Bush's Backers Donate Heavily to Veteran Ads

[BenReilly]

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an advocacy group that jolted the presidential race with commercials questioning Senator John Kerry's military service, said it had raised $6.7 million in a windfall brought about by the group's high profile in recent weeks.

Several of the largest donors are longtime supporters of President Bush, according to a financial disclosure report filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission.

The largest contributor was T. Boone Pickens, a famous Texas oilman and longtime Republican supporter who was a major political backer of Mr. Bush's father, who gave $500,000 to the Swift boat group. Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma, gave $250,000; Bob Perry, another Bush supporter from Texas, gave $200,000 to seed the group; and Albert Huddleston, a Texas energy executive who has raised money for Mr. Bush, gave $100,000, records show.

Sam Wyly, the wealthy Texas entrepreneur who financed commercials attacking Senator John McCain in the 2000 Republican primary against Mr. Bush, also made the list at $10,000 , as did his brother Charles, records show. At least two Swift boat donors are also listed as Bush Pioneers, meaning they raised at least $100,000 for Mr. Bush.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/politics/campaign/11swift.html?hp


http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/AFP_Photo/2004/02/04/1075932848_3914.jpg

[afgrijselijkheid]

no big surprise, probably not even to the group

[mozilla]

Breaking News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breaking News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kerry supporters do not contribute hundreds of $$ to SwiftVets.

Bush supporters do not contribute tens of millions of $$ to MoveOn.org.

[mozilla]

Here is the original PR that the NYTimes made "fit to print"

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The Vietnam veterans group attacking Sen. John Kerry's military record has received $6.7 million in contributions from the public, it was announced Friday.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth said 53,068 individuals gave to the group's ad campaigns and more than 99 percent of that number gave $74 or less. A total of $3,870,430 was donated in contributions of $1,000 or less, while $462,175 came from 252 contributions of between $1,000.01 and $25,000. Three donations were between $50,000 and $100,000 and six donations were over $100,000, it said.

"The revenue report proves without a doubt that we have received genuine grassroots support for our message and, more importantly, touched off a national debate concerning John Kerry's character and leadership ability as a potential Commander in Chief," said Adm. Roy Hoffmann (Ret.), founder of the 527 advocacy group.

Hoffman said the group would continue with anti-Kerry advertisements until Election Day.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040910-065840-3188r.htm

[SoFla Metro]

Here is the original PR that the NYTimes made "fit to print"

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The Vietnam veterans group attacking Sen. John Kerry's military record has received $6.7 million in contributions from the public, it was announced Friday.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth said 53,068 individuals gave to the group's ad campaigns and more than 99 percent of that number gave $74 or less. A total of $3,870,430 was donated in contributions of $1,000 or less, while $462,175 came from 252 contributions of between $1,000.01 and $25,000. Three donations were between $50,000 and $100,000 and six donations were over $100,000, it said.

"The revenue report proves without a doubt that we have received genuine grassroots support for our message and, more importantly, touched off a national debate concerning John Kerry's character and leadership ability as a potential Commander in Chief," said Adm. Roy Hoffmann (Ret.), founder of the 527 advocacy group.

Hoffman said the group would continue with anti-Kerry advertisements until Election Day.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040910-065840-3188r.htm Did the NY Times change their name?

[mozilla]

With similar constellations of ‘facts’, we can identify other conspiracies in this campaign year.

The collusion between the Kerry campaign and left-wing, liberal 527 groups such as MoveOn.org, People for the American Way and Americans Coming Together, is well-known but virtually undocumented by the media elite. Robert Bauer, national counsel to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, works for 527 group, America Coming Together.

Democrat lawyer, Joe Sandler, was working for DNC and MoveOn.Org. The key difference between these lawyers and Benjamin Ginsburg is that Ginsburg resigned. Bauer and Sandler have made no move to sever their ‘conspiratorial’ connections between the DNC and their 527 organizations. At Democrats.org, one photo caption had “DNC Chief Operating Officer Josh Wachs (left), Senator Leahy, and Zack Exley from Moveon.org pose with the more than 310,000 signatures.” That’s a pretty cozy relationship. Kerry posted a letter to MoveOn.org members on June 17, 2003. Zach Exley, a director at MoveOn.org, now works for the Kerry campaign. Kerry’s former campaign manager, Jim Jordan, manages the pro-Kerry 527, Media Fund. And the donation to the Swift Boat Vets pales in comparison to the multimillion dollar donations of left-wingers like Peter Lewis, George Soros or Stephen Bing to numerous 527 Groups.

The public is keenly aware of Kerry’s hypocrisy in embracing the connection between his campaign and liberal 527 groups while publicly condemning the “Swift Boat Vets for Truth.”