Sun Jan 8, 2012, 01:40 PM

Meet Sheldon Adelson, who donated $5 million to a Gringrich for President PAC.

Sheldon Gary Adelson (born August 6, 1933) is an American casino and hotel magnate. Adelson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of Venetian Macao Limited which operates The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Adelson vastly increased his net worth upon the initial public offering of Las Vegas Sands in December 2004. He is currently the 8th wealthiest American and 16th wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $21.5 billion.

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Originally a Democrat, Adelson became a Republican as his wealth increased. "Why is it fair that I should be paying a higher percentage of taxes than anyone else?" he once asked. He began making major contributions to the Republican National Committee following clashes with labour unions at his Las Vegas properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Adelson

The funding behind Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions for Winning the Future, an independent political committee, offers an intriguing clue into the financial deep pockets backing Gingrich’s candidacy. This week, McClatchy revealed that American Solutions footed the $8 million bill for private jet charters while Gingrich weighed whether to enter the 2008 and 2012 presidential races. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson was the biggest funder of American Solutions, contributing $7.65 million and rumored to have committed $20 million to a pro-Gingrich super PAC, a report denied by an Adelson spokesperson. Whether the report is true or not, the facts increasingly show that the billionaire casino magnate is a central figure in Newt Gingrich’s political career.

Sands Corporation CEO Sheldon Adelson is based in Las Vegas but has business and political interests in Macau, China and Israel. In Israel, Adelson’s importance stems from his close friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ownership of Israel HaYom, a free daily newspaper which supports Netanyahu’s Likud party. Back in the U.S., Adelson sits on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition and is outspoken about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/12/21/393391/sheldon-adelson-the-deep-pockets-behind-newt-gingrich/?mobile=nc

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5 replies	Author	Time	Post
Meet Sheldon Adelson, who donated $5 million to a Gringrich for President PAC. (Original post)	no_hypocrisy	Jan 2012	OP
Sheldon Adelson destroyed Comdex,	MineralMan	Jan 2012	#1
This is the second post that I have seen today about the big money behind the puke candidates	left is right	Jan 2012	#2
Citizens United v. F.E.C.	Loudly	Jan 2012	#3
American Solutions: a model of integrity.	LiberalAndProud	Jan 2012	#4
Adelson DESPISES unions	riverwalker	Jan 2012	#5

Response to no_hypocrisy (Original post)

Sun Jan 8, 2012, 01:51 PM

MineralMan (53,795 posts)

1. Sheldon Adelson destroyed Comdex,

Last edited Sun Jan 8, 2012, 01:58 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

which was once the biggest computer trade show on the planet. From the day sold ownership of it in 1995, the show began to deteriorate.

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Response to no_hypocrisy (Original post)

Sun Jan 8, 2012, 03:16 PM

left is right (1,561 posts)

2. This is the second post that I have seen today about the big money behind the puke candidates

What a great idea!!! I am eager to see a similar post for each one of them. Thank you

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Response to no_hypocrisy (Original post)

Sun Jan 8, 2012, 03:29 PM

Loudly (1,177 posts)

3. Citizens United v. F.E.C.

was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from placing limits on independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions.

As long as individual candidate campaign organization aren't exercising behind-the-scenes control of how the PAC money is being spent. An utter sham.

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Response to no_hypocrisy (Original post)

Sun Jan 8, 2012, 03:49 PM

LiberalAndProud (9,891 posts)

4. American Solutions: a model of integrity.

Last edited Sun Jan 8, 2012, 03:52 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Dissolution

Gingrich left the organization when he announced his forming an exploratory committee to run for president in March 2011, as required by law. The organization was dissolved in July 2011, according to Joe Gaylord, who took over after Gingrich's departure. "We had difficulty raising money after Newt left", said Gaylord. During its four years it raised $52 million but spent nearly two-thirds of that on fundraising. According to an August 2011 filing with the IRS, it raised $2.4 million in the first half of 2011, but spent $2.9 million.

On September 14, 2011, the defunct organization's landlord, B.G.W. Limited Partnership, filed a complaint against American Solutions in the landlord-tenant division of Washington, D.C., Superior Court alleging that the organization owed $16,000 in back rent on its offices located in the same "K" Street building that houses the other Gingrich Enterprises organizations, and that the office space had neither been vacated nor the keys surrendered. American Solutions failed to enter an appearance at a court hearing held on October 6, and on October 19 Superior Court Judge A. Franklin Burgess Jr. ruled that the organization owed $20,130 in back rent and court fees and authorized the U.S. Marshals Service to evict American Solutions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Solutions_for_Winning_the_Future

“I haven’t had anything to do with them since I left to run for president,” Gingrich said. He added that there are “pretty strict rules that I stay away from 527s,” a reference to the section of the tax code under which American Solutions operated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newt-gingrichs-american-solutions-shutters-its-doors/2011/08/26/gIQAuERXgJ_story.html

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Response to no_hypocrisy (Original post)

Sun Jan 8, 2012, 04:16 PM

riverwalker (6,434 posts)

5. Adelson DESPISES unions

"Sheldon Adelson—a major right-wing billionaire and fundraiser—recently called the Employee Free Choice Act "one of the fundamental threats to society"—the other being “radical Islam.” Adelson is vehemently anti-union, and put up $30 million of his own money into Freedom's Watch, a conservative advocacy group, as part of an effort take on Congressional candidates in 2008. "

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/home/page_2.html

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