Say, don’t you remember? They called me Al. It was Al all the time. Say don’t you remember? I’m your pal! Hey buddy, can you spare a dime?
Category: Campaign Finance
Show him the money.
Dubya sets a new (and dubious) record for raising midterm campaign cash. “There’s some senators up there who would rather listen to special interests in Washington, D.C., than listen to the voice of the people,” Bush told Republicans in Little Rock. “There are senators who would rather give us a rule book this thick about how we have to behave, and what we must do to protect the homeland than to trust any administration for protecting America.” THAT‘s his speel? I’ve heard better, more plausible stuff on late-night infomercials. I guess if you’re a GOP bigshot and you’ve already thrown lots of money Dubya’s way, all you can really do at this point is protect your investment.
One Last Binge?
Despite the recent economic travails and the passage of McCain-Feingold (which takes effect after this election cycle), both the GOP and the Dems are awash in campaign cash for 2002. I’m curious to see what kind of dent McCain-Feingold puts in this sort of behavior, if only for a while.
The Dubya Motel.
Surprise, surprise. Apparently the Bushes have been having tons of big donors over for sleepovers at the White House. (Dubya’s defense is they’re not sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom, as if that makes a difference.) Let’s prep those congressional investigations, people! C’mon, Dan Burton, get a move on. Why do I have a feeling hypocrisy will remain the order of the day here?
Hillary in 2008?
With the Dem slate in 2004 already eliciting yawns from all but the Gore faithful, the Hillary in 2008 movement is growing louder. Well, that would explain why she was so eager to find a way around McCain-Feingold.
Taxpayers for Jeb.
TNR explores how Dubya’s using your money to re-elect his brother (and keep the Florida machine greased for 2004.) Amazing how little we’ve heard about this considering all the treatment the FALN clemency story got during Hillary’s run. (Speaking of Hillary, my respect for her diminished further — it was already pretty low after the “somebody should kill Nader” bit on election night — when she got in a shouting match with Russ Feingold over campaign finance reform last week. Apparently, she’s already trying to find ways around the ban.)
The People Have Spoken.
According to two recent polls, a majority of Americans think (a) Bush is owned by Corporate America and (b) Gore-Lieberman should not run again in 2004. Looks like the electorate is batting 1000 this morning.
What it Might Mean.
Congressional Quarterly analyzes the possible impact of McCain-Feingold.
Corporate Finance Reform.
Meanwhile, John McCain weighs in on the corporate scandals and calls for the resignation of SEC Chairman (Dubya flunky) Robert Pitt. (Via the swankily redesigned Medley.)
Returning Fire.
Frustrated by the FEC gutting of campaign finance reform last week, John McCain promises to hold up FEC appointments in the Senate until a more reform-sympathetic panel is appointed. Turns out Dubya’s kept a ringer on the panel a year beyond his term, Democrat Karl Sandstrom, expressly for the purpose of stifling reform. (He appointed a new Republican to the FEC in March.) Hmmm…why am I picturing Karl Rove and Mitch McConnell in a smoke-filled room?