via WaPo -- The bundle of $2,300 and $4,600 checks that poured into Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign on March 12 came from an unlikely group of California donors: a mechanic from D&D Auto Repair in Whittier, the manager of Rite Aid Pharmacy No. 5727, the 30-something owners of the Twilight Hookah Lounge in Fullerton.
[...]
Donors reached by phone or interviewed in person declined to explain who asked them to make the contributions.
Ibrahim Marabeh, who is listed in public records as a Rite Aid manager, at first denied that he wrote any political checks. He then said he was asked by "a local person. But I would like not to talk about it anymore." Neither he nor his wife is registered to vote, but the two donated $4,600 to Clinton and $4,600 to Giuliani in December.
At the Twilight Hookah Lounge, owned by Nadia and Shawn Abdalla, patrons smoke tobacco flavored with honey and fruit from a menu that includes the strawberry-flavored Sex on the Beach and the strong, orange-flavored Fuzzy Navel.
The Abdallas, who are not registered to vote, said in an interview that they recalled writing a check to an organization in Miami, because a person with that organization was a friend of their mother's. They said they could not remember his name.
Nader, 39, and Sahar Alhawash, 28, of Colton, Calif, who at one point ran the Avon Village Liquor store, donated a total of $18,400 to Giuliani, Clinton and McCain between December and March. About 80 people in the country made such large contributions to all three, and most were wealthy business executives, such as Donald Trump. The Alhawashes declined to comment about the donations. Abdullah Abdullah, a supervisor at several Taco Bell restaurants in the Riverside area, and his wife have donated $9,200 to McCain.
Reached at work, Abdullah said he knows little about the campaign. "I have no idea. I'll be honest with you," he said. "I'm involved in the restaurant business. My brother Faisal recommended John McCain. Whenever he makes a recommendation, we do it."
Faisal Abdullah, 49, said he helped organize all of the contributions from members of his family. When he was asked who solicited the contributions from him, he said: "Why does it matter who? I'm telling you we made the contribution. We funneled it through the channel in Florida because that's the contact we had. I was responsible for collecting it."
8.07.2008
McCain Donors Give 'til It [Should] Hurt
You can't say John Dubya McCain doesn't elicit big-time campaign donations from some decidedly small-time supporters...
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If there's fraud here then the Obama camp is full of it too! Bundling is a fact of campaigning.Now for some background accuracy:
ReplyDeleteMcCain and the troops need people like Mr. Sargeant. First of all, Mr. Sargeant is a good friend with King Abdullah of Jordan. It is important for the stability of the region to have strong relations with buffer states such as Jordan. Without international businessmen such as Mr. Sargeant, where would we be in the region? Jordan is a buffer state that borders Iraq, Syria and Israel. I’d say it’s critical that we have great relations with Jordan and critical that a man who could be the next President stay close with those responsible for the tight relationships. Senator Obama would be well advised to have a conversation with Mr. Sargeant.
Secondly, IOTC is supplying fuel for the coalition forces and no doubt supports McCain because he’s a fellow fighter pilot, republican, patriot, and strong on U.S. presence in the Middle East, not to mention ensuring the region is well balanced. Mr. Sargeant aligns himself with strength - strength is what’s required and McCain demonstrates that strength. Who else would a Marine Corps fighter pilot such as Sargeant support?
1. At the end of the day, what’s wrong with bundling contributions?
Answer: Nothing – both campaigns are doing it.
2. What’s wrong with winning a contract when your not the lowest bidder, but you are the only company that meets the specifications of the contract as stipulated by the Department of Defense?
Answer: Nothing. The DESC has continually said that IOTC is doing a remarkable job under difficult circumstances.
3. What’s wrong with switching teams after the candidate that you supported (Rudolph W. Giuliani) dropped out?
Answer: Nothing. Rudolph W. Giuliani was strong on terrorism and so is John McCain. Mr. Sargeant, again – a military man, obviously supports those who are strong on terrorism. No doubt, he contributed to Mrs. Clinton for that very same reason and I doubt if Mr. Carvel or Terry McAuliffe had a problem with that.
4. What’s wrong with the statement: “Some of the most prolific givers in Sargeant’s network live in modest homes in Southern California’s Inland Empire?”
Answer: Plenty. It doesn’t make the least bit of sense. As the Republican Party’s Finance Chairman for the State of Florida, Mr. Sargeant’s network is going to include a multitude of wealthy Republicans that donate to the Republican party of Florida and of the national campaigns.
This is a lot to do about nothing.
What's wrong this story is that a key facet of McCain's allure is his alleged devotion to campaign finance reform and hence legitimate, above-board, transparent funding sources.
ReplyDeleteThe use of these middle-to-lower-middle class donors is disingenuous at best -- and perhaps downright illegal under legislation co-written by one John Dubya McCain.
When the candidate -- any candidate really, but in this case McCain -- is receiving big money donations from people without the financial means to do so, our suspicions are raised. When the candidate is receiving indisputably large donations (in the tens of thousands of dollars!) from people who have never even voted before, well, our suspicions are raised. When a woman who rents an apartment in Queens and drives a 1993 Buick gives more than $60,000 to John McCain, our suspicions are raised.
The cynical polticial calculus of which you speak in your opener and in points 1-3 is just the sort of thing that makes politics such a dirty game.
Now you're trying to paint Obama with the same dirty brush. There's a reason Sargeant supports McCain, and it doesn't have didley to do with McCain being a "fighter pilot." It has everything to do with McCain being a part of Washington's moneied-class. One can barely call McCain a hypocrite, it's so plainly etched into his campaign.