Obama Dusts NH With PAC Money

The following piece is published on New Hampshire Presidential Watch as well as HuffPost's OffTheBus.

An examination of Federal Election Commission disclosures reveals that over the last reporting period Senator Barack Obama's now suspended political action committee, known as Hopefund, has given New Hampshire politicians, supporters and others tens of thousands of dollars.

The Washington Post has previously reported the flow of Obama PAC money toward Granite State politicians but did not itemize or total the $73,000 that the Illinois Senator has recently sprinkled through New Hampshire.

Congressman Paul Hodes and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter received $4,000. Hodes has endorsed Obama and is his New Hampshire campaign Co-Chair.

After hearing reading the report, the Clinton campaign released a statement that said "On the campaign trail, Senator Obama is outspoken about his desire to reform the campaign finance system so it was surprising to learn that he has been using his PAC in a manner that appears to be inconsistent with the prevailing election laws."

State Senators Janeway and Cilley also received a donation from Obama's PAC and endorsed the Illionis Senator. Cilley told The Washington Post "There were no negotiations about financial remuneration. No quid pro quo. I endorsed him because I believe in him and his policies."

Among the list are several politicians who have endorsed Hillary Clinton. Senators D'Allesandro, Sgambati, Hassan and Estabrook all received $1,000 from Obama yet endorsed Clinton.

Total Disbursements To New Hampshire Politicians For Last Reporting Period:

Paul Hodes for Congress: $4,000.00
Carol Shea-Porter for Congress: $4,000.00
NH Democratic Party: $5,000.00
Jeanne Shaheen for Senate: $5,000.00
Hillsborough County Democrats: $1,000.00
Belknap County Democrats: $1,000.00
Janeway for Senate: $1,000.00
Sullivan County Democrats: $1,000.00
Rockingham County Democrats: $1,000.00
Iris Estabrook Campaign for State Senate: $1,000.00
John Shea: $1,000.00
Carroll County Democrats: $1,000.00
Strafford County Democratic Committe: $1,000.00
Merrimack County Democrats: $1,000.00
Grafton County Democrats: $1,000.00
Hollingsworth for Executive Council: $1,000.00
Cheshire County Democratic Committee: $1,000.00
New Hampshire for John Lynch: $5,000.00
New Hampshire for John Lynch: $1,000.00
Friends of Jackie Cilley: $1,000.00
Sgambati 4 Senate: $1,000.00
Comm. To Elect Lou D'Allesandro: $1,000.00
Maggie '08: $1,000.00
Friends of a Democratic Senate: $15,000.00
Committee to Elect House Democrats: $15,000.00
Coos County Democrats: $1,000.00
Martha Fuller Clark for State Senate: $1,000.00

Total: $73,000.00

Comments

[Calvin2008]

From the Dover, NH, Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper, today:
"The Strafford County Democratic Committee also received a $1,000 donation from the Hopefund in July, but chair Joan Ashwell, who endorsed Clinton last spring, said she later learned half of it was supposed to cover costs of Obama campaign staffers and interns to attend an October fundraiser and dinner in Rochester." (A fundraiser for the Strafford County Committee.)
That sounds like using PAC money for the campaign's benefit to me.

[ConcernAmerican]

Obama is so ahead in NH, the last time he was there, the people walked out in the middle of his speech! Oh geez!

[ConcernAmerican]

You've seen how those GOP candidates use Hillary in their political ads. Plain and simple, HILLARY IS A TOUGH OPPONENT. Obama, Edwards and others they CAN easily railroad without breaking a sweat. The GOP don't want HRC to be the democrat nominee, they knew their chance to be in the WH is close to zero, but Obama and Edwards, GOP will be back in the WH.

[joanie]

Right now I am a little disgusted with Obama's use of campaign funds. While the taxpayers are paying for his secret service, I feel that the public is being used again. If he has so much money, he should pay for his own security guards. Otherwise, taxpayers should be paying for all of the canidates. This is rediculous.

[globalcitizenlinda]

Mr. Lawson and all Clinton supporters out there,

Sorry but this is a non-story if that you write up as if it is a scandal.

In fact this story is positive to me as a Democrat because it is showing that Senator Obama gave money to grassroots candidates of the Democratic Party in order to get them re-elected and therefore expand the party's base. He clearly has the interests of the party at heart regardless of whether or not they supported him in the end.

In contrast, during the 2004 election cycle, a call went out from progressive activists to all those democrats running in safe congressional seats to donate part of their donated funds to other candidates in hotly contested races. Senators Kerry, Kennedy, Boxer, Feingold, Obama etc .. all donated a significant amount to ensure the election or re-election of other candidates and increase the margin in congress and senate. In fact they also actively raised money for these candidates.

In contrast, Senator Clinton kept huge amounts of her 2004 campaign coffers for this presidential bid and from this she transferred $ 10 Million to the current race. Does this with-holding of money at a critical time show concern for the party's well-being?

It is clear to me which candidates have the interests of the Democratic Party and their fellow members of congress in mind.

[badbob2299]

The Democratic Party with the Help Of The Clinton Political War Machine And Corrupt National Black Leaders Continue to keep The American Black Voter In Check And Under There control by convincing The African American Community That Barack Obama Can Not Win The General Election Against A White Republican In Such A Racist Country As America. This is the same Twisted Story that the Democrats have been using since the 60's To convince And Fool The Black Voter That Only They Can Give Them what they need in life and this has been echoed by the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton , And Various Other So Called Leaders to assure themselves a place of prominence in a Democratic Administration and Continued vast amounts of personal wealth For Themselves should they deliver the Africam American Vote As The Clintons Know They Will. How Much Longer Will The African American Community Sit By And Continue to be told to wait and some day there will be political Justice And The First Black President when That History Making Day could be know Except for a corrupt Former Impeached President And The Fanaticle Desires of A Scheming Political Wife whos only Goal for America Is To Be the first Woman President. Black Voters Have a Chance to Change America Once And For all by electing Barack Obama Or if they choose to continue to be influinced by self serving special Interests, They Can just Sit In the Back of the Bus For Forty or fifty years More.

[badbob2299]

Bill Clinton Caught In A Major Lie Over His Position On The Iraq War. Video Of The Former President in 2004 Shows his Staunch Support For President Bush On The Invasion of Iraq , And Now He has been Captured On Film Pandering to The Left Wing for Hillary. check out hereidnews for full details

[MoNut]

Notice how the WaPo hit-piece doesn't list Hillary's.

Got Obama's and Biden's and Romney's...

Guess there weren't enough pages in the paper's current limit to suit.

[williamg]

Imagine that. He gave a total of 73,000 bucks to people in New Hampshire who are supporting himself and Hillary Clinton. What a scandal!

[kittycago]

But But Barak wasn't trying to buy endorsements was he?

[mawrm]

Another day, Hillary's still aslippin' in the polls, and we get more desperate attempts at spin on facts. Let's show ALL the financial numbers from ALL the candidates in ALL the states, thank you? Nice try from the "we don't sling mud" Hillary folks. And for those tiring of the Clinton-Obama skirmish (yes, I am too am TIRED of it!!), I think you need to direct your ire towards the one pickin' the fights nowadays. Ever since she started slippin' in those early state polls - we all know how important polls are to HRC - we've got this nasty streak going. Notice how we didn't have problems before when Clinton was ahead - she claimed "they are attacking me because I am ahead", yet during that time we never saw such ferocity as we're seeing now. Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.

[OkieMon]

Obama is simply not electable and the neocon media knows it, and that is why they are pushing him and bashing Hill because they know they can beat Obama. All they will do is juxtapose a picture of Obama in muslim garb next to OBL and the election will be over.

[TexasYoungDemocrat]

A state representative ran unopposed in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's (DFL) primary and the same month, respondent political party's members chose him as their candidate for the same office in the general election. However, the local election officials refused to accept the political party's nominating petition because Minnesota law prohibited fusion candidacies. Thereafter, the political party filed suit against the local election officials alleging that Minnesota's antifusion laws (Minn. Stat. §§ 204B.06(1)(b), 204B.04(2)) violated the political party's associational rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, U.S. Const. amends. I, XIV. On appeal of the judgment declaring the antifusion laws unconstitutional, the court held that the burdens imposed by the fusion ban upon the political party's associational rights were justified by correspondingly weighty valid state interests in ballot integrity and political stability.

[kishaaann]

Please include Hillary Clinton on the list of NY officials that have received money from Obama. Obama did more for Hillary in 2004 than she did for Kerry.

Could you also post the fact that the day after Vilsack endorsed Hillary she paid off his debts to the tune of $400,000.

3/26/07
Vilsack endorses Clinton
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=1416

3/27/07
Clinton pays off Vilsacks debts
http://www.kcci.com/politics/11407584/detail.html?rss=des&psp=news

[ConcernAmerican]

Obama is unraveling and its not even primary yet...geez!