Posted on 01/09/2009 2:27:47 PM PST by flattorney
George Soros is the biggest sugar daddy of the Democratic Party, and naturally wants to ensure that the Democrats have a monopoly of power in America. Recently, I wrote an article for American Thinker on the role that George Soros has played in helping the Democrat Al Franken in his race against the Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for a Senate seat in Minnesota. However, there may be one other reason that Soros was determined that Norm Coleman in particular lose his seat. This was personal.
Norm Coleman was the chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and as such took a leading role in uncovering and investigating the United Nations oil-for-food scandal. Coleman was the leader in the Senate when it came to scrutinizing the operations of the United Nations; he appeared frequently in the media. The United Nations had never before come under such public criticism in the Senate. The mandarins and their fellow travelers were made very uncomfortable by the work of Senator Coleman.
They do not forget their adversaries. This scandal involved not just negligence of the UN officials that set up and monitored the program (which immeasurably helped keep Saddam Hussein in power and, in a sense, helped create the conditions for the invasion of Iraq), but also involved corruption that reached the highest levels at the United Nations. Coleman was dogged in his pursuit of the wrongdoers at the UN. The investigation tarnished the image of Mark Malloch Brown (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's deputy and right-hand man at the UN) who was seen as spinning away any culpability of Annan and the UN itself in this travesty of a program. Coleman thereby clearly earned the wrath of George Soros, for the ties between Brown and Soros are tight and seemingly mutually beneficial. (Houston, Texas oil legend Oscar Wyatt served more than nine months in federal prison for his involvment in the Oil for Food Scandal - FlA)
Soros provided an apartment of very advantageous rates for Brown; the favoritism bestowed upon Brown only began with that token of appreciation and support. Upon leaving the UN under the cloud that Coleman helped create, Brown was named the vice-president of the Quantum Fund run by his friend George Soros. Brown had no experience in the hedge fund world, but such sinecures are generously passed out by billionaires wanting friends that might reach high places -- they are an investment (see Axis of Soros in the Wall Street Journal's archives.
Mark Malloch Brown, who had previously worked at the World Bank, had been in the running to succeed Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank. That would be yet another friend in a high place -- that Soros collects like so many cards in a deck. Since the World Bank often helps private businesses in their investments, this friend in a high place would have been particularly valuable to George Soros, who invests billions of dollars in the type of lesser-developed nations on which the World Bank focuses. David Asman of Fox News called Mark Malloch Brown George Soros's "Ace in the Hole" at the World Bank when it appeared that Brown was vying for the top job at the Bank. Asman noted that Brown would be in a prime position to help Soros play the currency markets since currency traders'
bets on currency are made with many things in mind -- the state of the local economy, trade relations, political stability, etc. But the most valuable weapon in a currency trader's arsenal is inside information; finding out what a central bank or government is going to do with a currency before that decision is announced to the world. That's like seeing the other poker player's cards before you place your bet.
Where does one go for that kind of information? There are a lot of "clubs" within which powerful people met to discuss such things. Some are formal institutions, like the Council on Foreign Relations, or other such think tanks. But some meetings are far less formal, such as a luncheon at then-UN Ambassador Madeline Albright's New York apartment, where I first met George Soros and we casually discussed Venezuela and its currency over cocktails before lunch.
Of all these meetings however, perhaps none offer a better location to get the lowdown on currencies than a place called the World Bank. A source inside the World Bank would amount to the center jewel in any currency trader's crown.
Compared to any international commercial bank, the World Bank's portfolio is miniscule. But there is practically no country on the planet that has not had some dealing with the World Bank. Central bank officers, those with inside information about whether and by how much a currency might be revalued, are constantly visiting with World Bank officers. And as human encounters go, there are very useful tidbits of information that pass from lips to ears during such encounters.
That's why when the Wall Street Journal suggested that George Soros was trying to help his friend Mark Malloch Brown get on the inside track as the new head of the World Bank it seemed to make sense.
Alas for Soros and Mr. Brown, the post went to Robert Zoellick. Don't count Brown and Soros out yet, though. A new President is coming to town and President Obama will have a new chance to pick the head of the World Bank (though the World Bank is an international body, traditionally the United States chooses the person who leads the Bank). George Soros and Barack Obama also have long-standing ties. Soros is very astute in his choice of "friends" who owe him favors. He knows good investments when he sees them and knows more about leverage than most hedge fund billionaires. Funding the campaigns of Barack Obama was not just another investment/political donation of George Soros. He started funding Barack Obama's campaigns at an early date and used a loophole in federal campaign laws to exceed normal limits on donations. He then used his phalanx of 527 groups to campaign for Obama via, among other avenues, the powerful and furtive Democracy Alliance.
But, I digress. - - Back to the battle between Soros and Coleman. Soros seemingly does not forget friends or enemies, and he thinks and plans far ahead. He paid particular attention to the race in Minnesota the past couple of years -- funneling money to the Secretary of States project that helped elect Mark Ritchie (a Democrat) to the post of Secretary of State. This office, charged with ensuring the integrity of the voting process, allowed Ritchie to influence the vote recount of the contest between Coleman and Franken. Soros also funneled money to so-called 527 groups that worked to oust Coleman. Covering all the bases, Soros doubled down and hosted a fundraiser for Al Franken after the election (As I/we previously FR posted, Al “Global Fraud” Gore was also in attendance – FlA).
The election results were, at best, inconclusive. The details of the post-election contest between Coleman and Franken are complex but have been well-covered by Scott Johnson at Powerline, the Wall Street Journal, and Fox News. The important point to take away from the dispute in the context of this article is that the fight is now between the lawyers; these contests are expensive, and the funds Franken has at his disposal from Soros and others have been crucial.
Perhaps, Soros was looking backward and wanted to "punish" Coleman for his tarnishing of the reputation of Brown. More likely is that Soros was looking forward: should Barack Obama nominate Mark Malloch Brown to be the head of the World Bank, wouldn't it be better to have Norm Coleman -- who knows more about corruption and disgrace at the United Nations than most Senators -- out of the Senate? This aspect of the battle between George Soros and Norm Coleman (waged through proxies) came to mind when I read in the Wall Street Journal that the United Nations was closing down the anti-fraud unit that was established in the wake of a series of corruption scandals -- the oil-for-food scandal just being the most widely known. The anti-corruption unit had uncovered over 600 million dollars in alleged contract fraud and puts at risk 175 investigations currently being pursued. Russia has been obstructing the efforts of this unit since its inception and now may have finally succeeded (Russian nationals have been implicated in fraud).
That is truly a shame: not only would such a unit help save American taxpayers a boatload of money (since we fund a large share of the UN budget) and help to ensure honesty and competency at the UN, but also would appear to have been one of the better investments of the past few years -- maybe even rivaling the investment Soros has made in Obama, Franken, and Mark Malloch Brown.
01.08.09: The Stealing the (MN U.S. Senate) Election Project + Latest Coleman News & FlAttorney's Comments
01.09.09: Send in the Clown (Al “SorosBoy” Franken)
TAB
## High Profile Al Franken Donors ##
J J Abrams filmmaker, TV producer
Chris Albrecht HBO chairman and chief executive 2002-07
Jason Alexander actor
Herb Alpert musician, producer
Phil Angelides Calif. State Treasurer; 2006 candidate for governor
Clarence Avant record producer
Dan Aykroyd actor, comedian
Burt Bacharach composer, entertainer
Kevin Bacon actor
Bob Balaban actor, director
Andre Balazs hotelier
Alec Baldwin actor, activist
Paul Begala political consultant, commentator
Ed Begley, Jr actor
Jim Belushi actor
Candice Bergen actress
Steve Bing producer
Ross Bleckner artist
Jon Bon Jovi rock star
David Brock author, media watchdog
James L Brooks producer, director
Jackson Browne musician
Jimmy Buffett musician
Les Charles TV producer, writer
Peter Chernin News Corporation president and COO
George Clooney actor
Ben Cohen Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream co-founder
Jane Curtin actress
Ted Danson actor
Larry David comedian, writer
Laurie David writer, activist
Jonathan Demme filmmaker
Alan Dershowitz attorney
Phil Donahue talk show host
Paul Dooley actor
Michael Douglas actor, director
Michael Dukakis 1988 presidential candidate
Dick Ebersol NBC sports executive
Nora Ephron filmmaker
Peter Farrelly screenwriter, producer, director
Geraldine Ferraro Congresswoman 1978-84; 1984 VP candidate
Sally Field actress
Milos Forman director, actor, writer
Michael J Fox actor, activist
Al Franken satirist
Tom Freston Viacom president 2005-06; MTV co-founder
David Geffen Dreamworks co-founder, record producer
Danny Goldberg Air America ceo 2005-06; record producer
Al Gore Vice President 1993-2001
Jamie Gorelick 9/11 Commissioner; fmr US Deputy Atty General
Brian Grazer producer
Robert Greenwald filmmaker
Brad Grey Paramount Pictures chairman, CEO
Taylor Hackford director
Larry Hagman actor
Tom Hanks actor
Christie Hefner Playboy Enterprises chairman, ceo
Marg Helgenberger actress
Buck Henry writer
Philip Seymour Hoffman actor
Alan Horn movie executive
Norman Hsu fashion industry executive; political fundraiser
Norman Jewison director
Jane Kaczmarek actress
Donna Karan fasion designer; Donna Karan Inc founder
Lawrence Kasdan filmmaker
Garrison Keillor author, performer
Joanna Kerns actress
Kevin Kline actor
Christine Lahti actress
Sherry Lansing Paramount Studios chairman, ceo (1992-2004)
Lucy Lawless actress
Norman Lear television producer
David Letterman talk show host, comedian
Barry Levinson filmmaker
Amy Madigan actress
Bill Maher comedian, political satirist
Steve Martin actor, comedian, writer
John McEnroe tennis champion; sports commentator
Lorne Michaels producer
Nicole Miller fashion designer
Mike Mills musician
Walter Mondale Vice President 1977-80
Mike Myers actor, comedian
Kevin Nealon comedian, actor
Paul Newman actor, philanthropist
Randy Newman songwriter
Craig Newmark craigslist.org founder
Leonard Nimoy actor
Cynthia Nixon actress
Edward Norton actor
Conan O’Brien late-night tv host
Rosie O’Donnell actress, comedian
Bob Odenkirk actor, writer, producer
Jane Pauley journalist; talk show host
Mark Peel chef, restauranteur
Bonnie Raitt recording artist
Harold Ramis director, writer, actor
Sumner Redstone Viacom chairman
Carl Reiner actor, comedy writer, producer
Rob Reiner director, producer, actor
Paul Reiser comedian, actor
Gloria Reuben actress
Jay Roach director
Linda Ronstadt singer
Gary Ross filmmaker, actor
Meg Ryan actress
Susan Saint James actress
Thomas Schlamme producer, director
Tony Shalhoub actor
Garry Shandling comedian, actor
Elisabeth Shue actress
Ben Silverman NBC Universal chairman
Paul Simon singer/songwriter
James Sinegal Costco ceo
Robert Smigel comedian, writer
George Soros financier
Darren Star producer, screenwriter
Mary Steenburgen actress
Ben Stein writer, actor
Meryl Streep actress
Barbra Streisand singer, actor, producer
Heather Thomas actress, producer
Marlo Thomas actress, philanthropist
Garry Trudeau cartoonist
Eli Wallach actor
Sam Waterston actor
Bob Weinstein Miramax co-founder
Harvey Weinstein Miramax co-founder
John Wells television producer
Jann Wenner Rolling Stone
Tom Werner Boston Red Sox co-owner 2002-present; TV producer
Bradley Whitford actor
Robin Williams actor, comedian
Joanne Woodward actress
Robert Wright NBC Universal - Chairman, CEO 1986-2007
George Zimmer Men’s Wearhouse founder, CEO
Jerry Zucker producer, screenwriter
TAB
Soros desperately needs to have “an accident”.
If we are hit again, let's hope that it's Hollywood and not New York.
I don’t believe in “accidents” but Soros does seem to be one of the most malign people in the world.
Does Kevin Nealon really have money to be throwing around to political causes? I haven’t seen him in anything for awhile.
Now why on earth would Ben Stein and Jerry Zucker be giving Franken money?
Ben Stein????
Ben Stein is more liberal than one would think.
“James Sinegal Costco ceo”
Guess this was our last f’n renewal there.
Norm Coleman was the chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and as such took a leading role in uncovering and investigating the United Nations oil-for-food scandal. Coleman was the leader in the Senate when it came to scrutinizing the operations of the United Nations; he appeared frequently in the media. The United Nations had never before come under such public criticism in the Senate. The mandarins and their fellow travelers were made very uncomfortable by the work of Senator Coleman... This scandal involved not just negligence of the UN officials that set up and monitored the program (which immeasurably helped keep Saddam Hussein in power and, in a sense, helped create the conditions for the invasion of Iraq), but also involved corruption that reached the highest levels at the United Nations... Mark Malloch Brown (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's deputy and right-hand man at the UN)... Soros provided an apartment of very advantageous rates for Brown; the favoritism bestowed upon Brown only began with that token of appreciation and support. Upon leaving the UN under the cloud that Coleman helped create, Brown was named the vice-president of the Quantum Fund run by his friend George Soros. Brown had no experience in the hedge fund world, but such sinecures are generously passed out by billionaires wanting friends that might reach high places -- they are an investment... Mark Malloch Brown, who had previously worked at the World Bank, had been in the running to succeed Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank. That would be yet another friend in a high place -- that Soros collects like so many cards in a deck.The nice thing is, Soros it going to be thrown under a bus at some point by a number of corrupt Demwit officials. Thanks flattorney.
Oh well, maybe it was a courtesy donation because of his SNL connection. There are many ex SNL'ers on the list.
11.17.08: The Soros Connection in the Minnesota Senate Race Vote Count
04.30.07: Soros, Obama, and the Millionaires Exception
09.29.08: How allies of George Soros helped bring down Wachovia Bank
TAB
When it comes to Hollywood everything is an illusion. You can’t put a label on a personality without the personality being forever type-cast as that persona. Stephen Glenn Martin will never reveal if his mind is one of a liberal or a conservative or libertarian or contrarian or sabbatarian; but Stephen Glenn is all about creating, sustaining, and building the cache of the whacky persona “Steve Martin” in a town that makes or breaks you due to your persona’s perceived associations.
Thanks for the links.
Leonard Nimoy actor
Illogical!
This is very revealing.
Reading that list caused me to supress bile on more than one occasion. When the cataclysm comes, I hope that these Hall of Fame dirtbags get theirs first. Oh, and just see if I ever buy anything from the Mens Warehouse.
With his “lifestyle” or should it be called deathstyle, it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine! Play with fire........get burned, lie down with dogs..........get fleas.
Now that would be much more target rich an area!
“Ben Stein writer, actor”
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