If you’re not familiar with Art Robinson, read my article Republican Art Robinson Makes O’Donnell Seem Almost Sane. The man makes extreme appear mild. Here in Oregon, Peter DeFazio is well respected, but he has been pummeled with attack ads from Concerned Taxpayers of America. It turns out that this secretive shadow group is just two men and exists to attack two candidates. In the process of putting this article together, I learned something else that completely blew me away!
First the main subject:
At least Peter DeFazio knows now who’s gunning for him.
The nemesis of the Fourth District congressman is a low-profile hedge fund manager and model train enthusiast named Robert Mercer of Stony Brook, N.Y. Federal records show he poured at least $200,000 into advertisements that attack DeFazio, who is running for re-election against a marginal Republican candidate named Art Robinson.
Mercer is one of two listed contributors to an obliquely named super political action committee called Concerned Taxpayers of America. The other contributor is a concrete company called Daniel G. Schuster Inc. of Owings Mills, Md., which has spent $300,000 to attack Frank Kratovil Jr., a first-term Democratic congressman who represents Maryland… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Oregonian>
DeFazio led the charge to close the myriad of tax loopholes in the financial sector, especially the one that allows hedge fund managers to be taxed at the lower capital gains rate. Mercer does not want main street leaders in Congress. Rachel Maddow and Frank Rich provide coverage.
When I heard that closing segment, my jaw bounced off my chest.
Reports that two Supreme Court Justices have attended seminars sponsored by the energy giant and conservative bankroller Koch Industries has sparked a mild debate over judicial ethics.
On Tuesday evening, the New York Times reported that an upcoming meeting in Palm Springs of “a secretive network of Republican donors” that was being organized by Koch Industries, “the longtime underwriter of libertarian causes.” Buried in the third to last graph was a note that previous guests at such meetings included Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, two of the more conservative members of the bench… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Huffington Post>
That’s right. SS Scalia and Teabag Thomas were hunkering down with uber-rich Republican donors in a closed-door strategy meeting, after which they helped in crafting the Citizens United decision, designed to assist Republican donors to buy the upcoming elections. Does this scream conflict of interest to you too?
Republicans govern exclusively for the benefit of criminal corporations and the richest 1%!
Vote!
11 Responses to “Art Robinson’s Secret Funding Exposed!”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Scalia and Thomas whoring themselves out to the Koch brothers for a political fundraiser is a clear violation (and possible impeachable offense) of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges … EXCEPT for the fact the nine justices of SCOTUS exempted themselves from those ethical rules. Under Canon 4, Section C of the Code:
But it gets worse! While I have concerns about the mental stability of Ginni Thomas (Clarence’s wife) after her bizarre call to Anita Hill, what’s more troubling is she formed – and is paid by – a radical right-wing political advocacy group (Liberty Central) with $550,000 donated by two – count ’em, JUST TWO – donors. And Liberty Central’s stated goal is to oppose the “leftist tyranny” of Pres. Obama.
What his wife does is bad enough, but Clarence clearly stands to benefit financially from his wife’s politically partisan consulting business – and of course he is in a “supreme” position to deliver a partisan advantage. Now that’s intolerable!
It erodes public trust in our judiciary – especially when done under a complete cloak of secrecy about her clients, their payments and her remuneration. At the very least Virginia Thomas needs to open her books for public scrutiny. But we know that will not voluntarily happen, because why would corporations hoping to influence Clarence make payments to Ginni if all they are going to get is a public disclosure that would force Clarence to recuse himself?
Source for Ginni’s 501(c)(4) Reich-wing political advocacy group:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/09/us/politics/09thomas.html?_r=2&hp
Nameless – excellent points once again. And thanks for that link! 😉
I concur with Lisa. Excellent points indeed. I think WaPo called Thomas, before publishing McEwen’s revelation that makes it quite clear that Hill was Truthful and Thomas was lying. I think Ginni’s call to Hill was a desperate attempt to diffuse the effects of that revelation in advance.
I wish Ruth Bader Ginsburg (standing behind Scalia and Thomas would have taken her lace scarf and choked them both to death – how funny would that have been.
Scalia and Thomas attending that highly secret political conversation, right before they put down the Citizens United verdict is a clear case of judicial misconduct and they should be impeached for that alone. Plus, they’re just assholes; I’m pretty sure that’s not an impeachable offense, but it should be. The nerve of those two! If Bader Ginsburgh or any other of the moderate/liberal justices had done that, you can bet the Repub would be SCREAMING for their heads. What if she decides to run for office? Is that enough of a conflict for anyone? Bueller? 🙄 😡
Thomas’ wife, Ginni will definitely benefit from her political activities both financially and politically – that is a clear violation of judicial misconduct. Again, if any of the moderate/liberal justices had done something similar, they would be up on impeachment charges quicker than you could say ‘impeachment’ but because Thomas and Scalia (Jebus, I hate that fat fuck) think their shit doesn’t stink, no one will touch them.
Does the Repub party have anything besides hypocrisy and lying? Because if they do, I haven’t seen it. 😡
Lisa, very well said on all points. We have seen the Republicans’ best. Their worst is open ended.
It is becoming government and judiciary of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. It is up to us to stop it. We must campaign and vote against these plutocrats or we will be kissing our country goodbye.
Amen Jack!
The two unjust Justices should be impeached, but only Dems get impeached in Corporate America. They should be impeached for killing our democracy back in 2000. The Right Wing majority of the Supreme Court denied the majority of American voters a fair recount in Florida and gave the presidency to Bush. As a dark omen of the cronyism to come we know the friendship between Scalia and Cheney went back over a quarter of a century.
Have a look at the likely, or even illegal, conflict of interest in that Right Wing court decision:
From: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3975/is_200304/ai_n9221306/?tag=content;col1
Great link, Dave!! Thank you!!
Rep. De Fazio –I hear you on the Thom Hartmann radio and DishNetwork TV Program- ch 9415. I am convinced that you’ll do fine on Nov 2nd. Oregon is full of decent, sane, and ethical voters.
Welcome Danny. 🙂
We have our share of wing nuts here too, but I think he’ll ,make it.