Rep Sander Levin Calls out the GOP Dark Money Groups on Floor of House!

Democrats in the House are fighting back against the Republicans in the House who lied about the IRS scandal and costs the American taxpayers $14M to keep hiding the dark money donors to Karl Rove's American Crossroads GPS and two Koch owned organizations:

Then Levin got all truth buster on the GOP and brought up the explosion of dark money groups after the Citizens United ruling, “Why is this important? Because applications for 501(c)(4) status have nearly doubled between 2010 and 2012 to 3,357, and 501(c)(4) spending has skyrocketed. In 2006 $1 million was spent by 501(c)(4) organizations. In 2010, $92 million was spent. And in 2012, $256 million was spent by 501(c)(4) organizations.” 

Levin pointed out that this designation allows the organizations to keep their donors secret. And that this secrecy is actually what Republicans are trying to protect, “That is exactly the secrecy that the Republicans are trying to preserve. Why? Because the three largest spenders representing fully 51% of the total are a who’s who list of Republican political operatives. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS spent $71 million. Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers, spent $36 million. The American Future Fund, also the Koch brothers, spent $25 million.”

Can I say FINALLY?  The Democrats are on the offense against the fake IRS Scandal to protect the Republican dark money organizations.  Watching Rep Levin call them out for their lies and using a narrative to fool the American people, made my day.  I love it:

Levin didn’t shy away from the truth, “If you live in a targeted state and you turn on your television, you have probably seen these groups that work at distorting the Affordable Care Act. That is why we are here today purely and simply. Not because Republicans want to stand up for the rights of social welfare organizations, and they often talk about small ones, but to preserve the secrecy around the Republicans’ big campaign efforts.” 

And now, after all of the public drama, we get to the entire point of the Republican fable about the IRS, which we explained to you as it was going on. Yes, this is all about protecting dark money. It always has been. Levin demanded, “Why are we standing here and saying to the IRS don’t look at 501(c)(4)s. Don’t look at the possible massive abuse. Don’t look at what has happened in the last few years where political operatives, under the guise of 501(c)(4), have moved from $1 million in many cases to $256 million as reported to the FEC.” 

Why are Republicans trying to force the IRS to look the other way? Because Republicans can’t win elections without dark money spreading lies about Democrats. Republicans can’t afford to run on issues. They have to run on smears, since their policies are determined by the Koch Brothers et al, and thus benefit the top 1% instead of the people.

Read More at Politicususa

Not sure if Karl Rove has an honest bone in his body any more than the Koch Bros -- they are all about scamming the American people to get their way.  None of the dark money groups care one iota about the American people and worse about our Constitution.  They are a bunch of lowlife win at any cost mentality types who will lie, cheat, and if that doesn't work steal the election.  One thing to remember about Republicans is that they will accuse the other side of what they are doing.  The 2012 election was a perfect example of them accusing the Democrats of voter fraud when the fraud that was found was Republican.

Been saying for a long time that anything Cong Issa (R-CA) is involved in investigation is most like tainted. How many people do you know who insure a building for a much higher amount, make sure a computer is not in the building, and a few weeks later it burns down or stole cars, or threaten people with guns, etc?  Why won't the media call him out?  Who is controlling the media today?  Frankly disheartening to see so many so-called journalists 'forget' to ask pertinent questions preferring to deal with fluff:

Rep. Darrell Issa's past includes arrests for weapons charges and auto theft, suspicions of arson, and accusations of intimidation with a gun, but you'd hardly know it from the media's recent coverage of the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. While Issa was substantially mentioned in 15 articles in the nation's largest newspapers since the last election -- including several major profiles -- only one of those articles mentioned any of these allegations. Likewise, interviewers did not ask Issa about his alleged criminal past in any of the cable or network interviews he sat for during that period.

1982: Issa Suspected, But Never Charged, In Arson Incident At Manufacturing Plant. According to the Los Angeles Times: "A suspected arson fire ripped through [Issa's Ohio] manufacturing plant in 1982. No one was ever charged in the fire, but authorities were troubled by a dramatic escalation in the facility's fire insurance just weeks earlier. Even before the blaze was put out, investigators began peppering Issa and his partner with 'crazy questions' regarding their whereabouts before the fire, Issa recalled." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis, emphasis added] 

Read Full Details at Media Matters 

My basic question for sometime has been how did Issa with such a shady background get chosen to head the House Investigation Committee?  If you were into conspiracy theories you would look at the arson fire was at a warehouse in Ohio and the Speaker who chooses heads of committees is from Ohio.
Draw your own conclusion but it sure does smell.  What better person to put in charge of investigations then people you can control because of their background?

People of California need to vote Issa out in 2014 along with Republicans controlling the House and the Agenda because they are the party of NO unless it is their idea which has the Country at a standstill. The Republican Party of today is flat out worthless who are told what they are to do by the likes of the Koch Bros, Rove, Fox News, and other wealthy donors.  Seems their brains are hooked on donor money and the vast majority of American people can 'shove it' in their opinion.

To see Rep Levin take on the Republican trash in the House leaving me smiling.  The GOP House has not earned anyone's respect but instead have earned our distrust and disdain.  Send the GOP to the unemployment line in 2014 and see how they like no federal benefits they chose not to renew.

 

Dark Money Owns the Repubilican Party of Today

Republicans are the worst I have seen in all my years around politics for being willing to sell their souls for campaign donations and no primary challengers by supporting Dark Money donations.

There is one reason in my mind to support Russ Feingold if he decides to run for Senate in 2016 - Campaign Finance Reform (CFR).  McCain, his partner, has let the Country down on CFR preferring to mess in Syrian politics meeting with the rebels and promising them things he cannot deliver.  Someone tell him he does not speak for the President.  He was a Champion for CFR before running for President which brings into question some of the money he received.  That's nothing compared to what happened after the Citizens United ruling which was a travesty.

That travesty and the yelling by Tea Party groups they were targets is a farce as liberal groups were asked further questions 2/3 to 1/3 for the hard right Koch Bros Tea Party.  The hard right shouts the loudest after having Koch Bros and other major GOP hard right donor money funneled into their accounts.  The very idea these non-profits don't spend almost all their money on partisan races is a joke.  Why do you think some Republicans in Congress are afraid to vote against what the Tea Party wants?  GOP office holders are afraid of being primaried.  When the GOP played up to the Tea Party and the Libertarian Koch's they got more then they bargained for - they are owned lock, stock, and barrel and told what to do and how to vote.  They sold out the American people and now try to attack IRS for going after some of the groups that they know full well break the law.

Looks to me like when the hard right GOP owned by the Koch Bros breaks a law, it is okay but let a Democrat come close to doing the same thing, it is the end of the world as the hard right rushes to the microphones to give their narrative the lapdog media loves so they don't have to work to do a story -- they use GOP Talking Points never bothering to check if they are true.

Tom Edsall nails the non-profits  trying to fit the IRS rules in his editorial at the New York Times.  It is must reading:

Dark Money Politics 
By THOMAS B. EDSALL 12 June 2013 

In the world of nonprofit “dark money” groups, nothing is as it seems: political committees, through the magic of the internal revenue code, become tax-exempt “social welfare” organizations; a partisan campaign ad becomes principled “issue advocacy”; and federal election law that requires public disclosure of donors is rendered toothless by regulatory loopholes. 

The flow of cash through organizations asserting tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the federal tax code has been rising exponentially, from just $5.2 million in 2006 to $310.8 million in 2012. 

There is one reason for this growth: 501(c)(4) groups do not have to reveal their donors. 

Brendan Smialowski/Getty ImagesJames Martin, chairman of the 60 Plus
Association,  and Selena Owens before a Tea Party Express press conference
at the National Press Club in Washington on Aug. 4.

Two pie charts — Figure 1 and Figure 2 — drawn up by the Center for Responsive Politics demonstrate the crucial role of conservative non-profits in driving this increase in spending.

 Center for Responsive Politics, Fig. 1 

Center for Responsive Politics, Fig. 2

The Center, which has dug deeply into this submerged area of American politics, has gathered a lot of the relevant data about the influence of money on American politics at OpenSecrets.org. It makes for instructive reading. 

The controversy over the revelation that organizations whose names include the words “Tea Party” were targeted by the I.R.S. for review has provided new cover for politically active conservative organizations, allowing them to charge that investigations of the legitimacy of their tax-exempt status are politically motivated. Many of these groups have, in fact, been explicitly involved in federal election campaigns, as reported upon by The New York Times and Politico.
Sheila Krumholz, the Center’s executive director, told me that despite the denials coming from conservative non-profits her organization has found increasing evidence of practices designed to evade I.R.S. rules governing tax-exempt status and donor disclosure. 

The actual I.R.S. rule is worth examining closely:

The promotion of social welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. However, a section 501(c)(4) social welfare organization may engage in some political activities, so long as that is not its primary activity. However, any expenditure it makes for political activities may be subject to tax under section 527(f).

The phrase “not its primary activity” has been interpreted by campaign finance lawyers to mean that a 501(c)(4) organization can spend no more that 49.9% of its money on political activity, according to Krumholz. 

In a process she refers to as “money churning,” a hypothetical tax-exempt organization, let’s call it the Good Government Coalition, has $10 million in revenues. The G.G.C. fulfills its obligation to spend just over half its money on non-political activity by giving $5 million plus $1 to another tax-exempt social welfare organization with an ambiguous name, the Liberty Bell Alliance. G.G.C. can now spend what it has left, $4,999,999 on political activity. The Liberty Bell Alliance, which now has $5 million plus $1, can spend just under half, $2,499,999, on political activity. The net result is that of the original $10 million, instead of only $4,999,999 going to political activity, $7,499,998, or 75 percent of the original $10 million, can be spent on politics.

Excerpt:  Read more at the NY Times about these groups especially the the 60 Plus Association who seems to be laundering Koch money to do advertising that is anything but non-profit as they are the hard right's answer to AARP.

Anyone who tracks money is discovering that a lot of donor money is being hidden.  Time for all money to be accounted for - give $1 and have it revealed.  If the Republicans were not so archaic with their system, that could happen easily but then they would have to be honest which is not likely to happen.  Act Blue is so much farther ahead of the GOP on software for donors that it is getting funny.  Guess no one with skills wants to touch any Republican organization.  Romney has been trying to buy people with skills to duplicate Act Blue but so far they have not found people who can build a system that works.  Romney is sounding more and more like he wants to run again.  Mr. 47% with all his excuses why he lost doesn't even realize that he is the reason a lot of us dumped GOP candidates in 2012 and will do it again in 2014.

Let's get Russ Feingold reelected to the Senate and lead a campaign finance reform.  Most of us have had enough of the stench coming from the Koch Bros/GOP wealthy donors, Fox News, and Karl Rove.  Time to take the Country back and get all this dark money out of politics so honest people can win elections without having to bow at the knee of wealthy donors.  Republicans are the worst I have seen in all my years around politics for being willing to sell their souls for campaign donations and no primary challengers.  Yet, with being sell outs, they claim they are the party of values.  Give me a break!