Posted on 04/11/2011 7:43:32 PM PDT by MNJohnnie
Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:
REPUBLICAN DONALD TRUMP’S PAST AND CURRENT GENEROSITY TO DEMOCRATS: Billionaire real estate tycoon Donald Trump's recent speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference excited a number of Republicans, many of whom applauded his statement that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has "zero chance" of winning.
It also fueled speculation that the mogul would run for president. Cries of "you're hired!" to a Draft Trump 2012 website added to a growing sense of support among Republicans.
But that GOP support has not always been reciprocated by Trump.
According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of Trump's federal campaign contribution history, The Donald has been a prolific donor to both Democrats and Republicans during the past two decades.
In all, Trump has contributed to 96 candidates running for federal political office since the 1990 election cycle, the Center finds. Only 48 of the recipients -- exactly half -- were Republicans at the time they received their contribution, including ex-Gov. Charlie Crist (I-Fla.) and ex-Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), who both of whom received their Trump contributions as Republicans.
Since the 1990 election cycle, the top 10 recipients of Trump's political contributions number six Democrats and four Republicans. Embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who was censured last year by his U.S. House colleagues, has received the most Trump money, totaling $24,750. The most recent contribution from Trump to Rangel was a $10,000 gift during the 2006 election cycle.
In the most recent election cycle, Trump doled out $22,500 to political candidates, of which $16,200 benefited Democrats.
The top Republican recipient of Trump's money is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has collected $13,600 from the billionaire magnate, the second most of any politician. Trump did not contribute to McCain during the 2010 election cycle, during which the former presidential candidate was facing re-election.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is the recipient of $12,000 in Trump contributions, including $10,000 for his 2006 re-election campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has received the fourth-largest amount of Trump's contributions, including $4,800 in the successful 2010 campaign against Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle. In total Trump has contributed $10,400 to Reid.
In 2010, Trump also contributed $4,000 to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who easily won re-election. Schumer has received $8,900 from Trump since the 1996 election cycle. Trump has also been generous to New York's other Democratic U.S. senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, who's received $5,850 in Trump money.
After McCain, the Republican with the largest amount of Trump's contributions is former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who left office in disgrace in 2006 when his online solicitation of male House pages became known. Trump contributed $9,500 to Foley between the 1996 and 2006 election cycles.
Trump has also supported other notable politicians, including:
• $7,000 to former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the "liberal lion of the Senate" • $7,500 to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) • $5,500 to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) including $2,000 during his 2004 presidential run • $5,000 to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) • $4,000 to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) • $2,000 to former President George W. Bush (R) • $1,000 to then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.)
Trump's donations to various political action committees and 527 groups also demonstrate his bipartisan checkbook.
During the most recent election cycle, Trump contributed $170,000 to the Republican Governor's Association, $50,000 to the ultra-conservative American Crossroads PAC, $30,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and $10,000 to the Democratic Party of New York.
However, of the nearly $420,000 Trump has donated to committees, the largest recipient has been the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee with $116,000 -- or more than one fourth of his total contributions to all party and political action committees.
OK, well, this thread is about political donations, not every other pet issue. Having said that, I think we need to straighten his ass out on a few things before we give him the nod. He’s refreshing and all but an AWB is a definite show stopper. He needs to flip flop on that and, because it’s Trump we’re talking about here, I suspect he will. It’s all business baby. Just so we’re clear though, Romney made assault weapons permanently illegal in Massachusetts and that’s who we’re really trying to defeat here.
Well, you can argue about this. I don’t know how many of those politicians were on committees who could have blocked some of Trumps dealings.
But, still, it’s a pretty pathetic list. Most of the Republicans are just about as bad as the Democrats. Newt is the closest thing to a real conservative anywhere on the list.
And there’s the American Crossroads PAC, said to be extremely conservative. Well, apparently that PAC was founded by Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie in 2010. Not exactly what I would call “extremely conservative.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/21/karl-roves-american-cross_n_653918.html
What a goat cluster copulation and circus of the bizarre it all has become in running candidates for president of the USA.
you are wrong as usual.
All but AWB? How about his use of eminent domain seizures for his own personal gain (such as parking lots for his hotel)? How about his being life-long pro-abortion until the past couple of weeks when he suddenly ‘sees the light’? How about, in his book The America We Deserve, saying Amnesty is the ‘right thing to do’? How about his financial ties to George Soros (who has funded many of his ventures)? How about his support of the progressive tax code?
About the only thing I think he is on the right on is defense.
Coming from someone defending the furthest left RINO we’ve seen in a while, I’ll take that as a compliment.
Romney can be taken out easily enough, IMO, and without Trump being “the One”.
Too many people are fired up over this guy because he has done the country a favor by pushing the BC issue, but most of that fervor is blinding rational people to the danger this man represents to some of our most basic freedoms, and that needs to be pointed out right now, not several months away after he's had time to “go Romney” on these basic issues.
Kind of reminds you of the Rudy old days doesn’t it?
who do you hate more, Trump or Romney?
I remember when he was fighting with Pal Beach Libs about his big flag.
I don’t want either. We are in the primary season when we weed RINOS like both of these out. I saw this type of question a lot from the Rudy supporters back in 2007.
This is gauntlet time. Candidates jump in and they face the fire.
The same people supporting Trump today probably supported Scott Brown for president 15 months ago.
Or are the last remaining Rudy supporters... Same MO..
DT = BC
I don’t agree with the math.
It’s amazing the way everyone is trying to pigeon hole the guy and failing. But Donald Trump the equivalent of Bill Clinton. Maybe on some hypothetical chart.
But does anybody really think Donald Trump would behave and govern like BC reincarnated, just because they have similar points on a hypothetical chart?
I’ll say this...The Donald would shake up the body politic like Bill Clinton shook up Jennifer Flowers body politic.
Trump is a plant, a Trojan Horse—another “Ross Perot” candidate. He’s been inserted into the field to bleed off independents and disaffected republicans so as to insure Obama’s reelection in 2012. He’s saying some pretty good stuff about the B.C.,but I question his real motive. In my opinion,a vote for Trump is a vote for Obama.
Well then, let’s look issue by issue. In his book “America We Deserve” he said that Amnesty is the ‘right thing to do’. He supports socialized health care. He supports a progressive income tax. He supports an assault weapons ban. He not only supports eminent domain seizures, he has used them many times for his own benefit, such as seizing private businesses to make a parking lot for his casinos. Up until the past couple of weeks, he was pro-abortion... I can keep going and going and going..
You are willing to give all this up because you think he is on your side on this one issue?
Sounds a lot like Rudy supporters back in 2007.
speaking of Mitt Romney and universal healthcare...ahem. I have been saying for months that I think we probably won’t win the whitehouse anyways. I don’t think we have the right candidate. Trump can probably pull it off but he has conservative credibility issues. I think we had a strong chance of winning the Senate with our midterm momentum but there has been some overreaching which is going to cost us votes in a few of the key battleground states that we needed for a senate majority. the only think I know for sure is that I want Obama to be a one term president. That is critical.
Agreed. He would not even come close.
If I hear this excuse one more time I'm going to puke.
What deals do you think Trump will make with Democrats and RINO's, and what filthy Democrat and RINO palms will Trump grease as he tries to be a "successful" president?
That's Trumps track record. That's what Trump is prone to do. His donation record shows it. You even admit it.
It should raise a giant red flag.
While I agree with you that with that list of issues DT is on the wrong side.
But I don't think that he goes after those issues as Pres. I think he stays focused like a laser on the financial issues and restoring fiscal sanity.
He also has a desire to make the US competitive internationally. He believes in American Greatness the way FReepers do. That carries weight with me.
I would be disappointed if he made social issues a priority since he does lean left.
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