IL Dem Corruption on California TV
Assuming Judy Topinka has enough money for TV ads, she might want to take a page out of California State Treasurer Phil Angelides’ use of Illinois Democratic Party corruption in his quest for his state’s gubernatorial nomination.
Awaiting sentencing in the Downstate Teachers Pension kickback scheme in Illinois is former Democratic National Committee Finance Chairman Joe Cari. 
Joe Cari, as in the guy who fingered Governor Rod Blagojevich as “Public Official A.”
As in a guy who helped Al Gore raise big money.
Now, California Democrats are batting Illinois Dem crook Cari around like a tennis ball.
Whom Cari helped most is a major issue in California’s June 6th gubernatorial primary fight.
Is Democrat State Treasurer or Democrat State Comptroller Steve Westly more corrupt? That seems to be the issue before Democratic Party primary voters.
State Treasurer Angelides is excoriating State Comptroller Westly for
Raising cash from “a corrupt Chicago businessman,” according to the Los Angeles Times
But, Blagojevich also got $15,000 from Cari—in three 2003-04 chunks of $5,000. Each donation ranked as national player Cari’s biggest Illinois contribution.
What did Blagojevich do with the money?
On August 4th--after Cari copped a plea--the Governor gave it back to Cari.
In effect, Blagojevich made a contribution to his fellow Democrat’s legal defense fund.
And Demo crook Steven Loren, a Blagojevich administration appointee also caught up in the pension scandal, got his $4,500 back, too.
How much more fertile are the crooks, alleged crooks and pre-alleged crooks who helped Governor Rod Blagojevich!
Just in case Topinka’s creative people need any help, here’s part of the TV ad:
"This is Joe Cari," the narrator intones. "He's a corrupt Chicago businessman who gave Steve Westly thousands in campaign contributions."Monday, the LA Times reported that the Clinton-supported Democratic candidate making the charge also sought Cari’s help in fund raising.
Westly's picture appears, and the narrator continues: "Westly then steered public pension funds to Joe Cari's investment company….
"Now Joe Cari has pleaded guilty to extortion in a pension fund scandal."
Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle's Ad Watch reported:
Cari held fundraisers for Westly in New York and Chicago and, in 2004, the fund invested $5 million in Healthpoint….Westly can't deny that he backed the investment efforts of a fundraiser who was later convicted of a felony.And, if you think that only in Illinois do public officials try to raise money from those doing business with state pension funds, read this, also from the LA Times:
Westly and Angelides both sit on the state's main public pension boards, and both have raised millions in campaign donations from companies and individuals seeking lucrative pension fund investments.Topinka can run similar ads, of course.
But she could make them more powerful.
Not only did Blagojevich give money back to pension fund crooks Cari and Loren, but he also gave $500 back to alleged mob firm M&M Amusements on April 28, 2005.
Only after I asked political spokesman Peter Giangreco what the Governor was going to do now that M&M (think brothers James and Michael Marcello) had been implicated in the massive mob indictment was the money returned.
On the other hand, contributions from multi-indicted and part-time Republican Stuart Levine of the alleged Crystal Lake Mercy hospital kickback and the pension fund kickback fame were not returned.
Blagojevich directed his $4,267 in contributions to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
McHenry County Blog is where this originated.
6 comments:
Cal, If you were a nonpartisan concerned about America (rather than those things which make Democrats look bad) you'd also talk about how 15 of the wealthiest families are buying off GOP votes and bamboozling regular Americans.
Don't worry, Daily Kos contributor 'bond dad' has the story for you:
How Republicans Lie About the Estate Tax
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/31/143117/519
(Just keep selling our great country to the Chinese -- that's the GOP answer to everything.)
‘Burbs,
That could rank among the most ridiculous comments you’ve ever posted anywhere. Cal’s written plenty of pieces critical of Republicans, but I have never heard you utter a single critical word against Democrats.
And what in god’s name are you talking about: the GOP’s answer to everything is to “just keep selling our great country to the Chinese?” I suppose it’s not important to remember that it was the Democratic Party that turned the Lincoln bedroom into a bed and breakfast for Chinese businessmen in the 1990’s. And while most Republicans also favored it, wasn’t it a DEMOCRATIC President who granted it permanent Normal Trade Relations?
Umm, burbs, Cal ran against Jim Ryan for Governor in 2002 and blasted both the Republicans and Democrats all along the way. Can't get much more nonpartisan (concerning the two power parties) than running against them for Governor.
Cal this is a great post!!! My blog has been getting a large number of search engine hits the past couple weeks on Joe Cari with IPs in Cali. This explains it. I also didn't know Blago gave the money back to help with his legal fees unstead of giving it to charity.
The Governor did not say it was for legal fees, of course. But, that is the practical effect.
He could have given it to a charity and made brownie points there. That's what he did with the in-kind contributions from Levine, the part-time Republican, who has yet to go to trial.
But, for real Democrats and the syndicate-imlicate firm, he just returned the contributions to the source.
Wouldn't you love to know who solicited the M&M Amusements $500 in the summer of 2002?
If Blago had kept the money, you would have excoriated him, and now that he's given it back you've spun that into a contribution to his legal defense fund.
What was he supposed to do to be free of your hackery?
He could have given it to charity, which is what he did in the case of part-time Republican Levine.
Do you think any Chicago television station will run the Joe Cari ad as a news story?
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