According to an October 5 story in the Washington Times, Americans Elect’s super-PAC has spent $700,000 on independent expenditures recently to boost Angus King, the former independent Governor of Maine who is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent. The story also says that the donor to the Americans Elect super-PAC who made this possible is New York city Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is himself a registered independent.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $500,000. The other two major donors are Peter Ackerman, one of the Americans Elect founders, and John Burbank, the founder of Passport Capital, gave $500,000 and $750,000, respectively.
This super PAC in support of King, countered spending from the NRSC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in support of Republican Charlie Summers. It’s the first pro-King advertising from an outside group, in a race where the GOP is pouring in resources amid a shifting Senate battleground.
The NRSC, National Republican Senatorial Committee, has filed a complaint with the FEC about the involvement of Americans Elect.
I don’t know – but does anyone think Bloomberg would fancy being an US Senator?
I do not think so. He just created a consulting company and is working with many US and international cities using the knowledge from being the mayor of NY.
I think Bloomberg is going to retire from politics in 2014.
Bloomberg is trying to become America’s first Dictator. I would never vote for that guy and any person he supports I don’t want in office. Dictator Bloomberg has to go.
1 –
The basis of the complaint is that there is coordination between the Stupid Pac and the campaign of Angus King. They assert that Elliot Cutler is the coordinating agent since he once worked on the King campaign and is now associated with the Stupid PAC. Gee…d’ya think?
Perhaps Richard, who is an ardent defender of the Citizens v. United decision by the USSC, one of the worst in the history of the court, can explain why the Republican complaint has no merit, and why this new means of financing campaigns has ANY effect that is different than just allowing corporations and millionaires to buy our government by contributing directly to campaign committees instead. I mean, surely the campaign will go ahead and buy another $700G on their own, blissfully unaware of the Stupid PAC spend. Or maybe they’ll do it because the Stupid PAC delivered a message disapproved by the campaign committee, because, after all, there’s NOOOOO coordiation between the two entities.
Right, Richard?
It was the Maine GOP, citing Cutler’s involvement with the group and King’s campaign, said Friday it was seeking a Federal Elections Commission investigation into whether there were illegal coordinated communications between the organization and the campaign.
The compalint:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/109126679/FEC-Complaint
Bloomberg came into office with the Lauder project imposing term limits on mayors of large and small NYS cities. As soom aa Bloomberg reached his end of term limited administration, he reversed the charter term limit.
This seems like a completely wasted effort anyway since King has been consistently far ahead in polls and is quite popular. A more useful project would be to spend this on someone like Rob Sobhani.
Thanks for your comments folks – as a Brit I was interested to see your opinions
@10 Ah, then as a Brit you may be unaware that you should say “a” US Senator and not “an” US Senator.
It is also “the” United States (correctly pronounced “the” should sound like “thuh”) and not “the” (where “the” sounds like “thee”).
Say Richard – perhaps you’d like to weigh in on this one:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/canadian-foreign-donation-super-pac-restore-our-future
It is also “the” United States (correctly pronounced “the” should sound like “thuh”) and not “the” (where “the” sounds like “thee”).
Dat ain’t how yous is suppose ta say it. Yous is suppose ta say DUH Yuhnighted States … Widduh D… and widdout dat friggin T-H ting witcha nobody I know can friggin pronounce anyways. Not for nuttin, I’m just sayin, you know?
Sorry Be Rational – I’ll try harder next time!
Today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers Keynote at the 2012 Conservative Party Conference, International Convention Center Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England.