But there are plenty of other PACs that do that too - I mean, there’s a reason that ActBlue allows splits like that. Overall, this brings in more money for candidates - people who might have clicked on a link to just donate directly to Avenatti are instead spending half the money on Beto directly. You may believe that his PAC is itself is shady, but that doesn’t make split donations shady. And you don’t really have any evidence the PAC is shady other than that it’s run by him and he set it up recently.
Avenatti certainly acts like a con man and I guess all con men are now compared to Trump (though there’s a lot of daylight between promoting the claims of sexual assault victims and demanding that the US build a giant fucking wall on the Mexico border). It’s a facile comparison that really has very little going for it other than, “he’s breaking norms!”
I don’t support the guy, I don’t want him to be President, I don’t think he speaks for Democrats, but I also think there’s a presumption of shadiness that I really don’t understand. Other than his carnival barker-like attitude and his slicked-back hair, what has he done to earn comparison to a hateful, racist, misogynist with a long history of defrauding creditors and outright theft from contractors?
This seems like an unethical use of money unless the person is ending their campaign, doesn’t it? I mean, people who give money to Beto or Brown could have just given it to Rosen or Sinema or the DSCC if they wanted to, so for the candidate to decide the money that specific went to help them win is better used helping someone else win seems like a form of bait and switch.
That said, it’s not like the money disappears after the election - they could push the leftovers into the DSCC (though this is also a bit suspect, IMO) or into a re-election / next election campaign if they start one soon enough, right? So, for example, couldn’t Beto decide he’s better off saving some of that money to fund a two year campaign against John Cornyn (or Donald Trump)?
If you are donating to a candidate, you are essentially giving the candidate a certain amount of carte blanche to use the money as he or she sees fit, within the bounds of campaign spending and finance laws.
Especially the way he just conveniently breaks down into a puddle of guilt in the last scene, upon witnessing the selfless sacrifice of our hero Mr. Smith.
CraigM
5122
Ok, yes, this is certainly true.
But I find the laws governing campaign financing and spending to be offensive and odious. However shuffling money like that wouldn’t crack the top 10 of worst things about it, maybe not even 25.
Agree with this. He’s certainly a self-promoter, but who has he cheated?
In 2015 the WI Supreme Court halted an investigation into Scott Walker’s staff coordinating with a dark money group and sealed the findings. (Walker has characterized the probe as a “political witch hunt” designed to intimidate his allies. A witch hunt, imagine that.)
It’s only be happenstance that those documents managed to come out. Here’s a screen grab from a Walker staff email during his recall election:
But free speech, amirite?
As the POV: Dark Money PBS piece aptly proves, the monied elite don’t bother spending on lobbying any longer. Instead they just buy politicians who will vote the way they want. The take over of American democracy by corporate interests has been the goal since the Powell memo in the early '70s, and it reached fruition with Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court. As it turns out, bigotry, misogyny and xenophobia appeals to just enough of the American electorate to keep them in power.
The damage is done. We no longer have anything resembling a democracy. trump is the gateway drug, and now Republicans know exactly what they can get away with - which is, to be precise, anything.
Timex
5125
No, it’s a comparison based on the fact that the reason folks like him are exactly the same infantile rains that Trump’s supporters like him
“He’s a fighter!”
He appeals to the simple minded
RichVR
5126
PSA. If you live in Florida and haven’t registered to vote, you are part of the problem. By not registering you have fucked the rest of us.
For whatever reason, the NRCC still continues to pour money into the VA-10, despite the fact that a poll in the Washington Post today found Comstock (who is vile) trailing by 12 in an LV screen. (She actually does better–only down 11–in a RV screen, such is blue enthusiasm in a once-purple district.) Pair that Post poll with the ongoing NYT/Siena poll (not final yet, but Comstock trailing by 10) and this is a big “Thank You” to the NRCC for throwing $2-4 million into this money pit.
Paul Ryan’s powerful CLF PAC just triaged this district, btw. No more money for Comstock from them.
For whatever reason I found this parenthetical snark super funny.
She’s a former Kavanaugh krony who was part of the Vince Foster oppo research nonsense, among other things in the 1990s.
That is pretty vile. I was surprised when she won our district in 2016 after Trump lost Loudoun County so bigly. Will be good to finally get rid of her.
This is clever. Up to 47,000 retweets.
These are tremendous numbers for Democrats if they’re even slightly within the MOE.
Still, take it with a grain of salt. 65% of all registered voters in their October 2014 poll said they were “almost certain to vote”. In November, 2014, just 36.4% of registered voters voted, the lowest voter turnout for a midterm since WWII.
Oghier
5133
If that poll is even close, it’ll be a very blue November.
It also kind of demonstrates why we’re not seeing the fall-off that we typically see for Democrats between voter screens when they switch from registered voters (RV) to likely voters (LV).
More interesting tidbits from that Post-ABC poll this AM, including a congressional generic ballot preference of 53-42 to Democrats (that combined total suggests they “pushed” leaners to answer).
Apparently good ol’ Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey maxxed out his personal contribution limits to both Steve King (the anti-immigration, white supremacist representative from Iowa) and Dana Rohrabacher in California.
If you were looking for another reason to despise Palmer Luckey…well…
Yup, 2014 was one disappointing election year.
