GordonGekko's Political Information And Strategic/Tactical Analysis Thread (1 Viewer)

[GordonGekko]

This thread is designed to discuss political topics I find interesting that

1) Require coverage beyond what's possible in a single thread ( i.e. an entire "arc" covering a specific administration in it's 4 or 8 year run)

2) Require long term coverage because of "stacking" complexity (i.e. analysis that requires exploration at multiple levels across time), such as campaign finance and dark money

3) Cover smaller interest pieces that don't fit into a combination for their own dedicated thread but with a focused media optics perspective

4) Should be addressed with my brand of pure relentless blunt force trauma and orbital bombardment

The litmus test is always the same - Does the issue in play make the world a better place for our children to inherit.

If the choices made leave a legacy of death, violence, financial hardship, suffering, loss of freedom, silence and fear, then the sacrifices that people here and out there made to raise their children was for nothing. No matter your political leanings or how you vote is going to matter more than keeping your children safe.

The world I want to live in includes people who disagree with me. I have always encouraged fellow Conservatives to embrace moderates, independents, undecideds and traditional liberals. That being said, while I don't normally use the Report Button, this is the one thread in the entire PSF where I will do it if it becomes necessary. No one posts like I do, so no one will use the Report Button the way I will.

Those who ask a fair question about politics in good faith will receive a fair answer. If I don't answer your questions, I will either do it later when I've had more time to consider the subject matter or I've assessed the questions were raised in bad faith by bad faith actors.

Let us begin.

 

[GordonGekko]

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[GordonGekko]

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[GordonGekko]

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Clinton-DNC Joint Fundraising Raises Serious Campaign Finance Concerns

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign on Monday questioned “serious apparent violations” of campaign finance laws under a joint fundraising deal between Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee....The letter questioned whether the Clinton presidential campaign violated legal limits on donations by improperly subsidizing Clinton’s campaign bid by paying Clinton staffers with funds from the joint DNC-Clinton committee...Unlike Clinton’s presidential campaign committee, Hillary for America, the joint committee may accept large donations of up to $356,100. The first $2,700 of this amount is eligible for transfer to the Clinton campaign, $33,400 can be transferred to the DNC, with any remaining amount, up to $10,000, to each participating state party. According to public disclosure reports, however, the joint Clinton-DNC fund, Hillary Victory Fund (HVF), appears to operate in a way that skirts legal limits on federal campaign donations and primarily benefits the Clinton presidential campaign...The financial disclosure reports on file with the Federal Election Commission indicate that the joint committee invested millions in low-dollar, online fundraising and advertising that solely benefits the Clinton campaign. The Sanders campaign “is particularly concerned that these extremely large-dollar individual contributions have been used by the Hillary Victory Fund to pay for more than $7.8 million in direct mail efforts and over $8.6 million in online advertising” according to the letter to the DNC. Both outlays benefit the Clinton presidential campaign “by generating low-dollar contributions that flow only to HFA [Hillary for America] rather than to the DNC or any of the participating state party committees.”...In addition, the joint committee has paid the Clinton campaign committee $2.6 million ostensibly to "reimburse" the Clinton presidential campaign staff for time spent running the joint committee. The unusual arrangement, Deutsch said, “raises equally serious concerns that joint committee funds, which are meant to be allocated proportionally among the participating committees, are being used to impermissibly subsidize HFA through an over-reimbursement for campaign staffers and resources.”

Michael Briggs April 18, 2016

https://www.p2016.org/sanders/sanders041816pr.html

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Obama, Clinton sign joint fundraising agreement with the DNC

Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton can agree on one thing _ they want their party to have more money, no matter who is the nominee...The Democratic National Committee announced Wednesday that it had signed agreements with both campaigns to begin raising money together...As part of the unusual pact, donors can contribute up to $33,100 (euro21,400) to the newly created Democratic White House Victory Fund. The money would benefit whichever candidate becomes the nominee....Officials at the DNC said Chairman Howard Dean has been working with both campaigns on the idea since February.

Economic Times May 15, 2008, 05:27 AM IST

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/obama-clinton-sign-joint-fundraising-agreement-with-the-dnc/articleshow/3041482.cms?from=mdr

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[GordonGekko]

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Clinton’s super-sized fundraising machine pushes legal boundaries

Joint fundraising committees, often called “victory funds,” are not new in federal politics. Candidates routinely raise money through these collaborative operations that, by design, split the funds they collect among a number of beneficiaries, such as national and state party committees, as well as the candidate’s own campaign....But it’s also worrisome to campaign finance reformers who see it as a way to shift costs onto groups funded by big donors, thereby evading campaign contribution limits....Pro-Clinton videos sponsored by Hillary for America, Clinton’s official campaign committee, and the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising group allowed to collect six-figure checks, are almost indistinguishable to casual viewers...One thing all of the Hillary Victory Fund videos have in common? The final seconds of the ads show a fundraising message, asking viewers to text the campaign to make a donation to the Hillary Victory Fund....This is important, campaign finance experts say, because joint fundraising committees are allowed to use the money they collect to pay for their own fundraising costs...Campaign finance records show that the Hillary Victory Fund raised more than $473 million from its inception on Sept. 10, 2015, through Oct. 19, 2016, the date covered by its most recent report...By contrast, President Barack Obama’s 2012 victory fund raised about $456 million, and his joint fundraising operation in 2008 pulled in about $198 million....Therefore, individual donors may contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to the Hillary Victory Fund, which raises money for Clinton’s presidential campaign as well as the Democratic National Committee and state parties in 38 states. A handful have even given the Hillary Victory Fund more than $750,000, according to campaign finance records...To date, 120 donors have contributed at least $400,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign finance filings.Their ranks include Hollywood icons, Silicon Valley visionaries and a plethora of other mega-rich Americans...About $1 of every $4 the Hillary Victory Fund has raised — about $120 million — has been spent on its own “operating expenditures.”..That includes more than $54 million for what’s described in campaign finance reports as “online advertising.”...At the same time, the Hillary Victory Fund has transferred the majority of the money it’s raised to its designated beneficiaries — more than $266 million, or about 56 percent of its receipts through Oct. 19....That includes about $139 million transferred to the Clinton campaign and about $55 million transferred directly to the DNC....Tens of millions of dollars have also been transferred to state Democratic parties, though a sizeable portion of those funds were transferred back to the DNC by the state parties — an arrangement campaign finance watchdogs have said falls into a “gray area” of the law....

by Michael Beckel November 7, 2016

https://publicintegrity.org/politics/clintons-super-sized-fundraising-machine-pushes-legal-boundaries/

LEGAL: McCutcheon v. FEC

On April 2, 2014, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC that struck down the aggregate limits on the amount an individual may contribute during a two-year period to all federal candidates, parties and political action committees combined. By a vote of 5-4, the Court ruled that the biennial aggregate limits are unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/mccutcheon-et-al-v-fec/

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

McCUTCHEON et al. v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

No. 12–536. Argued October 8, 2013—Decided April 2, 2014

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/12-536

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[GordonGekko]

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Biden extends influence over party with joint fundraising agreement

Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic National Committee formally agreed to a joint fundraising agreement on Friday, two Democratic officials tell CNN, clearing the way for the presumptive nominee to raise larger amounts from individuals with the committee as he moves toward the general election....The agreement will give Biden and his top advisers more sway over the Party's fundraising activities and comes at the same time the DNC will install Mary Beth Cahill, who is currently a senior adviser at the committee, as their new CEO. Cahill was the Biden campaign's pick for the job...The agreement allows donors to now contribute a maximum of $360,600 to the Biden Victory Fund...

By Dan Merica, Arlette Saenz and Sarah Mucha, CNN Updated 2:45 PM ET, Fri April 24, 2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/politics/biden-democratic-national-committee/index.html

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Donors can now give $620,600 to Biden and DNC, expanding Democratic big-money fundraising

The Biden Victory Fund, a committee that raises money with the Democratic National Committee, on Saturday filed an agreement that allows wealthy donors to give large checks that will be shared by the campaign...Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will ask donors to give as much as $620,600 to support his White House bid and down-ballot candidates...While a person can give a maximum of $5,600 to Biden’s campaign committee, the new agreement allows one donor to legally give more than 110 times that amount in support of Biden’s election....That maximum contribution cap increases with each state party that signs on to the agreement....Many of the 26 parties signed on to the Biden Victory Fund are key states for the presidential race and states that have contentious Senate races, including Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina....

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee May 16, 2020

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donors-can-now-give-620600-to-biden-and-dnc-expanding-democratic-big-money-fundraising/2020/05/16/d2bf51cc-978a-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: DNC announces funding agreement with state parties

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Wednesday announced a massive funding agreement with state parties as it gears up for the 2022 midterms....The DNC said in a statement the four-year deal will provide $23 million to state parties as part of the national organization's 2022 midterm strategy....The group will also create a “Red State Fund” to direct additional investments in historically red states as part of efforts to compete in every state and territory. That fund includes $2 million in direct investments and grants for states that have no Democratic senator or governor, where under 25 percent of the congressional delegation are Democrats and where a Republicans hold a supermajority in the state legislature....

By Tal Axelrod - 05/12/21 06:06 PM EDT

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/553234-dnc-announces-funding-agreement-with-state-parties?rl=1

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: DNC and State Parties Announce Historic Agreement

$15.5 Million for State Partnership Program (SPP): The new agreement increases monthly SPP funding for 50 state parties and DC by 25% to fund critical party infrastructure including staff, tools, and programming in the states...The agreement is contingent on the Democratic state parties rejoining the joint fundraising agreement that propelled the DNC to record-breaking major donor fundraising over the last four years, and allows the DNC to collect up to $875,000 per individual per year.

DNC May 12, 2021

https://democrats.org/news/dnc-and-state-parties-announce-historic-agreement/

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[GordonGekko]

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Democrats angry at report of Hillary Clinton’s influence over DNC

 Many Democrats expressed outrage Thursday at allegations from a former party chairwoman that an agreement with the Democratic National Committee gave the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton some day-to-day control over the party early in the 2016 campaign.

Donna Brazile, a former interim chairwoman of the party, says in a forthcoming book that an August 2015 agreement gave the Clinton campaign a measure of direct influence over the party’s finances and strategy, along with a say over staff decisions and consultation rights over issues like mailings, budgets and analytics...The control was given in exchange for a joint fundraising pledge by the Clinton campaign that helped fund the DNC through the election year, Brazile says....After the election, the effects of the Clinton fundraising effort hit some state parties hard. Jane Kleeb, who took over Nebraska’s Democratic Party in late 2016, discovered that the party had accrued $35,000 in debt for the Clinton campaign.....“Nebraska never even signed the JFA because we . . . didn’t want to be a funnel for, essentially, money-laundering,” Kleeb said. “And now we learn that a small group of establishment Democrats got to determine who our nominee was. That goes against everything that Democratic values are built on.”...

By Michael Scherer, David Weigel and Karen Tumulty  The Washington Post November 3, 2017 at 5:17 p.m.

https://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/03/democrats-angry-report-hillary-clinton-influence-dnc/

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Hillary Clinton Inks Fundraising Accords With 33 State Parties

By Jennifer Epstein September 16, 2015, 8:11 PM PDT

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/hillary-clinton-inks-fundraising-accords-with-33-state-parties

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Sanders campaign document reveals fundraising relationship with DNC

A joint fundraising agreement between the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Democratic National Committee -- obtained Friday by ABC News and signed at the start of the primary campaign for the 2016 presidential election -- does not include any language about coordinating on strategic decisions over hiring or budget, unlike a fundraising memo between the Hillary Clinton team and the DNC...Former Sanders staff members argue that the Sanders-DNC agreement refutes the claim by the DNC that the two campaigns were offered similar treatment by the party. What's more, the Sanders team posits that the joint fundraising agreement they signed with the party was never acted on....Under Allocation Formula, the document reads, "Contributions from individuals will be allocated as follows: the first $2,700 will be allocated to Bernie 2016 and designated for the primary election. The next $33,400 of a contribution will be allocated to the Democratic National Committee."...However, the Clinton campaign Friday afternoon confirmed the existence of a memo between the DNC and their campaign, which specifically outlines an expanded scope and interpretation of their funding agreement. In that memo, Hillary for America (HFA) reportedly agreed to help the DNC raise money and clear its debts, and in exchange, the party consented “HFA personnel will be consulted and have joint authority over strategic decisions over the staffing, budget, expenditures, and general election related communications, data, technology, analytics, and research.”....Former Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told ABC News Friday night that the campaign entered the agreement with the party in November 2015 to facilitate the campaign’s access to the party’s voter rolls. Weaver claims the DNC offered to credit any fundraising the senator did for the party against the costs of access to the party’s data costs, priced at $250,000.....

By MARYALICE PARKS November 4, 2017, 12:14 AM

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sanders-campaign-document-reveals-fundraising-relationship-dnc/story?id=50926505

TWEET: MaryAlice Parks XX@XXmaryaliceparks

FIRST ON ABC - Fundraising agreement btwn Bernie Sanders campaign & DNC (1/2)

FIRST ON ABC - Fundraising agreement btwn Bernie Sanders campaign & DNC (2/2)

12:19 AM  Nov 4, 2017

https://twitter.com/maryaliceparks/status/926710088378744832

https://twitter.com/maryaliceparks/status/926710431145709568

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[GordonGekko]

LEGAL: Buckley v. Valeo

On January 30, 1976, the Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion in Buckley v. Valeo, the landmark case involving the constitutionality of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA), as amended in 1974, and the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act.

The Court upheld the constitutionality of certain provisions of the election law, including:

The limitations on contributions to candidates for federal office (2 U.S.C. §441a);

The disclosure and recordkeeping provisions of the FECA (2 U.S.C. §434); and

The public financing of Presidential elections (Subtitle H of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954).

https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/buckley-v-valeo/

VIDEO: Buckley v. Valeo [SCOTUSbrief]  Mar 23, 2020

In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Congress passed several amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 which regulated federal campaign contributions and spending. When Senator James L. Buckley and others challenged the law for interfering with their First Amendment rights, however, the Supreme Court had to decide a case which would transform political campaigns for decades to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXnpowc6y0c

VIDEO: Citizens United v. FEC | BRI's Homework Help Series Feb 14, 2017

Citizens United v. FEC was a Supreme Court case surrounding campaign finance and corporate involvement in politics. The Federal Election Commission was created in 1971 and greatly regulated the amount of campaign finance political candidates were able to receive. By 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act) restricted organizations from financing issue-based advertisements on behalf of candidates. Citizens United released a million dollar ad against Hillary Clinton. Before the film aired, Citizens United challenged the McCain-Feingold Act, stating that money was a form of Free Speech, which is protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled the McCain-Feingold Act as unconstitutional, but stated that corporations still cannot give money directly to political candidates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J5Zx5YotBU

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