How Do Republicans Win Elections: Meet Harold Simmons, Reactionary Billionaire Smearmeister Who Buys Them

Since posting about reactionary billionaire, swift boat funder, and hate-monger Harold Simmons yesterday, we've had more than a dozen e-mails from people in Texas claiming inside knowledge of not just activities that will keep Simmons out of Heaven, but activities that, if they were provable in court, would have him spending the rest of his wretched life in a prison cell. I'll pass on repeating the ones that I can't verify and the personal stuff and just stick to the political dirt.

It's well known that the twice-divorced ne'er-do-well money bags behind the swiftboat liars was sued by his two daughters. What I didn't know is that what came out in the process is that he'd been funneling vast amounts of money to Republican candidates by forging documents making it look like the donations were coming from other people (like the two daughters). Under questioning, and threatened with perjury charges, he admitted in court that he forged his two daughters' signatures to make political contributions from family trusts to various Republican candidates. Simmons has said that from 1991 to 1995 he made $110,000 in contributions to political action committees (PACs) in his daughters' names without their knowledge or permission. He later settled a lawsuit with them for $50 million and paid some fines to the FEC.

So why aren't slimy Republican crooks who routinely look after his business interests in the Senate, like Susan Collins (R-ME), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), John Sununu (R-NH), James Inhofe (R-OK), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and others upon whom he has lavished thousands and thousands of tainted dollars, returning the money? And while we're on the subject, so far this year Simmons' shady Dalen PAC has made efforts to buy the loyalty of the following senators and Senate candidates (all Republicans):

Lamar Alexander (R-TN, $2,000)
Norm Coleman (R-MN, $5,000)
John Cornyn (R-TX, $10,000)
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC, $5,000)
Michael Johanns (R-NE, $5,000)
James Risch (R-ID, $5,000)
Bob Schaffer (R-CO, $5000)
John McCain (R-AZ, $5,000)

The same suspicious PAC handed out $130,000 in 2006 to some of the most extreme right members of (and candidates for) Congress. Although almost all of his Senate patsies lost-- like Michael Steele (R-MD, $10,000), Mark Kennedy (R-MN, $7,000), James Talent (R-MO, $6,000), Conrad Burns (R-MT, $6,000), George "Macacawitz" Allen (R-VA, $5,000), Mike DeWine (R-OH, $5,000), Rick Santorum (R-PA, $5,000), Stephen Laffey (R-RI, $5,000), Michael McGavick (R-WA, $5,000), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE, $5,000)-- he still has his hooks into dozens of Republican House members he and his PACs have financed, especially Kay Grangers (R-TX), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Chris Shays (R-CT).

According to the Dallas Morning News, "The two daughters, Andrea Swanson, 33, and Scheryle Patigian, 44, contend in a lawsuit over control of the family trust that Mr. Simmons made hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions in their names without their permission in violation of federal campaign law."

He also funnels money to Republicans through his Contran Industries PAC. So in addition to what he's given personally, given fraudulently from his daughters, and given through Dalen PAC, he's also given hundreds of thousands more-- mostly to the same far right candidates like McCain, McConnell, Cornyn, Dole, Inhofe, etc.-- through Contran, $100,000 this year alone. Obviously, this is all above and beyond the $4,000,000 he spent in 2004 to smear John Kerry-- and beyond the massive amount he's pledged this year to destroy Barack Obama.

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Comments

[paulita]

This is the kind of information people need to be aware of; why is this not front page news?

This erodes our democracy bit by bit, subtely. If we let this go on, our children will be studying about the "good ole days," in school, when America used to be a Democracy, and the people lived in freedom.

It´s interesting to me because usually they operate, under the guise of "family values," a Svengali convinces the American people that they must vote for a certain republican candiate because he has "family values," and is more moral and just than the rest of us, and that if we don´t vote for them we are somehow, less moral. Thus I´m sure this svengali feels justified in funneling money to campaigns. In reality he´s after his own economic self interest., i.e. less oil drilling, less dinero for me!


Quite ironic then that he is sued by his children.

I hope America will vote to save our democracy, which at the present time is being, tortured, pillaged, plundered in war, and bought and sold by svengal tricksters.

[leftcoastliberal]

Why isn't this on the front page of every newspaper in the country? Why aren't people demanding Simmons' head on a spear? Why aren't Republithugs committing suicide from shame and self-loathing? I honestly don't understand.

[peterg76]

I can't believe the going rate for senators is so low.

[BADEN]

HE'S REALLY INTO 'HAZARDOUS WASTE':

Valhi, Inc. is one of the least known, but most successful, multinational conglomerates located in the United States. With just less than 8,000 employees, the company has continuing operations in four primary businesses, including component products, chemicals, hazardous waste management, and fast food. Valhi's four operating subsidiaries include: CompX International, Inc., one of the leading American manufacturers of ergonomic office workstation supplies and components, precision ball bearing drawer slides, and mechanical locks; NL Industries, Inc., ranked the fourth largest producer of titanium dioxide pigments in the world in 1996, with a reported 11 percent share of the worldwide sales volume of titanium dioxide pigments; Sybra, Inc. (which spells "Arby's" backwards), a franchisee of more than 150 Arby's restaurants in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Michigan; and Waste Control Specialists LLC, one of the fastest growing firms in the processing, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste materials in the United States.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Valhi-Inc-Company-History.html

[BADEN]

WCS spends millions yearly to influence the political process

Waste Control Specialists is owned by a larger company called Valhi. Valhi is controlled by a man named Harold Simmons, who has been known as the second richest man in Texas. Since Valhi also owns National Lead Industries, one of the worst polluters in the US, Simmons has also been called the 'king of superfund sites'.

Valhi and Simmons give millions in campaign contributions to Texas representatives. Simmons was 2nd biggest donor ($90,000) and #1 fundraiser in the Bush for governor campaign. He also was a large donor in two of Jeb Bush's Florida campaigns. Through Contran, another company in the Simmons' empire, millions more is also funneled to GOPAC and the GOP in soft money contributions to influence the political process on a national level. The Houston Chronicle stated Simmons personally was one of the primary contributors to the Bush presidential campaign. Campaign contributions for the year 2000 include $70,000 for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, $350,000 for Sen. Phil Gramm, and $211,000 for Gov Rick Perry. Just prior to the 2001 legistlature, he gave $10,000 to Sen. Buster Brown, Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

REST OF ARTICLE:
http://www.texasradiation.org/andrews/index.html

[darthmaul]

It's pretty bad when your own daughters sue you.

[mediamarv]

Why isn't this story in the Enquirer?? Perfect fodder: father vs. daughters?
I mean, the Enquirer is now the bastion of truth in journalism.

[gop-out]

Does he pay for vandalizers too?

Obama state campaign headquarters vandalized
By Star Tribune

August 24, 2008

The state campaign headquarters for Sen. Barack Obama was vandalized early this morning in St. Paul.

According to St. Paul Police:

Officers got a call of property damage in the 700 block of Raymond Avenue at about 1:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found two big plate glass windows and a glass door smashed, and paint splattered on the building's exterior and interior.

One person was inside at the time, but was not harmed.

No one is in custody yet,and police ask that anyone with information on the vandalism call 651-291-1111.

© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.