Anti Kerry group fined

[Irishonly]

The day after Senator John Kerry confronted a financier of one group that smeared him in the 2004 election, the Federal Election Commission reached its largest ever settlement on a fine for another group that attacked the Vietnam veteran in the last presidential race.

Today's edition of Roll Call is reporting that the Progress for America Voter Fund has been slapped with a $750,000 fine. Roll Call's Matthew Murray writes that the settlement was reached by the Progress for America Voter Fund and the Federal Election Commission yesterday. The conservative group raised $45 million from prominent Republican donors in the 2004 election cycle and spent $30 million on advertising during the race.


http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/AntiKerry_group_slapped_with_largestever_election_0301.html

Sorry, I don't know how to create a nice link but it's about time something was done. The damage was done and it was vicious.

[wryter2000]

1. Shoot

The probably have $750,000.00 in the petty cash drawer.

[Doctor_J]

2. $750K?

That's probably what Richard Mellon Scaife makes every day. I don's see this being much of a deterrent.

[Nite Owl]

3. That's not alot considering what they

did. The fine should be higher and actually what they should be made to do is pay for ads that revoke what they did, positive ads that apologize for the lies and smear tactics that they used.

[PresidentObama]

4. Can we make that 750 million instead?

:evilgrin:

[FrenchieCat]

7. Certainly should be. Hell, the fact that the election turned on this fraud....

makes a fine after the fact non-consequential...in particular as small as it is.

I'm sure that they got more for that $750,000 than any person, animal or thing could have ever dream for. In effect, the $750,000 becomes priceless, and a mind boggling travesty to our democracy!

[Debi]

5. I guess my response is 'so what?'

Unless something can be done to stop these groups while they are in the process of their wrong-doing who cares how much they get fined AFTER they've accomplished their goals? Question to DUers, without PFA would John Kerry be President today?

[blm]

8. If Terry McAuliffe had worked to secure the election process through his 4yr term

Kerry would be president today.

And if the election process had been secured before 2000, Al Gore would be president today and there would have been no need for a President Kerry in 2005.

[Debi]

11. Do you mean the primary process?

I can't believe National Party Chairs would have anything to do with laws/rules that would govern national elections.

[blm]

12. DNC has an Office of Voter Integrity that was put in place to counter the tactics

of vote suppression and voter roll purging and various other election fraud tactics we learned of during the hearings on 2000 election fraud.

How did they do?

The party also allowed the collapse of party infrastructure in every red and swing state to save money. Strong party infrastructure and strong party PRESENCE makes the difference in competitive areas.

Why do you think Dean has been working so hard to rebuild party infrastructure in those red and swing states? He's been working his ass off for two years to rebuild in those neglected states, and he still has alot of work to do.

[Debi]

13. I think I'm missing your point

What would the DNC and RNC have to do with the laws and rules established for general elections. Wouldn't the Secretary of State and the Attorney General of each state have more to do with that than the head of a political party?

I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just not understanding you.

On edit:

Okay, you edited your post and I guess you are talking about party-related activities and strength. I still don't know what that has to do with creating and enforcing laws that govern elections.

[blm]

14. Office of Voter Integrity told us they would work to counter the tactics used

to suppress votes and purge voter rolls. They didn't lift a finger and the problems got worse.


The DNC also refused to believe in the problems re electronic voting machines.

[Debi]

16. So we're saying the same thing? The DNC and RNC have nothing to do with this?

We need laws and law enforcers. Right?

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Somehow, it just seems like it's a little wag of the finger

They raise $45 million and spend 75% of it on "advertising". BTW, what was the remaining 25% ($15 million) spent on? Seed money for smear campaigns against the next Democratic nominee?

However you look at it, (fined 1.7% of the total budget, 2.7% of the 'advertising' expenditure, or even if it's 5% of that remaining amount), it just doesn't seem to be a big enough punch to really make the statement that fines are supposed to convey.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Raised $45 million, spent $30 million, and fined $750,000.

And they got the election.

Seems like a sound investment, to me. (From their POV, at least).

[flpoljunkie]

10. Actually, the Swift Boaters were fined in December. This $750K fine for Progress for America Fund--

"The group’s most memorable advertisements included “Ashley’s Story,” featuring Mr. Bush hugging a girl whose mother died in the World Trade Center attacks and who said the president kept her safe. That cost $16.5 million and was broadcast in 11 states and on national cable, the agency said. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/washington/01fec.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=politics&pagewanted=print

Check out my earlier post on this...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3139718&mesg_id=3139718

[AtomicKitten]

15. The groups that eviscerated JK in 2004

should be burned to the ground.

That sorry scenario reached a nadir of new low in American politics.

[baldguy]

17. It's only money, and the enemies of America have plenty of that.

They should have their citizenship revoked - no voting rights, no campaign contributions, no lobbying activity.