Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:58am

5 donors supporting long-shot candidates

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By Jonathan Swan - 08/28/15 06:03 AM EDT

An Arkansas poultry tycoon sends a $3 million check to Mike Huckabee's super-PAC. A Louisiana shipping magnate gives $1 million to the group supporting Bobby Jindal. And a cowboy hat-wearing evangelical multimillionaire says he will "definitely" spend more of his money on Rick Santorum.

A small number of wealthy conservatives are funding candidates whom conventional wisdom gives no chance of becoming the Republican presidential nominee in 2016.

The Hill dug into the records of these donors in an attempt to find out what motivates their lavish support for long-shot candidates. What emerges is a complicated blend of ideology, faith, business interests and what appears to be genuine personal affection.

Candice Nelson, a professor of government at American University who studies campaign finance, said she has seen no evidence that these large gifts to struggling candidates have been motivated by favors owed.

“I think it’s ideological,” Nelson said. She also mentioned a personal thrill that comes with proximity to power. “Nobody really thinks Huckabee or Jindal is going to win the nomination… [but] it’s sort of a heady thing to be on a first-name basis and getting phone calls from people who are running for president.”

Here are five conservative mega donors who are keeping alive the hopes of lower-tier candidates:

1. Ronald Cameron: $3 million to support former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, in ninth place on the RealClearPolitics national average of polls with just 4 percent support

Net worth: Unknown
Home state: Arkansas
Business background: Owner of Mountaire Corporation, an Arkansas-based agricultural food company with farms across the United States, reportedly with annual revenues exceeding $1 billon.

Known as “Ronnie,” Cameron is an intensely private man. Arkansas Times reporter Max Brantley, who has followed Cameron’s political donations for years, says Cameron is “not a Howard Hughes-type character,” but if he’s ever been photographed at a public event in his hometown of Little Rock it was news to him. “He just makes a ton of money and lives quietly… he doesn’t turn up in the society pages.”

An Arkansas conservative who knows Cameron described him as a soft-spoken and religious man. Cameron's billing address is a small office space in Little Rock. This address is also used for the nonprofit called "Jesus Fund," to which he and his company donated more than $6 million.

If Cameron has deeper ties to Huckabee beyond a shared hometown, ideology and faith, those connections are unclear from the public record. An assistant at Mountaire said Cameron does not talk to journalists.

Cameron is reportedly a regular at donor sessions held by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch.

His $3 million donation to the pro-Huckabee super-PAC for the current presidential primary is more than triple what he had personally spent in a decade of donations to conservative groups preceding the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowed corporations and individuals to spend as much as they want on political speech.

2. Gary Chouest: $1 million to support Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, in 14^th place on the RealClearPolitics national average with 0.5 percent support.

Net worth: Unknown
Home state: Louisiana
Business background: Runs a family-owned company, Edison Chouest Offshore, a private marine transportation company

A writer for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans described Chouest as “the richest man in Louisiana that nobody knows.”

Jindal’s mega-donor is the son of Edison Chouest, a commercial shrimp fisherman who in the early 1960s, according to the Associated Press, bought a single ship and the family grew that business into a fleet that today exceeds 200 vessels.

The former minority stakeholder in the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), Gary Chouest reportedly had an NBA regulation size basketball court installed on his property in Galliano, La. estate.

For more than a decade Chouest and family members have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans.

Two longtime recipients of Chouest’s generosity are Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and the former Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, also from Alaska, where Chouest’s company has ties to the oil and gas industry.

While Chouest,clearly favors Jindal for the GOP presidential nomination, he also gave former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s super-PAC Right to Rise a $25,000. He did not return a call seeking comment for this story.

3. Kelcy L. Warren: $6 million to support former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in 12^th place on the RealClearPolitics national average with 1.3 percent support.

Net worth: $5.9 billion, according to Forbes’s latest estimate
Home state: Texas
Business background: Co-founded the pipeline company Energy Transfer Equity

Warren is the 79^th richest person in the United States, according to Forbes. A 2010 Wall Street Journal profile of Warren noted his Dallas mansion had a master bedroom requiring a security code and a “multiroom walk-in closet. ”

A music-lover, he had cabinets full of acoustic guitars and memorabilia including drumsticks signed by members of the Eagles. According to the Journal, Warren holds music festivals at his “8,000-acre ranch near Cherokee, Texas, a former exotic animal refuge where zebras, buffalo and gazelles still roam.”

FEC records show Warren has made three donations, totaling $6 million, to super-PACs supporting Perry. Warren supported Perry during his last unsuccessful run for the GOP nomination, in 2012, when he gave $250,000 to a pro-Perry super-PAC. Asked to provide comment for this story, a spokeswoman for Warren said the businessman does not discuss his donations.

But Perry’s ties to Warren go beyond politics. In June, Mother Jones broke the story that Perry was serving on the board of his major donor’s company. Energy Transfer explains the decision on its website: “The Board selected Mr. Perry to serve as a director because of his vast experience as an executive in the highest office of state government.” While it’s not public how much Perry is being paid, the SEC filing says: “Mr. Perry will be eligible to receive cash compensation for his service on the Board of Directors and equity compensation.”

4. Foster Friess: Unknown amount to support former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) in 13^th place on the RealClearPolitics national average with 1 percent support.

Net worth: Believed to be in the hundreds of millions.
Home State: Wisconsin
Business background: Mutual fund investor

When first contacted by The Hill to ask about his spending plans for the 2016 presidential campaign, an automated reply bounced back: “Foster will be absent from his email inbox until August 24^th…Foster’s focus is on helping to arm the Kurds so he will not be considering any new projects for several months.”

In a subsequent email conversation, Friess clarified that he was “not raising a private army” but was simply trying to “get our politicians to realize the Kurds are our true friends and deserve more official support.”

Friess, an evangelical Christian who is often photographed wearing cowboy hats, sees the fight against radical Islamic terrorists as the defining issue of our time. And he believes Santorum will be tougher than any of his Republican competitors on this issue.

Friess appeared on the national stage during the 2012 race, when he donated more than $2 million to a pro-Santorum super-PAC. Santorum, whom most pundits had counted out as he flagged in the early polls, ran a resurgent campaign and ended up winning the Iowa caucuses and becoming a serious challenger to Romney for the nomination.

Santorum has been written off again for 2016, but Friess says he still believes in him, though he is yet to write the multimillion-dollar checks that got him so much attention during the 2012 primaries.

“I certainly don't believe he is a lost cause any more than the other dozen candidates who are under 10% in the polls,” Friess said in an email.

Asked if he would spend more money to help Santorum win the nomination, Friess replied: “Definitely, yes.” But he was coy about how much he was willing to spend this time around.

“Your next question will be how much do I plan to spend on my wife's birthday present,” Friess replied.

5. Ronald Perelman: $500,000 to support Lindsey Graham, in 15^th place on the RealClearPolitics national average with 0.3 percent support.

Net Worth: $14.5 billion according to Forbes.
Home State: New York
Business Background: Leveraged buyouts

Graham announced in June that Perelman, a self-made billionaire, will be a national co-chair for the campaign.

“Lindsey Graham understands America’s leadership role in promoting an enduring peace on the global landscape,” Perelman said in a statement in June. “With conflicts raging in the Middle East and around the world that threaten the security of America and our allies, we need leaders with strategic purpose and moral clarity to confront these crises.”

Perelman has two horses in the 2016 race. FEC reports show that only six days after he sent $500,000 to Graham’s super-PAC he gave $500,000 to Jeb Bush’s super-PAC Right to Rise.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/252150-5-donors-supporting-lon...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:59am

August 26, 2015, 11:54 am

Conservative group releases Hillary sting video

By Bradford Richardson

A conservative group on Wednesday released an undercover video purporting to show Hillary Clinton campaign officials “skirting” state election law in Iowa.

The video was filmed secretly by a Project Veritas operative posing as a Hillary for America volunteer.

One campaign official is shown telling volunteers to ask people whether they support Clinton before offering to register them to vote, saying “we don’t want to make our focus — voter registration.”

“If you open up a conversation as like, ‘Hey, are you registered to vote?’ And they’re, like, ‘no,’ and they want to register, you have to register them,” the official says.

“And so that’s why I want to keep our primary focus on, ‘Hey, are you a Hillary supporter?’ And then if not, then great move on, you know?” she continued.

The video also depicts one volunteer putting this training into practice.

“Do you guys plan on supporting [Clinton] this coming year?” the volunteer asks two women.

“I’m sorry, I’m a fan of Bernie Sanders,” one responds.

“Another Bernie Sanders curse,” the Clinton volunteer says as he passes out campaign fliers and walks away.

The video cites Iowa election law 39A.2 (1)(b)(5), which states that “A person commits the crime of election misconduct in the first degree if the person willfully … deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive of defraud the citizens of this state of a fair and impartially conducted election process.”

A Republican field staffer who requested anonymity told TIME that asking people whether they support a certain candidate before offering to register them to vote is standard operating procedure and does not violate election law.

The Clinton campaign went on high alert last week after officials reported suspicious activity in several offices.

Project Veritas is a conservative group led by James O’Keefe that specializes in undercover sting videos.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” O’Keefe says at the end of the video, promising to release more content.

“In fact, stay tuned, Hillary, because we’re shortly going to release a stunning story of election malfeasance at the highest levels of your campaign,” O’Keefe continues. “Check your email.”

O’Keefe has previously recorded workers at the now-defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) appearing to give advice on how to run an underage sex trade. ACORN was later cleared of any wrongdoing related to the videos.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/251995-conse...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 8:05am

August 28, 2015, 07:38 am

Trump: Decision coming on GOP loyalty pledge

By Jesse Byrnes

52

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Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is weighing a pledge to support the eventual party nominee after weeks of agitation among top Republicans.

"As long as I'm treated fairly, that's all I want. And they've been really nice," Trump said Friday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," referring to officials with the Republican National Committee.

Trump told The New York Times on Thursday that if he signed the pledge, as required this year to compete in the South Carolina primary, he expects to "go up 10 or 15 percent" in polls.

“I don’t make commitments and break them,” Trump told the newspaper about forgoing an independent bid, which many Republicans have feared.

Trump kicked off widespread fears among GOP rivals and party officials in late July when he threatened a third-party run during an interview with The Hill.

The billionaire real estate tycoon doubled down as the only person during the first debate Aug. 6 to raise their hand and say they were not ready to pledge to support the eventual nominee.

Trump, who has said he wanted leverage, noted Friday that the date to rule out a bid and sign the South Carolina pledge "doesn't come due for a long time," mentioning Sept. 30.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/252157-trump-decision-soon-on-g...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:11pm

TRUMP DOES IT AGAIN!… Goes Off on CNN Reporter at Fundraiser! (VIDEO)

Jim Hoft Aug 28th,

Donald Trump did it again!

Trump held a fundraiser tonight in Norton, Massachusetts with hundreds of supporters and veterans. CNN asked the first question and asked about the few protesters outside. Trump let the CNN reporter have it!

“Well, I don’t see a lot of protesters. I see thousands of people. And there are a few protesters. And, I figured you’d ask that question because you know, that’s the way it is. CNN is terrible. CNN. Are you with CNN. Are you with CNN. You people do not cover us accurately. So they have a few protesters outside. And thousands of people. And the first question from CNN is about protesters. Yes.

The crowd loved it.

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:12pm

FOX SHOCK: Station Swamped With Massive Volume of Angry Feedback Following GOP Debate

Jim Hoft Aug 28th, 2015

Conservative viewers were furious at Megyn Kelly’s attacks on the Republican candidates during the FOX News debate.

Twitter exploded with attacks on Kelly and FOX News for the constant attacks on the Republican candidates.
Here is just one example:

Days after the debate an online petition was set up to bar Megyn Kelly from future GOP debates.

OVER 54,000 HAVE SIGNED THE PETITION–
Via Change.org:

That’s not all…

The Stump for Trump ladies went off on Megyn Kelly.

And, author Gabriel Sherman went on with Steve Malzberg on NewsMax TV Thursday. Sherman wrote The Loudest Voice in the Room in 2014 on FOX News President Roger Ailes. Today he told Malzberg that Megyn Kelly wants to go mainstream and is keeping her options open.

Sherman also described how FOX News was shocked by the volume of emails, calls, etc. the outlet received after the controversial debate.

Gabriel Sherman: In the days after the debate all of the emails and messages that FOX News was getting from their viewers were pro-Trump emails. Roger Ailes and his executives at FOX were shocked at the volume of the response. And, they really didn’t know what to do because their audience loves Trump. And yet FOX be all measures really hammered him. So they were sort of treating him with kid gloves until this interview when he came forward and questioned her vacation. That’s when they released a statement and compared him to conspiracy theories… Roger Ailes has never really faced an adversary like Donald Trump. Donald Trump doesn’t play by his rules so Ailes does not know what to do. This week he decided to come out and hit him…

Steve Malzberg: You also talk about in this piece the conspiracy theories that this is all setting up down the road the big Megyn Kelly – Donald Trump sit-down. And this is somehow being, if not coordinated, discussed by Ailes and Trump… Why is Megyn Kelly not firing back at this point?

Gabriel Sherman: Well, she, up until this point, was the fastest rising star at FOX News. She was really becoming the face of the network. And, I don’t think she wants to get down in the weeds and the gutter and play this kind of hardball politics.

Steve Malzberg: Because she’ll lose.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/08/fox-shock-station-swamped-w...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:14pm

Sanders: DNC using debates to rig primary

By Bradford Richardson

36

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) believes the Democratic Party is using its meager primary debate line-up to rig the nomination process.

“I do,” Sanders reportedly responded when asked Friday whether he agrees with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s assertion that the debate schedule is “rigged.”

The two Democratic presidential candidates were speaking at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in Minneapolis on Friday.

“This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before,” O’Malley said in his speech earlier Friday.

The DNC has drawn criticism for scheduling only four debates before the early primary states cast their votes, and six total throughout the election cycle.

DNC spokeswoman Holly Shulman defended the schedule, saying it will “give plenty of opportunity for the candidates to be seen side-by-side.”

“I’m sure there will be lots of other forums for the candidates to make their case to voters, and that they will make the most out of every opportunity,” Shulman said in a statement, according to the Washington Post.

Sanders previously said he would not agree to additional debates unless all of the Democratic presidential candidates participated.

But he has expressed concern with the number of debates.

“At a time when many Americans are demoralized about politics and have given up on the political process, I think it’s imperative that we have as many debates as possible,” Sanders said in a statement earlier this month. “I look forward to working with the DNC to see if we can significantly expand the proposed debate schedule."

“Further, I also think it is important for us to debate not only in the early states but also in many states which currently do not have much Democratic presidential campaign activity,” Sanders wrote in a letter to DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) in June.

The first Democratic Party debate will be held on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/252227-sanders-dn...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 28, 2015 at 7:16pm

August 28, 2015, 07:01 pm

Christie sent work email from private account

By Jesse Byrnes

Getty Images

GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie has criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton for using a personal email server as secretary of State, but the only identified email the New Jersey governor turned over to the state legislature last year in reponse to subpoenas came from a private email account.

Christie's email came from a Yahoo account, Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who led the investigation into the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, told The Hill.

In the email from December 2013, Christie tweaked a statement from an aide announcing the resignation of Port Authority official David Wildstein, who has since pled guilty for his role in the closures.

WNYC's Matt Katz first highlighted the private email usage. The email and others were previously released, but the email address itself was redacted. Christie's administration was scrutinized for using private email.

Christie has in recent days continued to go after Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner for avoiding scrutiny by deleting emails from her private server used while secretary of State.

"Can you imagine, if after the bridge investigation began, I came out and said, 'Oh, I've done all my business as governor on a private email server. And, I've deleted now 30,000 of those emails. But trust me none of it had to do with the bridge.' Give me a break," Christie said last week on CNN's "New Day."

"It was in the public dialogue when we were doing this investigation in late 2013, early 2014," Wisniewski said of Christie's private email use. "It didn't rise to the level of being significant until the issue of Hillary Clinton came up."

Christie has said he maintains a private email account and that no law requires state business be conducted on government email, emphasizing that Clinton handled sensitive information and deleted some of hers.

A spokesman for Christie's office, Kevin Roberts, acknowledged there is no published policy requiring employees exchange official email on state accounts.

He noted that confidential guidance to employees on email use is clear and thorough relating to generally using state-issued email accounts.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/252236-christie-sent-work-email...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 29, 2015 at 7:57am

UNBELIEVABLE! News Site Posts Picture of Donald Trump in CROSSHAIRS

August 28, 2015 by Aleister 7 Comments

After the 2011 shooting of Gabby Giffords, liberals immediately blamed Sarah Palin for creating a political map with crosshairs marking political districts which she hoped Republicans would win.

The map had absolutely nothing to do with the shooting. The shooter turned out to be a left wing loon who needed psychiatric help. Liberals were just politicizing the incident, as they always do.

America was then subjected to weeks of finger wagging from liberals who insisted that we needed a new tone in American politics.

This week, the news site Business Insider posted this story:

The South Carolina GOP has Trump in its crosshairs

One Twitter user caught them promoting the story with a picture of Donald Trump in crosshairs:

http://www.progressivestoday.com/unbelievable-news-site-posts-pictu...

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 29, 2015 at 7:58am

Trump better have excellent body guards. He is going to be a target in more way than one by nut jobs.

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 29, 2015 at 8:32am

Rasmussen: Nearly 3 in 4 Americans Think Political Correctness Is a Problem

AP Photo/Richard Shiro

by Breitbart News28 Aug 201528

Political correctness is one of the biggest arguments in favor of–and against–the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. How do Americans feel about it? A new Rasmussen poll shows a clear majority opposed.

From Rasmussen Reports:

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump during the first pre-primary debate reiterated a point he’s made throughout his campaign that “the big problem this country has is being politically correct.” Most Americans strongly agree with that sentiment.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of American Adults think political correctness is a problem in America today, while only 18% disagree. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Read the rest of the story here.

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 29, 2015 at 5:07pm

Election Group: 141 U.S. Counties Have More Registered Voters Than People

Firm says they’ll bring lawsuits if voter rolls are not purged

BY: Joe Schoffstall

A public interest law firm is threatening to bring lawsuits against more than 100 counties across the United States that appear to have more registered voters than living residents.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a law firm dedicated to election integrity based in Indiana, recently sent statutory notice letters to election officials in 141 counties putting them on notice of their discoveries. The group says if action is not taken to correct the questionable voter rolls, they will bring lawsuits against every single county on the list.

“Corrupted voter rolls provide the perfect environment for voter fraud,” said J. Christian Adams, president and general counsel of PILF. “Close elections tainted by voter fraud turned control of the United States Senate in 2009. Too much is at stake in 2016 to allow that to happen again.”

The statutory notice letters argue the counties are violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and urge them to correct the issue, claiming their voter rolls contain a substantially high amount of ineligible voters. The group used federally produced data to come to their conclusions.

“Voter rolls across America have been discovered that contain substantial numbers of ineligible voters, resulting in the possible disenfranchisement of legally eligible voters via ballot dilution that threatens to subvert the nation’s electoral process,” a sample letter sent to the counties reads.

“Based on our comparison of publicly available information published by the U.S. Census Bureau and the federal Election Assistance Commission, your county is failing to comply with Section 8 of the NVRA,” it continues. “Federal law requires election officials to conduct a reasonable effort to maintain voter registration lists free of dead voters, ineligible voters and voters who have moved away.”

“In short, your county has significantly more voters on the registration rolls than it has eligible live voters and is thus not reasonably maintaining the rolls.”

According to PILF, the 141 counties targeted for their suspicious voter rolls span across 21 states and include: Michigan (24 counties), Kentucky (18, Illinois (17), Indiana (11), Alabama (10), Colorado (10), Texas (9), Nebraska (7), New Mexico (5), South Dakota (5), Kansas (4), Mississippi (4), Louisiana (3), West Virginia (3), Georgia (2), Iowa (2), Montana (2), and North Carolina (2), as well as Arizona, Missouri, and New York (1 each).

Data provided by the group also shows that some counties have voter registration rates that exceed 150 percent.
Franklin County, located in Illinois, contains the highest voter registration rate of any county on the list at 190 percent. Franklin is followed by Pulaski County, also located in Illinois. Pulaski boasts a 176 percent voter registration rate, according to the group.

Adams said former Attorney General Eric Holder and current AG Loretta Lynch refused to enforce the law because they don’t have a problem with corrupted voter rolls.

“Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch have deliberately refused to enforce this law because they have no problem with corrupted voter rolls,” Christian Adams told the Washington Free Beacon in an email statement. “They don’t like the law, so they don’t enforce it. It’s a pattern that has come to characterize this Justice Department.”

http://freebeacon.com/issues/electio...s-than-people/

Permalink Reply by Love of Country on August 29, 2015 at 7:39pm

Donald Trump wins tea party at Nashville straw poll

Nashville, Tennessee (CNN)Donald Trump took his colorful campaign to Nashville on Saturday, where he courted a constituency that some say he is tailor-made for: the tea party.

He competed in a presidential straw poll here -- winning handily with 52% of the vote -- and addressed the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a group that boasts it was "the tea party before there was a tea party."

Trump's appearance was highly anticipated at the conservative gathering: As a candidate, he's hitting the same notes -- anger at conventional politics, contempt for Washington and distrust of special interests and lobbyists -- that propelled the tea party movement in 2010.

"You have not been treated fairly," Trump told the gathering Saturday. "You know, people talk about the tea party, and you talk about marginalized? At least I have a microphone where I can fight back. You people don't. The tea party people are incredible people. These are people who work hard and love the country and they get beat up all the time by the media."

Election 2016 and other NEWS

Replies to This Discussion

5 donors supporting long-shot candidates

Conservative group releases Hillary sting video

Trump: Decision coming on GOP loyalty pledge

TRUMP DOES IT AGAIN!… Goes Off on CNN Reporter at Fundraiser! (VIDEO)

FOX SHOCK: Station Swamped With Massive Volume of Angry Feedback Following GOP Debate

Sanders: DNC using debates to rig primary

Christie sent work email from private account

UNBELIEVABLE! News Site Posts Picture of Donald Trump in CROSSHAIRS

Rasmussen: Nearly 3 in 4 Americans Think Political Correctness Is a Problem

Political correctness is one of the biggest arguments in favor of–and against–the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. How do Americans feel about it? A new Rasmussen poll shows a clear majority opposed.

Donald Trump wins tea party at Nashville straw poll

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