Showing posts with label Democratic Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democratic Party. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Stagecraft President Stages More Political Kabuki

Oops, he did it again.  President Obama is already on record with a number of news organizations for carefully stage-crafting town hall meetings with well-placed planted questions.  There were many such events during the health care "debate."  Here's but one example.

Of course, the President and his team insist that it's all just great luck.  Uh huh, right.



The latest example is the planted question by a well-connected, big-money donor to the Democratic Party at a town hall meeting scheduled staged at LinkedIn.  Uncharacteristically, the President had a well-thought-out, eloquent, impromptu answer, all without the aid of a teleprompter.

The man who asked the staged question was Doug Edwards, a former Google marketing executive and author of "I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59".

The media, of course, lapped it up.

Surprisingly, I saw little follow up investigation by the media.  Who was this guy?  What would prompt him to ask such a question?  What's his angle?

Well, according to campaign finance disclosures for "Doug Edwards" and "Douglas Edwards" of Los Altos, CA and Campbell, CA, the esteemed Mr. Campbell graciously donated some $465,682 to various political causes between 2004 and 2012.  Amazingly, every single recipient is either a member of the Democratic Party or associated with the Democratic Party.  What are the odds?

Despite residing in California, Mr. Edwards' generosity extended to a variety of other states, including Montana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.  Similarly, over $144,000 went to ActBlue, a money-laundering organization for the Democratic Party who bills themselves as "the online clearinghouse for Democratic action."  According to OpenSecrets.org, who tracks campaign spending at the national level, ActBlue is the #1 top all-time political donor with 99% of their money going to Democrats and 0% going to Republicans.

Mr. Edwards' biggest benefactors include:
  • ActBlue (money-launderer for the Democratic Party): $144,100
  • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC): $73,900
  • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC): $68,900
  • Gillibrand for Senate (Democrat): $12,000
  • Ohio Democratic Party: $10,000 
You can find a detailed list of Mr. Edwards' political contributions here.  The few apparent duplicated contributions are because of simultaneous contributions to both primary and general election campaigns, given on the same date.  It is more difficult to find spending records for the state level, but records show that Mr. Edwards spent at least $14,500 across California, Wisconsin, and Iowa.  Some of his ActBlue spending may actually be for state candidates.

Mr. Edwards is also a public member of the self-proclaimed "Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength".

In a few cases, Mr. Edwards' donated the maximum legal amount to various campaigns--well, the maximum legal amount unless you happen to be married.  Then, your wife can also contribute to the cause.

Mr. Edwards has indeed married very well. His amazingly bright and talented wife, Kristen, has a Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford, degrees from Brown University and Middlebury College, and even studied at the Leningrad State University in the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, before it later became Saint Petersberg State University.

According to public campaign records, "Kristen Edwards" of Los Altos, CA gave another $113,400 to the Democratic Party and its causes.

Mrs. Edward's biggest benefactors include:
  • ActBlue (money-launderer for the Democratic Party): $33,100
  • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC): $28,500
You can find a detailed list of Mrs. Edwards' political contributions here.  State donations are more difficult to track, but Mrs. Edwards spent at least $9,500 in California.  Some of her ActBlue spending may actually be for state candidates.

Ironically, the Edwards' don't need action from the President of the United States or even from the ineffectual U.S. Congress to increase their tax burden.  The Edwards' can contribute more of their money to taxes now, of their own free will, without waiting for the government to act.  Here's how.

Useful Information for Under-taxed Individuals
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/09/useful-information-for-under-taxed.html

So, we are left with a few possible conclusions:
  1. The President is the luckiest man on the planet and just happened to call on someone in the audience who just happens to agree completely with the President's stance on taxation and his job bill.
  2. That the Democratic Party really isn't the crack, money-making machine that we all believed and the President had no idea that someone who's family gave over $500,000 to the Party, over multiple years, across multiple states, was in the audience.  Me?  I give a minor amount to one Democratic Party candidate and I'm on their mailing list forever!
  3. The President and his handlers have little respect for the intelligence of the American public or the American press.
See also ...
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Monday, October 18, 2010

A Fake Tea Party Group Appears in Nevada

[updated 24-OCT-2010]

While listening to The Jerry Doyle Show via the web from a Las Vegas radio station KDWN, I heard a political advertisement from a supposed Tea Party group against Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle and supporting another candidate named Scott Ashjian. The group called themselves The Patriot Majority PAC, which certainly sounds like a Tea Party organization. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Patriot Majority has spent over $831,000 against Sharron Angle as of October 15, 2010.

Here is an audio clip of the ad, although this one is slightly different than the one that I heard. This is the raw feed, including the preamble information probably used by the radio station.

Having never heard of the group, I searched for them on OpenSecrets.org. I found little available yet, except for a blog post, describing the organization (look for the group's logo). OpenSecrets.org also lists the independent expenditures so far. There is a well-funded 527 organization with a similar name with significant contributions in 2010 and 2008 from AFSCME and SEIU.

Okay, so now it's off to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) web site.

According to required financial disclosures, The Patriot Majority PAC received nearly $2 million as of 23-OCT-2010.

Looking through the FEC disclosures, I find the following major contributors of $10,000 or more.

3. Guy David Gundlach: $300,000
4. MGM Resorts and MGM Mirage: $300,000
9. Carpenter's Legislative Improvement Committee, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners: $60,000
10. San Pablo Lytton Casino (San Pablo, CA): $50,000
11. Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) PAC: $20,000

According to FEC filings, The Patriot Majority PAC "committee will not use those funds to make contributions, whether direct, in-kind, or via coordinated communications, to federal candidates or committees." It's funny how everybody aware of the system knows that this is baloney.

Let's look again at the major donors. More than a few are associated with major labor unions that are listed on the OpenSecrets.org list of major political donors, known as the Heavy Hitters list. Here are a few examples.
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is #11 on the Heavy Hitters list with 95% of their contributions going to Democrats.
  • American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is #13 on the Heavy Hitters list with 98% of their contributions going to Democrats.
  • American Association for Justice (AAJ) is #6 on the Heavy Hitters list with 90% of their contributions going to Democrats.
  • United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners is #12 on the Heavy Hitters list with 89% of their contributions going to Democrats.
What about individual donors? Do they primarily donate to Democrats?
  • According to OpenSecrets.org, Guy David Gundlach, who gave $300,000 to The Patriot Majority, also gave $2,400 to Harry Reid's campaign (the maximum legally allowed) and $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Nevada. Harry Reid is the incumbent Senator in Nevada running against Sharron Angle. A person of the same name also gave $2,400 to Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, a Democrat, but the donation was from a California address. Likewise, Guy David Gundlach also gave $12,400 to the Reid Nevada Fund (see page 28, first contributor).
  • According to OpenSecrets.org, VoteVets.org gives exclusively to Democrats in 2010 and primarily to Democrats in 2008.
  • According to Influence Explorer, Clean Energy Fuels Corporation gives primarily to Republicans, but has supported Harry Reid.
  • According to Influence Explorer, Harrah's Entertainment, which may be different than Harrah's Operating Company, is a major contributor to Harry Reid.
  • According to Influence Explorer, MGM Mirage was a major donor to both Senator Harry Reid and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, although their political contributions were fairly evenly balanced between parties.
  • One strange member of the list is the San Pablo Lytton Casino in California, which is apparently part of the Lytton Rancheria Of California. I'm not sure what interest they have in this fight other than the casino owners obviously have connections to Nevada casinos.
I also looked up to see who owns the web domain for The Patriot Majority.

The site is registered to "Craig Varoga" with an "independentstrategies.com" E-mail address. Craig Varoga is also the Treasurers name for the FEC filings. Who is Craig Varoga? According to the Independent Strategies web site ...

Craig Varoga is a national political strategist whose presidential experience includes managing former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s campaign for president, serving as national field director for retired Four Star General Wesley Clark, managing the Texas Truth Squad in 2000 and running the state-research program for the Clinton-Gore re-election. ... During the 1990s, Varoga served as communications director to Senator Harry Reid .... Partner at Varoga & Associates and founder of the Patriot Majority, Varoga writes a monthly column ("Ask the Campaign Doctor") for Campaigns & Elections magazine.
But still, who is Craig Varoga? According to a Michelle Malkin post from April, 2010.
Before them, it was Craig Varoga--a shady Democrat political operative and overseer of a convoluted, money-shuffling web of 527s. He launched TheTeaPartyisOver.org in January to target Republicans who supported the Tea Party movement and to prevent the "radical" and "dangerous" fiscal accountability agenda from "gaining legislative traction."
Joseph Abrams also wrote about Craig Varoga and friends back in February, 2010.
Here's how it works: What appears like a local groundswell is in fact the creation of two men -- Craig Varoga and George Rakis, Democratic Party strategists who have set up a number of so-called 527 groups, the non-profit election organizations that hammer on contentious issues (think Swift Boats, for example).

Varoga and Rakis keep a central mailing address in Washington, pulling in soft money contributions from unions and other well-padded sources to engage in what amounts to a legal laundering system. The money -- tens of millions of dollars -- gets circulated around to different states by the 527s, which pay for TV ads, Internet campaigns and lobbyist salaries, all while keeping the hands of the unions clean -- for the most part.
...
And this whitewash is entirely legal, say election law experts, who told FoxNews.com that this arrangement more or less the norm in Washington.

"It's not illegal but it is, I think, dishonest on the part of the organizations," said Paul Ryan, a legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. "And there's a reason they do it: they know voters don't like outsiders coming in to sway the vote."
...
Outside of that firm, the center of their activity appears to be a single office in Southeast D.C. -- 300 M Street, Suite 1102 -- which plays host to a sprawling political shell game they have established.

Public records show at least seven political shops listed in Suite 1102, most of which are essentially clones of one another, but all of which have offered money -- from measly thousands to game-changing millions -- in state-level elections across the country:
The APPC, which developed the anti-tea party ads, has gotten all of its money for 2010 from Patriot Majority and from Citizens for Progress, which is also called Patriot Majority West.
The 300 M Street, Suite 1102, Washington DC address appears to be the current address for political law firm Sandler Reiff & Young and for business law and litigation firm Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler. The "Sandler" in both firms are cousins Paul Mark Sandler of Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler and Joseph E. Sandler of Sandler Reiff & Young. Paul Mark Rosen of Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler has been involved in high-profile campaign law cases.

USA Today: "Feds probe for Clinton campaign violations", October, 2004.

Talk about Astroturf, I'm calling this one TOTALLY BUSTED! on The Patriot Majority. By all measures, this is a sham Tea Party group and is purposefully deceptive. Anybody from The Patriot Majority care to refute these findings? For you Sarah Palin fans, refute means refudiate. :-)

Source Data
See also ...

NEW: OpenSecrets.org, "Shape-Shifting by Liberal Dark Money Groups Seems Meant to Confuse"

 Center for Public Integrity, "Craig Varoga"








Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Reid, Angle even on campaign cash"


MSNBC (30-MAR-2010)





SF Weekly, "Jackpot: How four tiny Indian tribes, with help from powerful gambling interests, are trying to transform the Bay Area into a slot machine Mecca," October 27, 2004. Article about the Lytton Casino and Indian gaming in California.


Craig Varoga, Varoga & Associates: This site looks nearly identical to the Independent Strategies web site.
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Monday, September 13, 2010

Proposition 27 Revealed!

[NOTE: This is a work in progress, updated last on 3-NOV-2010, 10:15 AM. Revision history at end.]

THANK YOU Californians! Together, we defeated this naked power grab by the party and politicians currently in power. Proposition 27 failed by nearly a 60% margin!

SUMMARY:

  • Proposition 27 appears on the November 2010 ballot in California.
  • If passed, Proposition 27 would essentially eliminate the redistricting reforms created by 2008's Proposition 11 and return the responsibility of redrawing political boundaries back to the California State Legislature.
  • The California Legislature is dominated by members of a single political party with nearly a 2-to-1 majority.
  • Every major California newspaper recommends NO on PROPOSITION 27.
  • In an apparent naked power grab, twenty-six (26) self-serving incumbent Californian politicians, all Democrats, support and fund the committee in favor of Proposition 27.
  • The list of politicians includes the current U.S. Speaker of the House and both the current and former Speakers of the California Assembly.
  • Many of the U.S. Congressional Representatives on the list are also members of the Congresional Progressive Caucus, who typically represent the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.
  • Big-money donors to the Democratic party are major contributors, including a $2,000,000 ($2 MILLION) donation from billionaire media mogul Haim Saban. Controversial billionaire investor George Soros is also a major contributor. At least four billionaires have contributed.
  • Labor unions, a traditional ally of the Democratic Party, are also major contributors, including $1,250,000 ($1.25 MILLION) from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, $1 MILLION from the American Federation of Teachers union, and $500,000 from a front organization for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners union, and $200,000 from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
  • Many of the poltician's campaigns are also directly funded by the same unions.
  • The California Democratic Party also contributed $375,000.
  • Many of those funding Proposition 27 also funded the campaign against the 2005 redistricting reform, or No on Prop. 77.

THE DETAILS:

Remember when the Democratic Party represented the common man? Remember when the Democratic Party fought to empower "The People"? Remember when the Democratic Party fought against the big money that corrupts politics? California's ballot Proposition 27 reveals the true face of the modern California Democratic Party, currently dominated by Progressives! The hypocrisy behind Proposition 27 is staggering, even by California standards.

What is Proposition 27? According to the California Legislative Analyst's Office, it is designed to block the necessary reforms mandated by an earlier ballot proposition, Proposition 11. Proposition 11 empowers a balanced, non-partisan Citizens Redistricting Commission to redraw the highly-Gerrymandered political districts in California.

Why did Californians pass Proposition 11 that created the Citizens Redistricting Commission?

  • Many California citizens felt that their state assembly and senate districts were Gerrymandered by Legislators to ensure that incumbent politicians were guaranteed re-election in non-competitive elections.
  • Many citizens felt that public-employee and union money unduly influenced California's elections and Legislators.
  • Many citizens wanted control for drawing political districts removed from the Legislature and placed in the hands of a non-partisan citizens commissions.

The people and organizations that are financing support for Proposition 27 are a very interesting and revealing mix of the Democratic Party establishment, incumbent California Democratic politicians, labor unions, and secretive big-money donors to ... you guessed it ... the Democratic Party.

The list of donors supporting Proposition 27 is available here and is updated as public-disclosure forms are filed.

http://www.electiontrack.com/lookup.php?committee=1323672

Here is another source for the same information, courtesy of the California Secretary of State.

http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1323672&session=2009&view=late1

Democratic Party Establishment

The California Democratic Party contributed directly to support Proposition 27. Why? Because the Democratics apparently have the most to lose in free and fair elections. The party has carefully cobbled together a financing support network with various labor interests.

Democratic State Central Committee of California

  • $375,000 contribution
Incumbent California Democratic Politicians

Which incumbent Democratic politicians are attempting to protect their political careers in open contradiction to the will of the people? The list includes the current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and the both the current and former Speakers of the California Assembly.

Many of these same politicians are heavily funded by the unions that are funding support for Proposition 27, as listed later. Many of the Congressional Representatives on the list are also members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, whom represent the left-wing of the Democratic Party, known simply as the Progressives.

Why are incumbent politicians funding Proposition 27? They want the old, pre-Proposition 11 redistricting process back to protect their political careers. In an interview with the Orange Counter Register during the 2001 California redistricting process, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, sister of Proposition 27 funder Rep. Linda Sanchez, explained how the gerrymandering system worked:
"Twenty thousand [dollars] is nothing to keep your seat. I spend $2 million [dollars campaigning] every year. If my colleagues are smart, they'll pay their $20,000, and Michael [Berman, brother of Proposition 27 funder Howard Berman] will draw the district they can win in. Those who have refused to pay? God help them."

U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D), 8th Congressional District
U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra, (D), 31st Congressional District
U.S. Congressman Howard Berman (D), 28th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps (D), 23rd Congressional District
  • Friends of Lois Capps: $10,000
  • IBEW, AFSCME, Carpenters & Joiners, Operating Engineers, AFT, and fire fighter unions are major contributors
  • WhoRunsGov.com profile for Lois Capps
  • Also contributed to No on Prop. 77
  • The CA-23 district map is perhaps the best example of a highly-Gerrymandered district, covering just select coastal communities. The district is 200 miles long and only 100 yards wide in some places. Voters joke that it sometimes disappears during high tide.
U.S. Congresswoman, Judy Chu (D), 32nd Congressional District
  • TruePAC - Concerned Citizens including Judy Chu to Support Proposition 27: $125,000
  • Judy Chu for Congress: $10,000
  • Possible connections to another $90,000 from the Californians for Trust, Responsibility, Unity, and Empowerment PAC listed below
  • Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
  • AFT, Carpenters & Joiners, AFSCME, IBEW, and Operating Engineers unions are major contributors
  • WhoRunsGov.com profile for Judy Chu
  • Spouse of California Assemblyman Mike Eng, who also funds Proposition 27
  • The CA-32 district map also shows signs of Gerrymandering
U.S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D), 14th Congressional District
U.S. Congressman Sam Farr (D), 17th Congressional District
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda (D), 15th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), 9th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D), 16th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D), 5th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D), 37th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D), 34th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D), 39th Congressional District
U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff (D), 29th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D), 12th Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Diane Watson (D), 33rd Congressional District
U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D), 6th Congressional District
U.S. Congressman George Miller (D), 7th Congressional District
State Senator Alex Padilla (D), 20th State Senate District
  • Padilla for Senate: $39,000
  • California 2020 Senator Alex Padilla's Ballot Measure Committee: $21,572
  • AFSCME and California Pipe Trades Council unions are major contributors
California Assembly Speaker, John A. Perez (D), 46th Assembly District
  • Current California Assembly Speaker
  • Building California's Future: John A. Perez Ballot Measure Committee: $49,000
  • California Pipe Trades Council and California Operating Engineers unions are major contributors
Assemblywoman Karen Bass (D), 47th Assembly District
Assembly Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D), 40th Assembly District
  • Bob Blumenfield for Assembly 2010: $85,000
  • California Pipe Trades and Carpenters unions are major contributors
Assemblyman Charles Calderon (D), 58th Assembly District
  • Charles Calderon for Assembly 2010: $100,000
  • California Pipe Trades unions are major contributors
Assemblyman Mike Eng (D), 49th Assembly District
Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D), 39th Assembly District
  • Felipe Fuentes Reform California Ballot Measure Committee: $20,000
  • Fuentes for Assembly 2010: $10,000
  • California Pipe Trades unions are major contributors
Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D), 14th Assembly District
  • Skinner for Assembly 2010: $30,000
  • Electrical Workers, California Pipe Trades, and Operating Engineers are major contributors
Assemblyman Bill Monning (D), 39th Assembly District
  • Friends of Bill Monning: $5,000
  • California Pipe Trades, Electrical Workers, Firefighters, and Teachers unions are major contributors
Labor Unions, a Traditional Ally of California Democrats

The following labor unions are long-time allies of California Democrats and heavily fund the campaigns of the incumbent Democrats listed above. Among the California Congressional Representatives listed, these unions contributed nearly $3.8 million to their campaigns during their careers.

(also view spreadsheet at http://www.editgrid.com/user/soquel_by_the_creek/proposition_27_congress_union_contributions)


American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Carpenters and Joiners Union
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
International Association of Fire FightersElectrical Workers Unions (IBEW)

Various Electrical Workers unions contributed over $150,000 combined. According to OpenSecrets.org, IBEW contributed over $780,000 to the California Congressional Representatives listed above and is a Top-20 donor to all but two members.
  • The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a member union of the AFL-CIO
  • California State Association of Electrical Workers: $50,000
  • International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) Educational Committee: $50,000
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local No. 47: $50,000
  • The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is #6 on the top campaign contributors list, contributing 97% of their member's money to Democrats
  • OpenSecrets.org information page for IBEW
  • Also contributed to No on Prop. 77
Pipe Trade Unions
Teamsters Union
Big Money Contributors to the Democratic Party

The following list is especially ironic given President Obama's apparent concern about groups like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Koch brothers. Is the President more comfortable with this group? Why are so many out-of-state people and organizations attempting to influence California's elections? Oh, the hypocrisy of it all.

Many of the individual donors to Proposition 27 are also big-money contributors to various Democratic Party organizations such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), headed by Speaker Pelosi, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these individuals are also big-money donors to former-President Clinton's foundation. Similarly, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Harold Ickes were chief organizers of the so-called Shadow Democratic Party and Louise Gund and Fred Eychaner are probable members due to their heavy funding of 527 political organizations that fund Democrat Party causes.

I am an unabashed supporter of Israel. Consequently, I am surprised by many of the pro-Israel connections to the Yes on Proposition 27 effort. I had never heard of Haim Saban until I began researching this article. Surprisingly, many of the incumbent Democrat politicians supporting Proposition 27, in my opinion, do not necessarily support Israel. Howard Berman is perhaps unique in his public support for Israel. For the other politicians, perhaps the pro-Israel lobby hopes to develop a relationship similar to the labor unions. The incumbent Democrats listed above have provided certain political services in return for continued campaign contributions from labor unions. Regardless, I hope this recent trend does not indicate that the Israelis want to influence California state politics!

This following list only includes individuals contributing more than $20,000 as of 30-SEPT-2010. Only contributions exceeding $50,000 are highlighted in red. There are other smaller contributors listed here. The individuals are listed from largest contribution, downward.

Haim Saban
Louise Gund
Peter G. Angelos
George Soros
Edith Wasserman
    Fred Eychaner
    Steven S. Myers
    • $100,000 contribution
    • CEO/Chairman of Dolphin Capital Holdings, Inc.
    • Former CEO of SM&A, a firm that works with companies on government procurement and projects
    • Forbes profile on Steven S. Myers
    • CorporationWiki profile on Steven S. Myers
    • The Full Wiki profile on Steven Myers
    • CampaignMoney.com profile on Steven Myers
    • Contributed $60,400 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2010
    • Contributed $30,400 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2010
    Steven R. Zax
    • See $100,000 contribution from Zenith Insurance Company below
    Jack C. Bendheim
    Joseph W. Cotchett
    Kathryn Hall
    C. Paul Johnson
    Stephen Grand
    George M. Marcus
    Stewart ResnickLloyd Thomas Galloway
    Corporate Contributors

    Zenith Insurance Company
    Thirty-O-Seven, Inc.
    Political Action Committees (PACs)

    The following political action committees (PACs) also made contributions, but are not directly associated with either the politicians or unions listed above. The $125,000 from TruePAC was directly associated with Congesswoman Judy Chu.

    Californians for Trust, Responsibility, Unity, and Empowerment PAC
    • $90,000 contribution
    • There is no web site for this PAC
    • Bill Wong, the PAC contact person of record, was former Chief of Staff to Judy Chu when she was a California Assemblywoman. Judy Chu is now a U.S. Congressional Representative
    • Bill Wong, the PAC contact person of record, was Legislative Director to Mike Honda when he was in the California Assembly. Mike Honda is now a U.S. Congressional Representative
    • Bill Wong, the PAC contact person of record, was Chief of Staff and Press Secretary to then State Senator Hilda Solis. Hilda Solis is currently the U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration
    • Judy Chu and Mike Honda are current members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
    • Hilda Solis was a former chairperson of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
    Solidarity PAC
    Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
    Déjà vu All Over Again (No on Proposition 77)

    I am sure that it is just an amazing coincidence, but many of those funding Proposition 27 also funded the 2005 redistricting ballot initiative, Proposition 77. Proposition 77 was a previous attempt at redistricting reform that failed at the ballot box. Proposition 77 differed in many ways from Proposition 11, approved by voters in 2008.

    It is interesting that the same names and coalitions arrayed against redistricting reform in 2005 are allied again in 2010 for Proposition 27, whose aim is to eliminate the Proposition 11 reforms.

    Here are some of the other strange and amazing coincidences between Proposition 27 and 2005’s Proposition 77.

    Note to Reader
    • I ask for your NO vote on Proposition 27. Other groups not only advocate for NO on Proposition 27 but also for YES on Proposition 20, which would allow the Citizens Redistricting Commission to redraw the U.S. Congressional districts for California. I have not yet determined my position on Proposition 20.
    • I attempt to be fair and accurate in presenting this information and provide links to my references. If you find an error or believe that I am unfairly presenting the information based on available facts, please let me know via the comments section and I will review the specific information. I will post all comments about corrections unless you specifically ask me not to post your comment.
    • If you know of other information that I am missing on this post, please let me know via the comments section.
    Background Information
    Revision History
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