It would have been best if Gov. Kathleen Sebelius somehow had known not to accept a $500 contribution last year from Norman Hsu (in photo), the Democratic fundraiser arrested Thursday in Colorado after missing a court appearance related to a felony theft conviction in California. But she, like presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and many others, took Hsu’s money, unaware he was an admitted swindler on the lam. And at least Sebelius decided this week to respond to the Hsu connection by donating $500 to Let’s Help, a Topeka nonprofit organization that helps people avoid homelessness.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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20 Comments
I don’t understand the “at least” comment. Are you saying that the refund was reluctant, or did you really mean that the Governor’s campaign treasurer should have known sooner that there was something wrong with this donation? This Blog question would have been better couched as a compliment for donating the $500 to a homeless charity.
When a campaign contribution comes in, a (usually volunteer) staffer checks to see if all of the FEC requirements — Name, Address, Occupation — are met. Then they endorse the check.
No campaign goes through a thorough background check of every contributor, especially on a relatively small constirbution of $500.
So once the conservative-dominated-mainstream press discovers Hsu is a scumbag, the right thing to do is to separate the campaign from the dirty money. Sending the $500 back to Hsu would have benefitted Hsu; not a particularly effecting way to punish him.
Giving the $500 donation to Let’s Help is an admirable way of dispusing the funds.
Good for Kathleen!
This comes back to the issue of public financing of elections.
The Republic Party can tap corporations and lobbyists big-time to carry water for intities other than voters. They want the best possible government they can buy.
If taxpayers’ money financed political campaigns, the candidates would most likely be responsive to the people who’re financing them. Today it’s business lobbies, fat-cats like Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, and Richard Mellon Scaife, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, and for-profit healthcare corporations. Guess who’s been getting their way with politicians over the past couple of decades? (Hint: It hasn’t been the taxpayer.)
Long Time,
If perpetual fundraising came to an end and all candidates started out with the same amount of mazuma, then cronyism wouldn’t be as prevalent (”Thanks for the donation old buddy old pal, now here’s your new gig”) and people like Abraham Lincoln could elbow their way into the argument. We can’t have that.
Long Time Poster, First Time Lurker the mainstream press is full of liberals, not conservatives. At least 90% of jouralists are members of the Democratic Party.
The Republic Party can tap corporations and lobbyists big-time to carry water for intities other than voters.
The Democratic Party taps these same corporations and lobbyists, and based on the numbers since they control Congress, they now get a bigger share.
If taxpayers’ money financed political campaigns, the candidates would most likely be responsive to the people who’re financing them.
Dream on. I know a lot of people of both parties that support this concept, but there is no proof that it would work.
Did Tiahrt ever donate the money he received from Jack Abramoff or Tom Delay’s PAC? Or does he continue to insist that these people are still innocent?
Two wrongs dont make one right.
Some Democrats benefited from Abramoff, but they get a free ride?
Some Democrats, maybe a lot, get similar donations from bad PAC’s.
I think PACs and lobbyists should be banned as they are more harmful than anything. Neither party will support that since they get so much money from both groups.
If we busted all Congress people for these issues, we would have to elect 535 new ones, which probably would be a good thing as long as they were not Republican or Democrat.
Strange how moral outrage only applies to the other party, no matter which party is the other party.
I have seen attacks against both parties where both parties are equally guilty of doing the same thing.
I receive Democratic and Republican e-mails, and each one accuses the other of doing the same thing they are doing.
On the same note, why do Congress people get to use their slush fund, AKA donations, to fund other elections. For example, a Congress person can use it to fund their Presidential race. The same concept applies to local elections.
Why do they get to keep their slush fund when they leave office? For some of the long term ones, it is very large.
Donate it to charity, without a tax write off, or give it back to the donors in a prorated share.
Al Capone: “But your honor, I have given regularly to the orphanage and contribute to my church as well. Can’t you see I’m a really decent guy?”
“Some Democrats benefited from Abramoff, but they get a free ride?”
No, but no Democrats ever received money from Abramoff so there is no double standard.
Tiahrt received money from Abramoff, didn’t even bother to report them until caught. He even voted to weaken ethics rules to protect corrupt Tom Delay:http://citizensforethics.org/node/24591
Not surprising is Tiahrt’s staff members were part of a land deal that robbed Wichita taxpayers of $2 million.
This is a case of GETTING CAUGHT not a case of doing the right thing.
The Democrat Party, in general, and the Clinton’s, in particular, have benefited from corrupt and illegal Asian financing for some time now:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070907/COMMENTARY/109070023/-1/RSS_FP
Hey Paul, Hsu is an American, not an Asian. Do you still refer to yourself as an European or a Morlock or whereever your ancestors originated from?
Ironic that you reference the Washington Times. It’s owned by the Moonies cult leader from South Korea. The publication has a Republican bent and Moon donates heavily to the Republican party and it’s causes. Lovely double standard you have there.
DougI am talking about ILLEGAL money, from Asia.
These Asian-American money launderers you mention, like HSU, are just the middle-men to get illegal money to the Democrats.
I have obviously hit a nerve.
And DougI never said ALL Asians were bad.
I said that the Clintons and the Demcrats have an old habit of raising ILLEGAL Asian money.
3 dollar gasoline has gutted the middle class and the poor, and waging war on top of the world’s oil supply is the cause.
Sorry Paul, the first family mentioned in the article is a family that resides in California. Somehow you equate Americans of Asian heritage as being Asian, as if they are not American. Then again, the Washington Times isn’t exactly the most credible news source. I guess all this free campaign help a South Korean is providing the Republicans is okay.
Yes Paul, you are a hypocrite. Deal with it.
DougIssues and facts are rarely on your side.Therefore, you use insults.
How is money donated to Democrats from Americans considered “illegal” money from Asia? Where are your facts Paul?
Sun Myung Moon donates millions to Republican politicians and PACs and it’s acceptable and he’s a resident of South Korea. He has been convicted of filing false tax reports, his church has recently been busted on killing endangered sharks for profit. Some Asian-Americans donate to Democrats and it’s “illegal asian money”. You have no facts on your side Paul. Just because someone has darker skin than you doesn’t mean they aren’t American.
Has there been an instance when you’ve been right on anything?
Heheheh Doug. Paul and facts have a passing familiarity….
Read this link.Nobody can deny the facts in this link:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070907/COMMENTARY/109070023/-1/RSS_FP
Get past your Washington Times attack mode. MANY MANY liberals have had opinion pieces published in the Washington Times. Does that make those liberals’ opinions supsect?
The Clintons and the Democrats have a HABIT of raising illegal foreign contributions. Much of the Democrats illegal money comes from Asia.
Now, prove ME wrong, would you please?
And I will only respond if you promise that you have first read the Tyrrell editorial, first.
Here it is again, for those of you who don’t seem to know how to scroll:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070907/COMMENTARY/109070023/-1/RSS_FP
I’ll agree with you Paul, the Washington Times is a opinion paper. I’m more interested in facts, not opinions. My issue is that you are claiming Americans of Asian decent are not Americans.