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Campaign donations, 'shady sources' and the lies of the left

By Frank Salvato
web posted October 18, 2010

Many people will insist that the subject of the Democratic National Committee's attack ad – the one that takes pot-shots at Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, the US Chamber of Commerce and the GOP in general – is a dead issue; that the moment in time to "slice and dice" this most egregious media hatchet job has come and gone. Nothing could be further from the truth and here's why: This attack ad by the DNC – and John Podesta, via the Center for American Progress – makes honesty an issue in this election cycle.

Pardon me for saying so, but it is well past time that we expect honesty from not only our elected officials  but from those running for office, those raising money for those running for office, the political parties – and their surrogates, and the media, the total of the media, both the new and the decrepit. We Americans have tolerated dishonest "spin" for decades and, quite honestly, we have only ourselves to blame. If we weren't buying it, they wouldn't be selling it.

Case in point...

The Democrat National Committee launched perhaps the most ridiculous political attack of this election cycle when they unveiled their campaign strategy of claiming that Republicans, via the US Chamber of Commerce, were the beneficiaries of foreign money for their midterm election campaigns. The strategy came complete with a commercial pathetically attempting to connect Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie – both no longer engaged in any active political campaigns for the Republican Party – to the GOP fundraising effort. Newsflash for the Progressive Left: No one is buying the "it's all Bush's fault" tactic. You would be wise to "MoveOn," no pun intended.

Perhaps the most miscalculated element to this preposterously inept ploy is the accusation that Republicans are accepting foreign money via proxies to fund their midterm election campaigns. Honestly, the Democrats and Progressives have governed so poorly, so catastrophically, that if it weren't for the need for "face time" with the electorate in order to achieve a proper level of name recognition, Republicans wouldn't need to spend a dime.

As Progressives and Liberals are known to do, they are telegraphing what they themselves do onto those they wish to attack. "What?" you ask. It's true. Progressives and Liberal Democrats always accuse their opposition of doing exactly what they are doing or of what they have done.

For example, as Progressives and Liberal Democrats accused Republicans of taking money from the Chinese, the truth of the matter is that they have already engaged in that activity, and not too long ago.

In 1996, Al "Global Warming Farce" Gore got his fingers caught in the Chinese and Korean fortune cookie jar. As reported in the Washington Post:

"The Federal Election Commission disclosed yesterday it has imposed a record-setting $719,000 in fines against participants in the 1996 Democratic Party fundraising scandals involving contributions from China, Korea and other foreign sources.

"The FEC documents describe Democratic fundraisers who set specific prices for foreign nationals to make illegal campaign contributions in return for meetings with then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. A Democratic finance vice chair, for example, said organizers would have to contribute $100,000 in return for Gore's appearance at a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles.

"Those penalized included the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton-Gore campaign, the Buddhist temple and nearly two dozen people and corporations acting as conduits for illegal contributions."

Another and more recent example comes in the form of foreign-money campaign contributions coming into the Obama campaign in 2008. As reported in Israel Today Magazine:

"US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was apparently the recipient of nearly $30,000 in campaign contributions from a pair of Palestinian Arabs in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

"While recently investigating online campaign contribution logs, Pamela Geller of the blog Atlas Shrugs discovered a curious set of entries from mid-2007 showing a series of contributions from two Arab men who listed their place of residence as 'Rafah, GA.'

"Skeptical about the existence of a town in Georgia called Rafah, Geller did some digging and discovered that the contributions had in fact come from the Gaza Strip border town of Rafah.

"It is illegal for a US presidential candidate to receive contributions from non-US citizens, or to receive in excess of $2,300 from a single individual...

"The Edwan brothers [Osama, Hosam & Monir] said that they and many other Palestinians love Obama, and are confident he will be the US president to force Israel to surrender land for the birth of a Palestinian Arab state.

"When pressed about their illegal contribution, the brothers altered their story and insisted that they had not made an online donation, but had rather purchased $30,000 worth of t-shirts from the Obama campaign website."

Ms. Geller went on to say:

"But Obama pricked up his ears. He smelled trouble and while no media asked, he answered anyway. Sen. Obama's campaign immediately scrambled and contended they had returned the $33,500 in illegal contributions from Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza, despite the fact that records do not show that it was returned and the brothers said they have not received any money. Having gone through all of Obama's refunds re-designations etc, no refund was made to Hosam or Monir Edwan in the Rafah refugee camp."

Along with telegraphing their guilty deeds onto those they have targeted for smear, Progressives and Liberal Democrats routinely misrepresent legal and legitimate issues and entities, portraying them in an unfavorable light.

For example, the recent attack ad states:

"...the US Chamber of Commerce, they're shills for big business..."

The US Chamber of Commerce website explains their mission statement, in part, as:

"The US Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. More than 96% of US Chamber members are small businesses with 100 employees or fewer."

Now, let's take a look at the definition of "shill":

"...a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.; a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty..."

If the US Chamber of Commerce's primary purposes is to "represent the interests of more than 3 million businesses," how are they "shilling for big business"? The US Chamber of Commerce is supposed to support and advance all business, making the accusation that they "shill" patently absurd.

Further, the Obama Administration has achieved a true Janus face where "big business" is concerned, having cozied-up to big business and even the US Chamber of Commerce – while flamboyantly engaging in intimate relations with labor unions at the same time – to achieve Obamacare, the bailouts and the stimulus. Yet, Progressives and Liberal Democrats can look the American people straight in the eye and say that the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats aren't in bed with big business.

But perhaps the most egregious element to this assault on honesty is their contention that:

"...and they're stealing our democracy...tell the Bush crowd and the Chamber of Commerce to stop stealing our democracy..."

If the Republicans are "stealing the Democrats' democracy" we are witnessing the robbery of something that doesn't existent. In reality, what we are witnessing is the thieving of our American heritage – the rewriting of American history, and Progressives and Liberal Democrats are doing it right before our eyes and have been doing so for almost a century.

It would be impossible for Republicans, the US Chamber of Commerce and the "Bush crowd" to "steal our democracy" because we don't live in a democracy, we live in a Republic...a Republic. Say the Pledge of Allegiance and pay attention:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

But don't rely solely on the Pledge of Allegiance. Turn to our Founding Fathers:

Benjamin Rush said of democracies:

"A simple democracy...is one of the greatest of evils."

James Madison, considered the Father of the Constitution said:

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."

John Adams said:

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."

And Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland's delegates to the Constitutional Convention, wrote in his notes that at the close of the convention, as Benjamin Franklin emerged, a Mrs. Powell of Philadelphia queried, "Well, Doctor, what have we got – a Republic or a Monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A Republic, madam, if you can keep it."

I take issue with the misguided notion that the United States of America is a "democracy" for very good cause. Simply put, a democracy does not preserve the rights of the minority and is, in fact, tantamount to mob rule (to learn more about the frailties of "democracy" and how it can lead to full-blown despotism I suggest you watch the video on this page).

So, it would appear, Progressives and Liberal Democrats have a habitual problem with the truth, or at least with telling the truth. In election cycles past, this wouldn't have been an issue. James Carville and Paul Begala, and now David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and Robert Gibbs would have all been laughing it up, slapping themselves on the back in congratulations for the well-crafted rhetorical deception perpetrated on the American electorate.

But, to paraphrase a line from the comedy 48 Hours: There's a new sheriff in town, and its name is the Tea Party. Here in the "Land of the Free," we in the Tea Party take issue with liars, thieves and cheats. Judging from this attack ad, it looks like Progressives and Liberal Democrats fit that bill.

Note to the Obama team, the DNC and John Podesta over at Center for American Progress, the bona fide liars responsible for this cow manure of a political ad: The next time you plot to lie to the American people, let ACORN do it, at least they were fun to watch. ESR

Frank Salvato is the Executive Director and Director of Terrorism Research for BasicsProject.org a non-profit, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) research and education initiative. His writing has been recognized by the US House International Relations Committee and the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention. His organization, BasicsProject.org, partnered in producing the original national symposium series addressing the root causes of radical Islamist terrorism. He is a member of the International Analyst Network and has been a featured guest on al Jazeera's Listening Post. He also serves as the managing editor for The New Media Journal. Mr. Salvato has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor on FOX News Channel, and is a regular guest on talk radio including on The Captain's America Radio Show, nationally syndicated by the Phoenix Broadcasting Network and on NetTalkWorld Global Talk Radio catering to the US Armed Forces around the world. Mr. Salvato is also heard weekly on The Roth Show with Dr. Laurie Roth syndicated nationally on the USA Radio Network. His opinion-editorials have been published by The American Enterprise Institute, The Washington Times & Human Events and are syndicated nationally. He is a featured political writer for EducationNews.org and is occasionally quoted in The Federalist. Mr. Salvato is available for public speaking engagements. He can be contacted at contact@newmediajournal.us.

 

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