Moy reported on Evans' bundling and a second demand for Obama to renounce her blood money:

The co-founder of the radical anti-war group Code Pink has “bundled” more than $50,000 for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and pro-troops groups are demanding that he return the money.

Jodie Evans, a Code Pink leader, gathered at least $50,000 from friends and associates and donated it to Obama’s presidential campaign, according to information compiled by the nonpartisan watchdog group, Public Citizen.

Evans and her son, a student who lives at her Southern California address, each also gave the maximum individual allowable donation of $2,300 to Obama’s campaign.

The donations have raised questions about Obama’s association with the more radical elements of his base. Code Pink has harassed, vandalized and impeded military recruiters across the United States in a campaign it calls “counter-recruitment.” The group also gave $600,000 to the families of Iraqi terrorists in Fallujah, whom it called “insurgents” fighting for their homes.

Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, Move America Forward, Military Families Voice of Victory, The Band of Mothers and FreeRepublic.com, issued a statement this week saying Obama should cut ties to his radical bundler.

"Barack Obama's judgment to be commander-in-chief is seriously in question because of his association with Code Pink's Jodie Evans and her war against the American military,” the groups said in a joint statement. "If Sen. Obama wants to earn the trust of the American people to send their sons and daughters in harm's way, he should immediately renounce Evans and return all contributions associated with her."

Obama’s campaign did not respond to repeated attempts to get comment on the latest controversy to hit his campaign.

Melanie Morgan wrote several columns on the Obama-Code Pink scandal here and here.

...Should a candidate that wants a "new" politics be so happy to take the donations of someone who has led groups that have perpetrated acts of domestic terror? Should Barack Obama be so quick to accept money from a woman who has planned campaigns to harass our wounded soldiers as they try to heal in the hospital?

Another pressing question is, will the MSM report this story? Will the MSM tell the country that their vaunted candidate of "change" and "civility" is working with people responsible for acts of terrorism against Americans?

This writer reported on Evans' trip to Castro's Cuba to protest America just weeks before she co-hosted Obama's Hollywood debut fundraiser.

Last week, Evans gave an interview to Paul A. Ibbetson where she said Osama bin Laden had 'valid arguments' for attacking America on 9/11.

On the left: Jodie is a creature straight out of central casting: Her entire life seems designed to alienate swing voters. McCain's people would be overjoyed if she became a household name.

She's rich, having earned her money the old-fashioned way: By marrying it and divorcing it. (Her ex- is a billionaire high-tech investor named Max Palevsky.) Her fortune now goes to groups like the Animal Liberation Front, Earth First, and the Rain Forest Action Network. The FBI has described ALF as a terrorist group.

Code Pink has also tried their hand at mass witchcraft spells. I consider such activities harmless, but I can just imagine how the more Jesus-oriented parts of the country might react to that bit of theater.

The right is assembling a propaganda narrative: Obama as dangerous lefty. Affluent dimwits like Jodie play right into that scenario. Ironically, the true danger he poses goes in the other direction.

Obama bundler Jodie Evans, who co-founded the anti-American group Code Pink, said Osama bin Laden had 'valid arguments' for the 9/11 attacks, gushed over Venezualan dictator Hugo Chavez and bragged about Code Pink's efforts to undermine the war in Iraq in a wide-ranging interview with radio host Paul A. Ibbetson

Jodie Evans' connection to Barack Obama matters for many reasons. But the most important is that when Obama was looking to vault his nascent presidential campaign in to the serious contention he turned to one of the most rabid anti-American, pro-terrorist activists in the country. And she delivered for him.

It is encouraging to this military family member to see that Obama's Code Pink blood money is finally getting noticed beyond the conservative blogosphere.

Evans and her son, a student who lives at her Southern California address, each also gave the maximum individual allowable donation of $2,300 to Obama’s campaign.

Jodie Evans is a radical activist and Democratic fundraiser best known as the co-founder (along with Diane Wilson, a Wiccan calling herself Starhawk, and Global Exchange’s Medea Benjamin) of Code Pink for Peace. Evans also works closely with Leslie Cagan, the pro-Castro leader of United For Peace and Justice.

******

Matthew Palevsky is a Producer at The Real News, a non-profit video based news network. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Political Science. He serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Students for Sensible Drug policy.

Evans says her younger son, Matthew Palevsky, now 21, has always been an activist. When he was 12, he organized Santa Monica private school students to visit the City Council to lobby for gun control; he spent time in Scotland working on drug policy and was part of the effort to legalize medical marijuana in Rhode Island, where he’s now working for a Democratic congressional candidate. Evans is thrilled that Matthew has continued her legacy.

******

On his website, therealnews.com, MATTHEW PALEVSKY, JOURNALIST, TRNN noted “I’m in Martinsburg here in West Virginia, one of the poorest and whitest states in the union. Senator Clinton is expected to win today’s primary in a landslide, and the white, blue collar workers who make up her base have said they might be unwilling to vote for Senator Obama come general election.”

During those interview, many whites stated the following reasons why they will not vote for Obama:

1. Because he is black.
2. Because he is foreign.
3. Because he is a Muslim.
4. Because he hate gays.

The questions here is what can Obama do to attract those poor, illiterate and deeply embedded racist whites?

by Matthew Palevsky [courtesy of Politics on HuffingtonPost.com]

Matthew Palevsky: Facing Racism in America

While covering the primary in West Virginia I encountered pervasive racism only hinted at by Tuesday’s exit polls and the pundits who wonder aloud if America is ready for a black President. What I heard on Tuesday was shocking, and it provides a dismal forecast as to Obama’s chances of securing the white, blue-collar vote.

The Real News Network (TRNN) is the world’s first truly independent, non-profit, viewer-supported daily video-news and documentary service. It does not accept advertising, government or corporate funding. The mission of The Real News Network is to engage millions of viewers in solving the critical problems of our times. We provide independent daily video-news imbued with verifiable facts, history and context.

Obama ‘08

Matthew Palevsky

Location: Providence, RI

Why I support Barack Obama: His sincerity

Issues: Plan to End the Iraq War; Improving Our Schools; Strengthening Families and Communities

Registered to Vote: Yes

http://tinyurl.com/5stv9e

Matthew Palevsky has 1 Friend(s)!

Jodie Evans

Max Palevsky (born 1924 in Illinois) is an American art collector, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and computer technology pioneer.

After raising around $1 million in venture capital, he left Packard Bell to found Scientific Data Systems of California in 1961. Within a year they introduced the model 910 computer, which made them profitable. Initially, they targeted scientific and medical computing markets. Palevsky sold SDS to Xerox in 1969 for $920 million.

He dabbled in politics, supporting Robert F. Kennedy and George McGovern, and managing, among other projects, Tom Bradley’s first successful campaign for mayor of Los Angeles in 1973. He made numerous friends and allies on the Californian political scene, including former governor Gray Davis, who were dismayed at his $1 million dollar contribution in support of California Proposition 25, a campaign-finance reform initiative. He said to Newsweek: “I am making this million-dollar contribution in hopes that I will never again legally be allowed to write huge checks to California political candidates.

As a venture capitalist, Palevsky has helped to fund many companies, including Intel and Rolling Stone magazine, which he rescued from financial destruction in 1971. While on the board at Rolling Stone, he became friendly with the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, inventor of Gonzo journalism.

******

Max Palevsky
Investor
Self-employed Updated
Q1/2004
DNC
$23,000 841 GREENWAY DR
Beverly Hills CA

Max Palevsky
Private Investor
Self-employed Updated
Q2/2007

$5,000
Los Angeles CA
Donation to Progressive Patriots Fund

Max Palevsky
Investor
Self employed Updated
Q1/2007
John Edwards
$2,300 924 WESTWOOD BLVD
Los Angeles CA Max Palevsky
Donation of $2,300 to Presidential elections 2008

Max Palevsky
investor
self Updated
Q2/2007
Dennis Kucinich
$2,300 924 WESTWOOD BLVD
Los Angeles CA

Max Palevsky
Donation of $2,000 to Al Franken For Senate Max Palevsky
A
N Updated
Q1/2007

$2,000
Los Angeles CA Donation to Al Franken For Senate

Meet Code Pink’s “Sugar Mommy” - Jodie Evans

Jodie Evans… sits on the board of directors of the Rain Forest Action Network (RAN), a coalition of anti-capitalist, anti-corporate environmentalist groups. RAN’s co-founder Michael Roselle also founded the Earth Liberation Front, which the FBI ranks alongside the Animal Liberation Front as the foremost domestic terrorism threats in the United States. According to the FBI, during the past seven years those two groups have been responsible for more than 600 criminal acts and $43 million in damages…

In addition to her Code Pink duties, Jodie Evans also sits on the advisory board of the International Occupation Watch (IOW) center in Iraq, which Code Pink helped establish. The organizers of Occupation Watch — Medea Benjamin and Leslie Cagan — explicitly declared their purpose in setting up headquarters in Baghdad was [to] thin U.S. forces by getting soldiers to declare themselves conscientious objectors.

As a far leftist, Evans has found a comfortable political home in the Democratic Party. Indeed she was a key fundraiser for her longtime friend and political ally, former California governor Gray Davis. Evans’ ex-husband, Westside financier Max Palevsky, actually appointed Davis to his first political job as the fundraiser for Tom Bradley’s 1973 Los Angeles mayoral campaign…

In the weeks preceding the recent California governor’s recall election, Evans was instrumental in convincing several women to come forward and tell the L.A. Times their allegations against Arnold Schwarzenegger. Moreover, she helped organize picketing sessions in front of Schwarzenegger’s campaign headquarters…

the ex-Mrs. Palevsky can easily afford to be a radical socialist

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1358/613621915_e2450c4c38_o.jpg

Max came up as one of the funders of VVAW’s “Winter Soldier Investigation” that was mentioned in FBI files while researching John Kerry. Below is a summary of everything found on him as of 2004 (largely from old LA Times articles). The article discussing the “Malibu Mafia” was authored by leftist Robert Scheer. At the time that I was contributing to this research, I didn’t realize that he had been married to Jodie Evans.

http://www.wintersoldier.com/staticpages/index.php?page=InfoDigestGuide3

Max Palevsky (1924-): Venture capitalist and Democratic Party fundraiser who financed antiwar movement. Trained in math and philosophy before working in computers at Bendix and Packard-Bell and founding innovative computer company Scientific Data Systems of California in 1961. Sold Scientific Data Systems to Xerox Corporation in 1969 for $100 million, joined board of Xerox, and funded computer company Intel. In 1967 became president of Business Executives Move for Peace in Vietnam (BEM, changed in 1975 to Business Exececutives Move for New National Priorities), antiwar businessmen’s group cofounded by his associate Harold Willens, financial associate of longtime CP front financier Robert Maynard Hutchins and founder of the Businessmen’s Educational Fund (which became the Center for Defense Information, financed by General Motors Heir Stewart Rawlings Mott through the Fund for Peace and aligned with the Soviet front the World Peace Council). Joined Democratic Advisory Committee in 1968, supported Robert Kennedy’s Presidential campaign in 1968, organized George McGovern’s Presidential campaign in 1972, and ran Tom Bradley’s campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1973, hiring Gray Davis as Bradley’s fundraiser. Considered part of a “Malibu Mafia” that rivalled MCA chairman Lew Wasserman for domination of the left wing of the Democratic Party in Southern California in the early 1970s; the Malibu Mafia also included Willens, Stanley Sheinbaum (son-in-law of movie mogul Harry Warner, also associated with Hutchins and with Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg), Warner Brothers chairman Ted Ashley, TV producer Norman Lear, clothing manufacturer Miles Rubin, Tool Research and Engineering Corporation executive Leopold Wyler, and celebrities Warren Beatty, Neil Diamond, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford. Joined board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Financed the Institute for Policy Studies; the marijuana legalization group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML, linked to lawyers for leading drug dealers); and the United States Servicemen’s Fund (USSF), which funded the VVAW’s Winter Soldier Investigation.

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