Month: October 2013

California hammers Sean Noble’s ‘Kochtopus’ dark money organizations

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

California's political watchdog, the Fair Political Practices Commission, has ordered "Kochtopus" front groups in Arizona that laundered campaign donations for two California political committees last year to forfeit the money to the state, and imposed fines totalling $1 million. Arizona GOP political consultant Sean Noble was the "Kochtopus" bag man for the Phoenix based Center to Protect Patient Rights, and is at the center of this political corruption.

The Los Angeles Times reports, Big penalties but limited disclosure in secret campaign donor case:

Screenshot from 2013-10-25 06:22:06California political campaign committees that received money from a
secretive network of conservative nonprofits last year, including $11
million from an obscure Arizona group, face hefty penalties from state
regulators  . . . The penalties are equivalent to the amount of political donations that California officials say was not properly disclosed.

A second committee, the
California Future Fund for Free Markets, that backed the anti-union
measure faces a $4.08-million penalty.

Both committees received money routed through the Arizona-based
Center to Protect Patient Rights, a nonprofit with ties to billionaire
Republican donors Charles and David Koch.

State law says campaign committees that receive "laundered" political
funds need to forfeit the money to the state. The penalties, totaling
$15 million, can still be contested.

State officials say they have also reached a settlement with the two
Arizona nonprofits — the Center to Protect Patient Rights and Americans
for Responsible Leadership — involved in the $11-million donation
received by the Small Business Action Committee.

The settlement requires the organizations to pay a combined fine of
$1 million, but it does not mandate the release of donors' identities, a
setback for California officials who have tried to require increased
disclosure.

Class War Coming?

by

Posted by Bob Lord

I like reading as much as I like writing and, trouble is, I'm painfully slow at both. This week the writing has taken a back seat to the reading (and work). Best read though was right out of the chute Monday morning. If you follow me, you know I'm a huge Chris Hedges fan and that I place the reversal of inequality at the highest priority. So a Hedges post entitled Let's Get This Class War Started was a must must must read.

And it did not disappoint.

First point: The depravity of rich people. Hedges:

State appeals court blocks higher campaign contribution limits

by

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

…At least until the inevitable appeal by the Republican political leadership…

In a curiously-worded ruling, the Arizona Court of Appeals blocked the hugely increased campaign contribution limits passed by the legislature in HB2593. 

At least, they're blocked for state-level candidates.

Under the provisions of HB2593, limits on individual contributions to a political candidate were raised from $450 (local and county races), $440 (legislative races), and $912 (statewide races) to $5000,
and aggregate limits, the total that an individual may give to
candidates and political committees that give to candidates went from
$6390 to no limit.

The ruling from the Court is more than 30 pages long, but the "money" line (so to speak 🙂 ) is the last one –

President Obama on immigration reform: ‘Let’s see if we can get it done this year’

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Today, President Obama joined leaders from business, labor, and faith
communities in support of comprehensive immigration reform.

Remarks by the President on Immigration Reform (excerpts):

Today I’m here with leaders from business, from labor, from faith
communities who are united around one goal — finishing the job of
fixing a broken immigration system.

This is not just an idea whose time has come; this is an idea whose
time has been around for years now.  Leaders like all of you have worked
together with Republicans and Democrats in this town in good faith for
years to try to get this done.  And this is the moment when we should be
able to finally get the job done.

* * *

We should pass immigration reform.  It’s good for our economy.  It’s
good for our national security.  It’s good for our people.  And we
should do it this year.

Everybody knows that our current immigration system is broken. 
Across the political spectrum, people understand that.  We’ve known it
for years.  It’s not smart to invite some of the brightest minds from
around the world to study here and then not let them start businesses
here — we send them back to their home countries to start businesses
and create jobs and invent new products someplace else. 

It’s not fair to businesses and middle-class families who play by the
rules when we allow companies that are trying to undercut the rules
work in the shadow economy, to hire folks at lower wages or no benefits,
no overtime, so that somehow they get a competitive edge from breaking
the rules.  That doesn’t make sense. 

It doesn’t make sense to have 11 million people who are in this
country illegally without any incentive or any way for them to come out
of the shadows, get right with the law, meet their responsibilities and
permit their families then to move ahead.  It’s not smart.  It’s not
fair.  It doesn’t make sense.  We have kicked this particular can down
the road for too long. 

Ken ‘Birther’ Bennett wants the non-existent EAC to modify federal voter registration form

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Earlier this week, the Pew Data Dispatch examined The Cost of a Two-Tiered Election in Arizona.

I am guessing that Arizona Secretary of State Ken "Birther" Bennett also read this report, because he has changed his mind about maintaining a dual voter registration system in Arizona. Bennett wants court to mandate modification to federal election forms:

Not willing to maintain a dual registration
system, Secretary of State Ken Bennett wants a court to order the
federal Election Assistance Commission to modify its voter registration
forms to demand proof of citizenship.

In legal filings Wednesday, Bennett said he needs an immediate
order to ensure that Arizona — and Kansas, which is seeking the same
relief — are not denied “their sovereign and constitutional right to
establish and enforce voter qualifications.” Without the order, Bennett
said the state will forced to register "unqualified" voters. [Those who do not submit proof of citizenship under Arizona law.]

* * *

Bennett contends that [a dual voter registration system] will be “unduly burdensome.” So he wants a
federal judge in Kansas who is hearing the case to order the Election
Assistance Commission to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement for the
voter-registration forms it has for Arizona.

And Bennett and Kris Kobach, his Kansas
counterpart, want that to happen soon, seeking a hearing on Nov. 12 or
shortly thereafter.