Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Campaign Contributions’ Category

More than $45,000 in campaign cash is funneled through Executive Director by Louisiana State Troopers Association

Posted in Campaign Contributions, Ethics, Governor's Office, Legislature, Legislators, Lobbyist, State Police on December 9, 2015| 13 Comments »

LouisianaVoice has learned that The Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA) has funneled more than $45,000 in political campaign contributions through LSTA Executive Director David T. Young since 2003 without the knowledge of the organization’s rank and file membership.

Much of that amount ($23,750) was given to Bobby Jindal ($10,250) and to three of the four major candidates for governor in the 2015 election ($13,500).

This follows the LSTA’s endorsement of Governor-elect John Bel Edwards in his runoff election against U.S. Sen. David Vitter which also was done without consulting or polling LSTA membership.

Following revelations by LouisianaVoice, the LSTA board has taken action to ensure that no future candidates will be endorsed by the organization without first polling its membership. The board also declined to forward a letter to Edwards asking that State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson be reappointed for another four-year term. Edmonson denied that he asked for the letter but LSTA Interim President Stephen LaFargue twice confirmed that Edmonson did make the request.

It was LaFargue who made the motion at the board’s November 30 meeting to not send the letter. The 11-member board voted unanimously to not send it.

The LSTA, according to information contained on its website, is “a fraternal organization representing the men and women of the Louisiana State Police” and represents approximately 97 percent of the commissioned officers “as well as a substantial portion of State Police Retirees.”

Organized under Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code, LSTA is a non-profit organization founded in 1969 to represent the interests of its members and to “improve the public services provided by our members to our community.”

Besides membership dues of $30 per month for about 950 active members and $15 per month for retirees under 60 (there are no dues for retires over 60), LSTA also relies on individual and corporate contributions to sustain its activities. It also sells decals, wearables, shirts, caps, glasses, mugs, flashlights, and miscellaneous clothing, according to information contained on the Secretary of State’s corporate records for LSTA Enterprises, LLC.

A member who spoke to LouisianaVoice on condition of anonymity said the board sets aside $25,000 per year for political contributions. Later, when candidates for office become known, the decision is made on whom to contribute money. “The problem with that is,” he said, “is that the membership has never been told of this. They knew nothing about it. David (Young) writes a check and then invoices the board for that amount.”

Another member, when shown the numbers said simply, “Holy s–t! We had no idea this was going on.”

A 501(c)(5) is allowed under IRS rules to make “unlimited corporate, individual or union contributions, so it was not immediately clear why the contributions were made through Young.

The same source said he was incensed by the action. “LSTA wasn’t set up for this kind of activity. Its main purpose is to provide support for trooper who have suffered misfortune, such as when a child has a major illness or when a trooper’s home burns down. We’re not supposed to get all involved in politics.”

Another source said it was not Young’s idea for the LSTA endorsement of Edwards or to make the political contributions and that in fact, he advised against the endorsement. “He (Young) has tried his best to keep Edmonson out of the LSTA’s operations. He and Frank (former President Frank Besson) butted heads constantly over that issue (the endorsement). But when it came down to it, Frank was President and David did as instructed. David has been dedicated and loyal to the LSTA for more than 15 years.”

Besson was recently promoted to captain’s rank and was forced to relinquish his presidency since no one with a rank higher than lieutenant may serve as an LSTA officer. LaFargue was elevated to the position on an interim basis until newly-elected President James “Jay” O’quinn takes office.

Following is a printout from the Board of Ethics Campaign Finance report on contributions made by LSTA through Young. Blank spaces represent the contributions of different David Youngs which were removed by LouisianaVoice.

Alario PAC, F202 : ANN  – LA-41156 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 OAKDALE BATON ROUGE, LA CC 12/21/2011 $1,000.00
Angelle, Scott A. F102 : 10P  – LA-52247 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   9/30/2015 $2,500.00
Broadwater, Chris F102 : 30P  – LA-50384 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70810   2/26/2015 $1,000.00
Broadwater, Chris F102 : 10P  – LA-25704 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA Contribution. 9/16/2011 $250.00
Clark, Cloyce F102 : 30P  – LA-50765 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   6/26/2015 $500.00
Clark, Cloyce F102 : 30P  – LA-50765 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/27/2015 $500.00
             
Clark, Cloyce F102 : 10G  – LA-54484 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   10/14/2015 $500.00
Dardenne, John L. (Jay) F102 : ANN  – LA-47554 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70810-3107   12/11/2014 $1,000.00
Davis, Paula F102 : 10P  – LA-52147 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 OAKDALE BATON ROUGE, LA 70810   10/1/2015 $250.00
Downer, Hunt F102 : 90P  – LA-4445 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   5/29/2003 $250.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : 10G  – LA-54393 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   10/26/2015 $5,000.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : 30P  – LA-50798 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   8/10/2015 $2,000.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : ANN  – LA-48840 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA 70810-3107   7/16/2014 $1,000.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : 90P  – LA-49688 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   7/2/2015 $1,000.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : ANN  – LA-39161 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   7/14/2013 $500.00
Edwards, John Bel F102 : ANN  – LA-48840 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   10/30/2014 $500.00
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
Gautreaux, Dudley A. (Butch) F102 : 30P  – LA-20558 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   7/26/2010 $1,000.00
Gautreaux, Dudley A. (Butch) F102 : SUP  – LA-23092 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   10/25/2010 $500.00
Gautreaux, Dudley A. (Butch) F102 : 30P  – LA-20558 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   2/26/2010 $500.00
Gautreaux, Nick F102 : SUP  – LA-11398 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/22/2006 $250.00
             
Guillory, Elbert F102 : 30P  – LA-16780 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   2/11/2009 $500.00
Guillory, Elbert F102 : 10P  – LA-25573 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   9/16/2011 $500.00
Guillory, Elbert F102 : 10G  – LA-27857 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   10/29/2011 $500.00
Guillory, Elbert F102 : ANN  – LA-35616 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/9/2012 $500.00
Guillory, Elbert F102 : ANN  – LA-39781 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/26/2013 $500.00
Guinn, John F102 : ANN  – LA-20241 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr. Baton Rouge, LA   10/5/2009 $250.00
Heitmeier, David F102 : SUP  – LA-16593 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   2/20/2008 $500.00
Hoffmann, Frank A. F102 : 10P  – LA-25000 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   9/21/2011 $250.00
Hoffmann, Frank A. F102 : 30P  – LA-50146 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   4/10/2015 $250.00
House Democratic Campaign Committee of LA, F202 : 30P  – LA-24567 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   6/8/2011 $500.00
House Democratic Campaign Committee of LA, F202 : ANN  – LA-34684 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   5/17/2012 $500.00
House Democratic Campaign Committee of LA, F202 : ANN  – LA-39740 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   5/9/2013 $500.00
House Democratic Campaign Committee of LA, F202 : ANN  – LA-47440 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 8120 Jefferson Hwy Baton Rouge, LA   3/25/2014 $500.00
House Democratic Campaign Committee of LA, F202 : 30P  – LA-51260 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 8120 Jefferson Hwy Baton Rouge, LA   5/31/2015 $500.00
             
Jackson, Michael L. F102 : ANN  – LA-11231 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/22/2006 $250.00
Jindal, Bobby F102 : 90P  – LA-24239 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr. Baton Rouge, LA   4/21/2011 $5,000.00
Jindal, Bobby F102 : 180P  – LA-11626 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr. Baton Rouge, LA   2/26/2007 $2,500.00
Jindal, Bobby F102 : 30P  – LA-12153 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   8/18/2007 $2,500.00
Jindal, Bobby F102 : ANN  – LA-10037 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   9/30/2003 $250.00
             
             
LaBruzzo, John F102 : ANN  – LA-22748 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   12/3/2010 $500.00
LaFonta, Juan F102 : ANN  – LA-18988 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   10/15/2009 $500.00
Landry, Nancy F102 : ANN  – LA-17887 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   4/2/2009 $250.00
Leadership for Louisiana, F202 : ANN  – LA-34933 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/6/2012 $250.00
Leadership for Louisiana, F202 : ANN  – LA-39180 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   2/14/2013 $250.00
Martiny, Daniel R. F102 : 30P  – LA-12096 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   4/19/2007 $500.00
Michot, Mike F102 : ANN  – LA-17198 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   3/31/2008 $500.00
Mills, Fred F102 : 30P  – LA-24540 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 OAKDALE DRIVE BATON ROUGE, LA   4/25/2011 $500.00
Montoucet, Jack F102 : ANN  – LA-24151 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr. Baton Rouge, LA Golf Tournament Fundraiser 11-12-2010 11/11/2010 $500.00
Montoucet, Jack F102 : 10P  – LA-31755 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA Golf Tournament 9/26/2011 $250.00
Montoucet, Jack F102 : ANN  – LA-38808 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA Campaign Contribution 3/21/2013 $250.00
Montoucet, Jack F102 : ANN  – LA-24150 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1545 OAKDALE DR BATON ROUGE, LA   10/4/2009 $250.00
Nevers, Sr., Ben W. F102 : 90P  – LA-24091 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA donation 4/20/2011 $1,000.00
Nevers, Sr., Ben W. F102 : 10P  – LA-31700 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   9/15/2011 $500.00
             
             
Perry, Jonathan F102 : SUP  – LA-41161 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 OAKDALE DRIVE BATON ROUGE, LA   9/22/2011 $500.00
             
             
Robideaux, Joel F102 : ANN  – LA-47422 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   10/28/2014 $500.00
Robideaux, Joel F102 : ANN  – LA-47422 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   1/24/2014 $500.00
Robideaux, Joel F102 : ANN  – LA-47422 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   8/11/2014 $250.00
Robideaux, Joel F102 : 10P  – LA-25466 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   9/20/2011 $250.00
Schneider III, M. P. “Pete” F102 : 30P  – LA-50707 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Drive Baton Rouge, LA   7/16/2015 $250.00
Schroder, John F102 : ANN  – LA-38807 CONTRIB DAVID T. YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   4/3/2013 $250.00
Smith, Patricia Haynes F102 : SUP  – LA-35365 CONTRIB DAVID YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   10/24/2011 $500.00
             
St. Germain, Karen F102 : ANN  – LA-18774 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   2/25/2009 $500.00
St. Germain, Karen F102 : 10P  – LA-25903 CONTRIB DAVID T YOUNG 1548 Oakdale Dr Baton Rouge, LA   9/21/2011 $500.00
             

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Painter and Mercer cases bear testimony to double standard employed in Jindal’s mishandling of ethical and legal issues

Posted in Boards, Campaign Contributions, Contract, Contracts, Corruption, Courts, Crime, Ethics, Governor's Office, Lawsuits, LSED, Media, Politicians, State Agencies on December 6, 2015| 16 Comments »

If you were to seek two cases that stand as glaring testimony to the way in which the Jindal administration employs a double standard in addressing legal and ethical issues, you need look no further than the cases involving Murphy Painter and Jeff Mercer.

Though the men never met and while one was a state employee and the other a private contractor, together, the two represent the composite poster child for victims of political favoritism and corruption. Both fell prey to unethical behavior and of the way political priorities have been set by the Jindal administration for the past eight years.

We have chronicled the manner in which Jindal and his henchmen made Painter a scapegoat by firing him from his post as director of the State Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC). We have shown how, when he refused to knuckle under and bend the rules for the benefit of Anheuser-Busch distributor Southern Eagle, SMG (the Louisiana Superdome management company), the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED) Board, and Tom Benson, Jindal not only fired Painter but even tried (unsuccessfully) to prosecute him in federal district court on bogus criminal charges of computer fraud.

Not only was Painter acquitted of all (there were 42 counts, none of which stuck) charges, but the state then was required to repay Painter’s legal costs of $474,000.

Another embarrassment for Jindal: ex-ATC commissioner Murphy Painter wins defamation suit against his accuser

LouisianaVoice was the first—and only—news service to suggest (correctly, it turned out) that Painter, instead of a criminal, was the victim of a political scheme intended to remove him from his position after he refused to approve an incomplete application by SMG for a permit to erect a large tent at Benson’s Champions Square adjacent to Benson Towers across from the Superdome. The tent was to house beer sales by Southern Eagle on Saints game days. https://louisianavoice.com/2013/02/06/emerging-claims-lawsuits-could-transform-murphy-painter-from-predator-to-all-too-familiar-victim-of-jindal-reprisals/

Jindal executive counsel Stephen Waguespack, now President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), insisted—twice—that the permit be expedited, Painter asked that he put his concerns in writing but Waguespack responded that he was far too busy to reduce his demands to writing (which would’ve left a paper trail, don’t you see).

Instead, Painter was simply fired and SMG got its permit. Of course, it was mere coincidence that the Benson family, SMG, its law firm, Southern Eagle and members of the LSED Board had combined to dump more than $207,000 into Jindal’s campaigns between 2002 and 2012.

Quick as the Jindal crowd was to administer justice (read reprisals) in the Painter case, it was painfully slow in ferreting out reports of corruption in one of the largest agencies in the state—the Department of Transportation and Development—and even slower in addressing those reports with the proper corrective measures. The fact is, nothing was ever done about reports of attempted shakedowns of a DOTD contractor and the subsequent harassment of that same contractor that eventually put him out of business.

It turned out to be an expensive oversight on the state’s part.

On Friday, a 12-person jury returned a unanimous verdict in which it awarded Jeff Mercer of Mangham $20 million, plus eight years (and counting) of judicial interest for allowing DOTD supervisors to condone demands of cash and equipment from Mercer by a DOTD inspector (we call that extortion where I come from; the inspector allegedly threatened Mercer with inspection problems with his work). Moreover, Mercer was able to prove that DOTD deliberately withheld payments for work performed by Mercer as payback for his whistleblowing, first reported by LouisianaVoice in April of 2012. https://louisianavoice.com/2014/04/09/contractor-claims-in-lawsuit-that-dotd-official-attempted-shake-down-for-cash-equipment-during-monroe-work/

Story of attempted contractor shakedown broken 2 years ago by LouisianaVoice results in $20 million verdict against state

Mercer had even taken his complaint to the governor’s office, but nothing was ever done. No referral to the Inspector General’s office. The IG, by the way, works directly for and answers only to the governor and was prompt enough to bring charges against Painter three years ago.

So, the question must be asked: why was the governor’s office not front and center in taking appropriate action on reports of extortion, threats of federal prosecution against Mercer, and refusals to pay for work performed by him?

Why was the demand for compliance so urgent in the Painter case and the concern so lacking in the Mercer case?

To paraphrase Jindal: two words.

Campaign contributions.

Benson, SMG, and members of the LSED Board were major Jindal campaign contributors. Mercer was not.

Benson and his associates were friends of Jindal and as such, they possessed massive political power that the governor could not ignore—nor did he wish to.

Mercer was a small contractor from the small North Louisiana town of Mangham, situated about halfway between Winnsboro and Rayville—and smaller than each of those. He was not influential.

He was, they thought, an insignificant little nobody who could be ignored because he had neither the influence nor the political muscle to make himself heard over the rattle of dinner plates at the governor’s mansion or over the lofty, self-serving campaign rhetoric about Jindal’s gold standard of ethics.

The administration, it turns out, committed the worst tactical error possible in warfare and politics: it vastly underestimated the determination of a little man when he is truly pissed and it woefully underestimated the indignation and ire of a 12-person jury upon their hearing of the injustice heaped upon one of their own by an uncaring bureaucracy and of the unscrupulous actions of those within that same bureaucracy.

And boy, does it ever feel good when the underdog wins one!

 

Read Full Post »

TV ad costs for governor’s election staggering but not a word uttered by any candidate about solutions to state’s problems

Posted in Campaign Contributions, Coastal Erosion, Economy, Education, Elections, Finances, Governor's Office, Health Care, Higher Education, Legislature, Legislators, Lobbyist, Media, Politicians on November 20, 2015| 15 Comments »

The numbers just don’t add up.

  • $130,000: The annual salary for the Louisiana governor;
  • 48,014: The number of broadcast TV ads for the four major candidates for governor through Nov. 16, 2015;
  • 24,007: The number of minutes of TV ads we were subjected to through Nov. 16 (at an average length of 30 seconds per ad);
  • 400: The total number of hours of TV ads for governor through Nov. 16;
  • 16.67: The number of days it would have taken you to watch every single ad through Nov. 16;
  • $17,333,920: The total cost of the 48,014 TV ads for the four major gubernatorial candidates (No wonder that Baton Rouge TV station fired the reporter who dared ask Vitter about his prostitution scandal; the station stood to lose lucrative ad revenue from the Vitter camp);
  • 13,654: The number ads purchased directly by David Vitter’s campaign (6,827 minutes, 113.8 hours, 4.7 full days of ads;
  • $3,816,660: Total cost of TV ads purchased by Vitter’s campaign;
  • 6,771: Number of ads purchased by Fund for Louisiana’s Future on behalf of Vitter (and make no mistake, while super PACs are prohibited from planning strategy or even consulting with a candidate, they can trash opponents freely and FLF trashed everyone but Vitter—3,385 minutes, 56 hours, 2.4 days);
  • $3,185,640: The cost of TV ads purchased by FLF through Nov. 16;
  • 9,259: Number of ads purchased by John Bel Edwards campaign (4,629 minutes, 77 hours, 3.2 days)
  • $2,675,600: Cost of TV ads purchased by John Bel Edwards;
  • 2,315: Number of TV ads purchased by Gumbo PAC on behalf of Edwards (1,157 minutes, 19.3 hours, .8 days)
  • $1,204,010: Cost of TV ads purchased by Gumbo PAC, the bulk of which was purchased after the Oct. 24 open primary;
  • 4,679: Number of TV ads purchased by Scott Angelle through Oct. 24 (2,340 minutes, 39 hours, 1.6 days)
  • $1,528,340: Cost of TV ads purchased by Scott Angelle;
  • 3,968: Number of TV ads purchased by Jay Dardenne through Oct. 24 (1,984 minutes, 33 hours, 1.4 days)
  • $1,285,380: Total cost of TV ads purchased by Jay Dardenne;
  • 7,368: Total number of TV ads purchased by smaller PACs (3,684 minutes, 61.4 hours, 2.6 days)
  • 0: The number of ads, the minutes, hours and days and the cost of TV ads in which any of the four candidates actually discussed their plans for resolving the multitude of problems facing Louisiana in public education, higher education, health care, prison reform, employment, coastal restoration and preservation, the environment, the economy, the state budget, or infrastructure.

And therein lies the real shame of the 2015 gubernatorial election.

With so much at stake for the state and with more than 16 full days of TV ad time in which to address our problems, not a word was said by any candidate about what he intended to do to turn this state around after eight years of the amateurish experimental governance of one Bobby Jindal that has brought us to the brink of ruin.

I repeat. Not a single word.

Instead, we were treated to a never-ending barrage of:

  • David Vitter is a snake for his tryst(s) with one or more hookers and is not only despised in the U.S. Senate but is largely an ineffective senator;
  • David Vitter betrayed his family 15 years ago but has been forgiven by his wife and has fought valiantly in the U.S. Senate on behalf of Louisiana’s citizens;
  • John Bel Edwards is joined at the hip with President Obama and desires to turn 5,500 hardened Angola convicts loose to prey on our citizenry;
  • John Bell Edwards has an unblemished record of achievement as evidenced by his graduation from West Point and his subsequent leadership role in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and has fought Bobby Jindal’s disastrous programs for eight years.

As the voters of this state who have to make a decision tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 21), we are tired—tired of the negative campaigning, tired of the distortions of records and outright lies about opposing candidates, tired of the endless succession of robocalls that give us not a live person with whom we can debate issues, but a recording that pitches one candidate’s positives over another’s negatives. (It’s just not the same when we curse and scream our frustrations at a recording.) We deserved better from all the candidates. We got a campaign long on accusations, name-calling and finger-pointing and one woefully short on solutions.

And lest readers think I am directing all of my disdain at the gubernatorial candidates, let me assure you I am not. I have equal contempt for the legislature, PACs and corporate power brokers.

Consider for a moment how approximately $31 million (that’s the total cost of this year’s governor’s race when all media advertising—radio, newspaper, robocalls and mail-outs, along with campaign staff and assorted expenses—are factored in) could have been put to better use. http://theadvocate.com/news/acadiana/13971699-123/louisiana-governor-race-spending-close

True, $31 million isn’t much when the state is looking at yet another $500 million budgetary shortfall, but every little bit helps. These donors, so concerned about the governor’s race, could, for example, feed a lot of homeless people or purchase quite a few text books for our schools. I’m just sayin’….

Most of that money, of course, is from PACs, the single worst plague ever visited upon a democratic society. PACs, with their unrestricted advertising expenditures, along with large corporate donors who also manage to circumvent the campaign contribution ceilings, remove the small contributors and the average citizen from the representation equation.

And why do they pour money into these campaigns? For benevolence, for the advancement of good, clean, honest government.

You can check that box no. It’s for the same reason they pay millions of dollars to lobbyists.

If you really want to know their motivation, just take a look at the list of state contracts http://wwwprd.doa.louisiana.gov/latrac/contracts/contractSearch.cfm or the impressive list of appointments to state boards and commissions.

Our thanks to the Center for Public Integrity for providing us with the television advertising cost breakdowns for the candidates and the various PACs. http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/10/01/18101/2015-state-ad-wars-tracker

 

Read Full Post »

As Bobby abandons quest, what will Timmy do? Jindal has America Next and perhaps outside shot to head 700 Club

Posted in Campaign Contributions, Elections, Governor's Office, PACs, Politicians, Public Records on November 19, 2015| 9 Comments »

Now that Bobby Jindal has confronted reality and “suspended” (as opposed to terminated; the two terms are not the same) his moribund presidential campaign, several questions linger about his future and that of his hangers-on, not that anyone in Louisiana—or Iowa—really cares anymore.

There are also questions about how he will dispose of the approximately $261,000 remaining in his mostly depleted campaign fund. http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do

Contributions had slowed to a mere trickle in the last quarter of his campaign which, combined with his inability to climb above 1 percent in the polls, prompted him to finally admit what everyone has known for some time now: “This is not my time.” Hell, even his kids knew that when he staged that creepy announcement to them that he put up on this campaign web page back in June and then immediately took down after national ridicule of the awkwardness of the entire video.

Campaign manager Timmy Teepell apparently remains flummoxed as to why his boy was banished to the standup comedy/concert equivalent of warmup act in the Republican debates. Well, Timmy, it shouldn’t have been a secret to anyone with a clue. Bobby simply had nothing to bring to the table.

So, what does Timmy do now? Given his disastrous handling of a disastrous campaign for a disastrous candidate, it would seem his options in future political endeavors are seriously limited.

As for Bobby, he probably won’t miss a beat. In fact, the rhetoric is not likely to be altered one iota as he eases back into his role as head of America Next, his nonprofit think tank.

He started America Next as a vehicle for all those self-righteous op-eds to support his ultra-right wing exclusionary philosophy that he attempts to pass off as policy papers on issues ranging from immigration to health care to lowering taxes for the rich and for corporations.

Which brings us to the question of what he will do with that $261,000 hanging around in his campaign bank account.

Time was a retiring office holder or losing candidate for office could simply convert leftover campaign funds to his personal bank account provided he reported the money as income and paid income taxes on the money.

No more. But other than that one prohibition, the rules are pretty loose as to what a politician can do with surplus funds.

He can hold on the money in case he ever decides to seek office again or he can contribute to his party or other candidates.

Or he can “donate” the extra campaign cash to his own nonprofit organization. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/22/ex-politicians-keeping-100-million-in-private-slush-funds.html

Like America Next. http://believeagain.gop/

Or leadership political action committees (PACs) http://classroom.synonym.com/left-over-campaign-funds-after-elections-17435.html

Like Believe Again. http://believeagain.gop/

Both the brainchildren of Bobby Jindal, America Next and Believe Again basically serve the same purpose—to promote the aspirations and agenda of Bobby Jindal.

And, like Dave Vitter’s Fund for Louisiana’s Future (FLF) and Vitter’s campaign committee, the two share a key player. With Vitter, it is Courtney Guastella Callihan who serves as his campaign finance director and as head of FLF.

With Jindal, it’s Jill Neunaber who ran the day-to-day operations of America Next and Believe Again.

“When I say super PAC, how many people think of a nameless, faceless, shady organization that bombards your television with commercials?” Neunaber asked, adding that Believe Again was a “different kind of super PAC.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inching-up-in-iowa-bobby-jindal-leaves-no-room-on-his-right/2015/10/17/0aea955e-745c-11e5-8d93-0af317ed58c9_story.html

But aren’t nonprofits like America Next supposed to leave the politics to PACs like Believe Again?

Well, yes and no. So, how does one draw the line distinguishing the two?

Nonprofits like America Next which generally support a single candidate have proliferated since the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. They perform a variety of functions from helping develop polity to underwriting the costs of advertising.

They differ from candidates’ own campaign committees or super PACs in one major aspect: They are not required to publicly disclose their donors.

AMERICA NEXT FINANCIAL REPORT

Even so, the Center for Public Integrity learned that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) last year contributed $50,000 to America Next. http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/11/17/18867/drug-lobby-gave-50000-pro-jindal-nonprofit

So, while Jindal the presidential aspirant has faded into oblivion, Jindal the opportunist is alive and well, poised to write even more op-eds that promote the tax, health, education, and economic policies that made his eight years as governor such an unqualified success and which established him as a presidential candidate to be reckoned with and an inspiration to Republicans everywhere.

The obvious next step for him, according to longtime political observer Stephen Winham, is to move for a hostile takeover of The 700 Club from fellow failed Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson. There may be more than a grain of truth in Winham’s prognostication. After all, he has already gotten his foot in the door with multiple appearances on Robertson’s Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) http://www.cbn.com/tv/1386878899001?mobile=false#

http://www1.cbn.com/content/gov-bobby-jindal-leading-through-crisis

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2014/April/Bobby-Jindal-Gearing-Up-for-Presidential-Run

http://www.cbn.com/tv/4313608240001?mobile=false

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2014/August/Growing-Up-Bobby-Jindals-All-American-Dream

We heard a rumor that on one of his appearances, he admonished Robertson’s audience to “stop being the stupid Christians,” but we were unable to locate that link. Nor were we able to find the link to a video taken of Jindal and his family from an overhanging tree limb as he told his children of his plans to succeed Robertson.

 

Read Full Post »

Notable Quotables (in their own words)

Posted in Campaign Contributions, Corruption, Ethics, Notable Quotables, Senate, Vitter on November 12, 2015| 1 Comment »

“A government employee must not be influenced by extraneous factors when making decisions and “never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of governmental duties.”

—Code of Ethics for Government Service.

“Senators may not hold government officials captive by tying their personal finances or benefits to their official acts.”

—Senate Ethics Manual.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »