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still_one Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:47 PM
Original message
"Big Source of Clinton's Cash is an unlikely address"
From the wall street journal, an interesting article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118826947048110677.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

Unfortunately, you need a subscription to see the link, but I will reproduce the just of it. I am not sure what it means, but I find it interesting that they put this on the front cover of their online edition:



"DALY CITY, Calif. -- One of the biggest sources of political donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton is a tiny, lime-green bungalow that lies under the flight path from San Francisco International Airport.

Six members of the Paw family, each listing the house at 41 Shelbourne Ave. as their residence, have donated a combined $45,000 to the Democratic senator from New York since 2005, for her presidential campaign, her Senate re-election last year and her political action committee. In all, the six Paws have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005, election records show."

...

It isn't obvious how the Paw family is able to afford such political largess. Records show they own a gift shop and live in a 1,280-square-foot house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. William Paw, the 64-year-old head of the household, is a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service who earns about $49,000 a year, according to a union representative. Alice Paw, also 64, is a homemaker. The couple's grown children have jobs ranging from account manager at a software company to "attendance liaison" at a local public high school. One is listed on campaign records as an executive at a mutual fund.

It isn't obvious how the Paw family is able to afford such political largess. Records show they own a gift shop and live in a 1,280-square-foot house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. William Paw, the 64-year-old head of the household, is a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service who earns about $49,000 a year, according to a union representative. Alice Paw, also 64, is a homemaker. The couple's grown children have jobs ranging from account manager at a software company to "attendance liaison" at a local public high school. One is listed on campaign records as an executive at a mutual fund.

...

A Clinton campaign spokesman, Howard Wolfson, said in an email: "Norman Hsu is a longtime and generous supporter of the Democratic party and its candidates, including Senator Clinton. During Mr. Hsu's many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question."

Kent Cooper, a former disclosure official with the Federal Election Commission, said the two-year pattern of donations justifies a probe of possible violations of campaign-finance law, which forbid one person from reimbursing another to make contributions.

"There are red lights all over this one," Mr. Cooper said.

...

William and Alice Paw are of Chinese descent. The entire family got their Social Security cards in California in 1982, according to state records. All but one of the Paws registered to vote as "nonpartisan." A San Mateo County elections official said that members of the Paw family vote "sporadically."

No one in the Paw family had ever given a campaign contribution before the 2004 presidential election, according to campaign-finance reports. Then, in July 2004, five members of the family contributed a total of $3,600 to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat. Five of the checks were dated July 27, 2004. About the same time, Mr. Hsu made his first donations to a political candidate, contributing the maximum amount allowed by law to Mr. Kerry in two separate checks, on July 21, 2004, and on Aug. 6.

From then on, the correlation of campaign donations between Mr. Hsu and the Paw family has continued. The first donations to Mrs. Clinton came Dec. 23, 2004, when Mr. Hsu and one Paw family member donated the then-maximum $4,000 to her Senate campaign in two $2,000 checks, campaign-finance records show. In March 2005, the individuals gave a total of $17,500 to Mrs. Clinton.

Since then, Mr. Hsu, his New York associates and the Paw family have continued to donate to Democratic candidates. This year, Alice Paw and four of the Paw children have donated the maximum $4,600 to Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign.

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still_one Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:51 PM
Response to Original message
1. I also find it somewhat racist when the journal highlights the following:
"William and Alice Paw are of Chinese descent. "

What the hell does that have to do with anything?


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JHB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:54 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. Isn't it obvious?
You can't get people to make the association: "Clinton, funny campaign money, China" without mentioning someone is Chinese.
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still_one Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:58 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. Of course, if you are a Chinese American, then you must do what the Chinese government
tells you to do

How thoughtless of me

Interesting logic

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JHB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 06:12 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. It's a school of logic called "swiftboat"
A Republican specialty.
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Kipling Donating Member (929 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 12:27 PM
Response to Reply #1
10. HILLARY IS CONTROLLED BY CHICOM MIND IMPLANTS!!!!!!!1!!
Just like Bill. That's why under Slick Willy's wicked intern-spattering reign China started to become a rising world power, and Americans licked their lead-coated toys, allowed them to build up an ever huger supply of dollars while the trade deficit grew, and had all their jobs outsourced.
Also, Obama is a traitor for Muslims - he has close connections with Saudi Arabia, is heavily tied to the oil industry, and sucks up to Pakistan wherever possible.
Hang on, actually...
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Taverner Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:53 PM
Response to Original message
2. This could be hung around her neck - whether or not there's any malfeasance
Just like they hung Whitewater around her neck...
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Tinksrival Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 05:58 PM
Response to Original message
4. Talk Left hits back on WSJ
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/8/28/12190/3305

Hsu's Lawyer Responds to WSJ's Smear Attempt on Hillary and Her Contributors
By Jeralyn, Section Hillary Clinton
Posted on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 11:19:00 AM EST
Tags: 2008 (all tags)

The Wall St. Journal has me seriously rethinking my subscription. Check out this article by Brody Mullins and its baseless attempt to smear Hillary Clinton's Asian contributors.

Shorter version: An American family of Chinese descent in San Francisco, the Paws, contributed to Hillary around the same time as one of her big contributors, Norman Hsu, who now lives in New York.

Not only is there nothing wrong with that as big fund-raisers often ask people to make contributions around the same time they are contributing, but the Journal admits:

There is no public record or indication Mr. Hsu reimbursed the Paw family for their political contributions. (my emphasis.)

Not only that, but The Journal acknowledges the Paw family and Norman Hsu gave to other candidates as well. If you check campaign records, you will see Mr. Hsu has donated to Barack Obama, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy, and that the Paw family has contributed thousands to Obama.



>>>>>More at the above link
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leveymg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 06:15 PM
Response to Original message
7. Has the evocative smell of the "Chinagate" mini-scandal
Edited on Tue Aug-28-07 06:16 PM by leveymg
Remember that one? Accusations about money from high and low places in China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_United_States_campaign_finance_controversy

Bob Woodward and Brian Duffy of The Washington Post published a story stating that a United States Department of Justice investigation into the fund-raising activities had uncovered evidence that agents of the PRC sought to direct contributions from foreign sources to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) before the 1996 presidential campaign. The journalists wrote that intelligence information had shown the PRC Embassy in Washington, D.C. was used for coordinating contributions to the DNC<2> in violation of United States law forbidding non-American citizens or non-permanent residents from giving monetary donations to United States politicians and political parties. A Republican investigator of the controversy stated the Chinese plan targeted both presidential and congressional United States elections, while Democratic Senators said the evidence showed the PRC targeted only congressional elections. The Chinese government denied all accusations.

Twenty-two people were eventually convicted for fraud or for funneling Asian funds into the United States elections. A number of the convictions came against longtime Clinton-Gore friends and political appointees.


Then there was the Los Alamos Labs espionage and Dr. Wen Ho Lee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chinese_espionage_against_the_U.S.
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leveymg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-28-07 06:21 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. But, it would be nice if the WSJ took a look at who's been bankrolling Bush and the GOP
Edited on Tue Aug-28-07 06:22 PM by leveymg
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1529067

Cunningham Bribery - Foggo (CIA)-MZM Cases Linked to Saudi Slush Fund Scandal

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MetaTrope Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 12:17 PM
Response to Original message
9. From the story, it appears Hsu's Dem contributions started in 2004
Edited on Wed Aug-29-07 12:21 PM by MetaTrope
But look at where else he was in 2004:



I too would be curious to see if there's any sort of connection with the whole Lippo thing, akin to that of Bush's Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.
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in_cog_ni_to Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 12:45 PM
Response to Original message
11. The RWers will take a fine-tooth comb over every donation, every campaign worker, every friend,
Edited on Wed Aug-29-07 12:45 PM by in_cog_ni_to
every enemy, every business deal, and anything else connected to Clinton. They will do whatever is necessary to stop her from being prez. All I can say is....I HOPE THE CLINTON'S ARE READY TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE because they really do need to be prepared for all the garbage that will surely come their way. If we thought John Kerry's Swiftboating was bad, just wait. That's going to look like a walk in the park compared to what they have planned for Hillary.:(
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RB TexLa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 01:02 PM
Response to Original message
12. Everyone running for anything is going to have a few families that give huge amounts

It's all done within what can not be proved in a court room.
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bleedingheart Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 01:04 PM
Response to Original message
13. Guess what...there are ways around the contribution laws...
duh...

and I bet the republicans do it too...

Let us say you are an employee of Big Bank of North America...and your boss wants the Republican candidate to win...he wants him to win badly...
So let us say you are ripe for a promotion...let us say that you get that promotion...and let us say that the big boss takes you to the country club and he hands you off $2000 in cash that he says he wants you to donate to the "right" candidate...

what do you do? you donate it...and your boss gets proof of that donation because he sees your name on the disclosure list...and beside your name is listed your affliation with Big Bank...

wanna know another way around it...

buying dinner tickets in cash...

there is a $100 dollar a plate dinner for a candidate...there are folks who have already donated the max...so they buy tickets in cash and hand them out like candy to their less fortunate friends.

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Truth2Tell Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-29-07 02:52 PM
Response to Original message
14. I suspect that the WSJ is correct
that they have hit upon a case of money funneling. However, this is an extremely common practice with very few safeguards in place to prevent it.

As much as I would love to blame Hillary for this, I really don't hold her responsible. It would be absurd for us to expect candidates, under the current system, to fully vet all of their contributions for funneling or for problems in the backgrounds of contributors.

What we need is public funding, and then all of this goes away - including Hillary :)
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