Posted on 07/19/2008 12:23:36 PM PDT by Winged Hussar
WorldNetDaily reported recently that the Obama campaign was contacted by Minnesota's Department of Public Safety with regard to a fundraising solicitation that could be construed as an illegal lottery. The E-mail, which we also received, seems to contain the three elements that constitute a lottery:
1. Payment of consideration (a monetary donation)
2. An element of chance
3. A prize (all-expenses paid trip to the Democratic National Convention and a personal meeting with Barack Obama
While we are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice, this could well have been illegal until the Obama campaign, under pressure from Minnesota law enforcement, added a method of entering without payment of a donation. The changes the campaign made were at best cosmetic, perfunctory, and the minimum necessary to avoid actual trouble with law enforcement.
The E-mail in question was not, however, the first of its kind from the Obama campaign. We have on file two others, both of which seem to contain all the elements of a lottery that requires payment for a chance to win. Furthermore, the wording in the second suggests that not every entrant had an equal chance to win.
(Excerpt) Read more at husaria.wordpress.com ...
Pay close attention to the content of the second E-mail that we posted from the Obama campaign.
Last week we started planning our second dinner, and on Friday evening at 6:42 pm, a woman named Dorothy Unruh of Lakewood, Colorado made a donation.Im pleased to announce that Dorothy will be one of my guests for the second dinner. You could join us if you make a small donation before 11:59 pm tonight, July 31st:
That's very interesting: the Obama campaign says it selected a winner before the deadline for entries, which raises the question as to whether every donor had an equal chance of being chosen. If so, it could end Obama's credibility with his own donors and supporters, and it will be all over for him.
Question: does anyone know whether sweepstakes (e.g. Reader's Digest, requires no payment of consideration to enter) are audited by third parties to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to win? If so, was Obama's "sweepstakes" so audited?
Reaction from Main Stream Press and the Federal Election Commission: (....sound of crickets....)
Laws must not be allowed to stand in the way of “progress”.
/s
Wonder how much overseas money is coming in...
Yes Yes and Yes.
His scampaign was contacted by officials at several states over a week ago. They promised to make changes. I saw no changes to the rules or solicitation of pay for play on his website this week.
And now that they are selecting people before the deadline has been reached, well draw your own conclusions.
The states were quick to hope on to criticize his scampaign the day after the promotion was announced but a week later they have dropped the ball and I am unaware of a single state moving forward with prosecution.
Run your own lottery and continue to do so after being contacted by state officials and see how long YOU get to keep at your grifting game...
Over $1.5million in quasi-legal foreign contributions (who is making sure that they are ALL American citizens abroad?)
I get all the DNC emails (I read them then take my morning shower) I’ve been getting the donate and go back stage, donate an get tickets, donate and .......
I keep forwarding them to the SS’s office and the gaming commission.
I don’t think he can do that here.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
"MAKE DONATION OF $5 OR MORE AND YOU COULD JOIN BARACK AT THE OPEN CONVENTION".
There is no CHANGE. They are still running an illegal solicitation.
Sue and then turn it into a class action lawsuit covering all who donated.
Re: “Sue and then turn it into a class action lawsuit covering all who donated.”
Any lawyers want to weigh in on this?
One attorney filing a highly publicized class action suit over this issue could probably end Obama’s campaign within weeks.
I hope we have a FReeper Lawyer weigh in on this. Sounds like something worth pursuing, IMHO.
Down at the bottom there is a link to participate without a donation. I wonder if it has to be more pronounced to go along with gaming laws though. In all the contests I’ve ever seen there is always a phrase in bold that appears - something to the effect of NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO WIN etc...
Barrister ping :)
Reaction from Main Stream Press and the Federal Election Commission: (....sound of crickets cockroaches....)
Fixed it for you
Whatcha bet that Dorothy is not a White American?
Par for the course from a Chicago mob political machine.
“Down at the bottom there is a link to participate without a donation.”
This was not provided in the first two such solicitations.
democrats are immune from silly laws.
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