Yup, it’s time to dust off that Rove-frogmarch pic again, cuz two of the Republican gube-wannabes got caught playing around with their campaign contributions!

First off, there’s that guy who used to be mayor of someplace nobody in their right mind would ever [...]]]> Ah! What would a gubernatorial race in Nevada be without allegations of wrong-doing and pay-to-play?

Yup, it’s time to dust off that Rove-frogmarch pic again, cuz two of the Republican gube-wannabes got caught playing around with their campaign contributions!

First off, there’s that guy who used to be mayor of someplace nobody in their right mind would ever want to be. Anyways, whatshisname took some foreign cash  from a well-connected pal which is un-legal according to federal election laws. (Sun) I guess the well-known scout leader was taking the Boy Scout oath literally–it doesn’t say anything about following the nation’s laws, just “Scout” law, which remains silent about campaign finances. Of course, whathisname has played fast and loose with campaign contributions before, what with taking big Binion Bucks just prior to voting in favor of Binion projects, and used nutty Utah money to influence Nevada elections.

I’ll leave it to you to decide which is more foreign: Chinese money or Utah money.

Meanwhile, the crack governor’s staff/re-elect Gibbers team couldn’t be outdone. So, they took some money from Gibbons’ old pals the Ozmens just as the Gube was awarding a lucrative contract to–drumroll please–Gibbons’ old pals, the Ozmens. (Sun)

Ah, the Ozmens and their defense contractor company Sierra Nevada Corporation bring back some truly wonderful memories around here at VGO. Who can forget?

• Dawn’s job demonstrating whatchamacallits for Sierra Nevada Corporation while hubby was a congressman taking contributions from the company and working to get its contracts approved behind the veil of secret, defense department “black budgets”? And she even got screwed over in the deal. No wonder she went after the Guv in that divorce.
• The lovely trip to Turkey for the Gibbonses sponsored by the Ozmens in 2000 cuz, you know, back-benching and juicing the “black budget” is awful hard work so they needed a break.

Don’t forget: congress re-wrote how it reports appropriations in the defense and intelligence budgets partially because of Gibbons’ diddling thereof.

Mr. Reid and Mr. Sandoval had to settle for some petty borderline-unethical “bundling” of their campaign contributions wherein candidates skirt the $10,000 maximum allowed contribution by taking in a few extra $10K bundles from shadow limited liability corporations owned by the same guys handing out the first ten grand. Of course Gibbers and Whathisname are bundlers, too, but they wish they could bundle more.

One thing odd about this year, though, is that a bunch of the companies on the bundling list are either in bankruptcy or just coming out. So, how do you explain to your creditors that they have to take a back seat to local politicians? What do they say? “Sorry, I can’t pay you right now! Brian Sandoval’s on the other line!”

Ralston makes the case for turning the State Senate blue today as he trots out his semi-annual harangue about Nevada’s screwed up campaign reporting. We learn that the Governor has a "secret money machine" sucking up cash from pharmaceutical companies and whoever is dumping funds into the Gube’s legal defense slush fund.

Last week [Gibbons] raised money [...]]]>

Ralston makes the case for turning the State Senate blue today as he trots out his semi-annual harangue about Nevada’s screwed up campaign reporting. We learn that the Governor has a "secret money machine" sucking up cash from pharmaceutical companies and whoever is dumping funds into the Gube’s legal defense slush fund.

Last week [Gibbons] raised money – sources say mostly from pharmaceutical
folks – at an event that netted him about $20,000. Will he use those
donations to contribute to other Republicans, to travel to far-flung
lands, to tip his security detail? We don’t know because he doesn’t
have to disclose until next year.

As for the legal defense fund, which the governor disclosed only
after pressed, he doesn’t have to reveal that money until next year,
either. And he has an active effort under way being run by two
prominent businessmen, Sig Rogich and Monte Miller. We have no idea who
m they have solicited and how much they have raised. And they don’t
have to tell. (Sun)

Not until January, leastwise.

Ralston wants elected officials to post their contributions on the web within 48 hours of receiving them, which is a nifty idea. In fact their were bills in front of the State Senate last session that would have required timely posting. But they died in the (up scary music) Senate Legislative Operations and Election Fixing Committee. (CL,CL,NCPE,BSV)

So, you want ethics reform? Then vote Bill Raggio, Barbara Cegavske, Bob Beers, Warren Hardy out of the Senate, slap some sense into Mathews, and shake Valerie Wiener awake. Horsford was the only member of the committee who seemed to work for change.

And, oh the minutes from that committee! They’ll make you weep harder than a Greek Tragedy:

SENATOR MATHEWS:
Maybe I am naive, but when I knock on doors, nobody has ever asked me about my [campaign expense] report.

CHAIR CEGAVSKE:
I agree. I think a lot of this is for the media. (Committee Minutes. p.

What? You knock on a door at some random time, and are surprised that your constituents aren’t waiting, report in hand, to go over the details? Sorry, ladies, but that’s what a free press is for! And it ain’t easy sorting out all that bundling you guys do on those reports.

Later (p. 14)…

           [Craig Walton:]

The other point I would make is the concern some of the members of the Committee have about why do five reports. We had complaints from voters in the valley about the anomalous situation where you either go to early voting and not know who gave what money to whom or you wait to find out who gave what money to whom, but you cannot vote early because it is over..

CHAIR CEGAVSKE:
When you say people, the only people most of us hear complaining are the media or our opponents; they are the ones who want to know. I am someone who walks door-to-door as most everyone else does, and we do not hear it from the constituents. We hear it from the media and somebody’s opponent who wants to see what is going on in the other camp. That is what it is about. [Emphasis added]

MR. WALTON:
We have had two town hall meetings open to the public, and people brought those questions up. They are also pushing to say, "Why don’t you make this electronic so it would be more easy?" I think they are related. The number of folks looking for numbers, who gives what to whom, will be larger when we can do it electronically. We have to do the spade work to inform the public and make it possible for the public to get this information.

Weep! Weep for our poor over-burdened candidates and lobbyists! And Look what Senator Hardy said as the committee killed the bill to require training in the State Ethics rules for lobbyists and legislators (p. 14).

SENATOR HARDY:
I came from the lobbying ranks and I can tell you their obligations to the law, in terms of ethics, are well adhered to because the penalty is drastic. We need to do all we can to advocate for the availability of this training for people who want to take it. However, mandating the training seems extreme. This goes for Legislators as well.

Ethics requirements! They’re so extreme!

And, hey, isn’t there something familiar about that picture?

Not guilty, but pay it back?

The TItus campaign caught Gibbons with his PAC showing when he accepted $11,000 in campaign contributions over legal limits back in [...]]]> The Sun tells us that the Federal Elections Commission has dropped a complaint against Gibbons for some alleged campaign finance shenanigans but–get this–is still requiring that his PAC pay $2,000 back.

Not guilty, but pay it back?

The TItus campaign caught Gibbons with his PAC showing when he accepted $11,000 in campaign contributions over legal limits back in September, 2006. Gibbons had to return the money.

The best part was how Gibbons tried to defend the error back then: He thought the money was bundled.

And the Sun story even recounts the time back when Gibbons first ran for Governor against Miller and had to return $120,000. Say, maybe he should wash those sticky fingers.

[UPDATE: the RJ's rewrite of the AP story puts a little different spin on the story when it says the FEC "admonished" for accepting $2,000 from Cal-Neva resorts. Gibbons was accused of accepting contributions from corporations, which became illegal after 2002 when the Campaign Reform Act of that year went into effect.

Maybe Gibbons figured that since he voted against the Act, he shouldn't have to obey it.

The FEC exercised some weird ass thing called "prosecutorial discretion" in deciding not to pursue four other complaints against Gibbons. Or maybe it was just POTUS's way of paying back a loyal yes-man.

The reason the fund were subject to federal rules was because Gibbons collected them for his congressional candidacy. He later dumped the funds into his state campaign because that, oddly, is legal.]

Step right up folks! Don’t be shy! There’s plenty for everybody!

Have you ever wanted to own your own Governor? Now, I know that might seem like the sorta thing only the Superrich can dream of, but no more. Even losers like you who’ve never held a bag full of poker chips in your rough [...]]]>
Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Step right up folks! Don’t be shy! There’s plenty for everybody!

Have you ever wanted to own your own Governor? Now, I know that might seem like the sorta thing only the Superrich can dream of, but no more. Even losers like you who’ve never held a bag full of poker chips in your rough peasant hands can own a piece of the Governor!

That’s right! Even the most humble among you, dear friends, can own a bit of your beloved Governor. All you have to do–and you’d be amazed how simple, and even legal this is–is contribute a modest amount to the Jim Gibbons Legal Defense Slush Fund 2.0.(RGJ,RJ,LVG)

Yes, you heard me right, dear friends. Two. Point. Oh. You see, this ain’t your old, rusty, nasty, not reported to Congress in violation of Ethics Rules, and officially deemed illegal by the Governor himself, defunct Jim Gibbons Illegal Legal Defense Slush Fund. Heavens, no, my friends!

This is the brand new, barely legal Jim Gibbons Legal Defense Slush Fund.

That’s right, friends. Barely legal. You see that new law that allows our fine politicians to solicit contributions to hire only the finest legal defense teams when the Sheriff or FBI comes a knocking, requires said politicians must refrain–yes, refrain–from soliciting funds for 30 days prior to, or after, a legislative session. Oh, and don’t forget, even during one.

Our Governor, who loves to play at the fringes of legality, waited until June 29 to submit notice to the Secretary of State of the existence of the fund. See, our Governor didn’t waste a minute! And look, he has a whole web page to himself over on the SoS site!

What, you say, doesn’t the special session count for anything? What was it, chopped liver?

Please, dear friends, you wouldn’t support the Gibbons brand if it didn’t have that sex-offender, grafty, “bad boy” feel to it, now would you? Besides, for special sessions, our politicians only have to wait 15 days before money grubbing again.

So, pony up, Nevadans! Join the ranks of patriots like Sheldon Adelson, Warren Trepp, and Sig Rogich! Help your Governor defend himself against terrorist loving organizations like frightened women and the FBI!

And unlike Trepp, you don’t have to use poker chips! The Governor accepts cash, checks, gold bullion, and all major credit cards. And he won’t say “no” to a kiss for the ladies!

So, join today! Be the first on your block to own a piece of the Governor!

But that’s not all you get, friends. Funnel a couple of bundles of $10,000 each through your many limited liability corporations--all perfectly legal in Our Fair State–and the Governor will come to your home or place of business and personally let you put it in a Jack Abramoff Como II genuine fur hat.

But that’s still not all! Hey, we’ll even throw in an actual Nevada State Senator. Yeah, he’s bald, but he’s a real go-getter. Why lobbyists love him so much, they’ll even solicit campaign money illegally behind his back.

So he says, anyway. (RJ) Wink, wink!

Disclaimer: The Governor may not actually come to your home or place of business to take your contribution in a Como II fur hat. Avoid where prohibited by law, which ain’t here in Nevada.

So, wonders Ralston,

Maybe those who brought us Governor Read My Lips and the Gang of 63 should bear the burden. Consider two recent news items:   

News [...]]]> The putative leader of the the State of Nevada was crowing about all those profits Big Mining was ripping out of Nevada recently (KRNV,MineWeb). Casinos, too, are making a bundle.

So, wonders Ralston,

Maybe those who brought us Governor Read My Lips and the Gang of 63 should bear the burden. Consider two recent news items:   

News Item No. 1 – Mineral income in Nevada reached a record $5.1
billion last year, an increase of $1.4 billion over 2005. Nevada
remains the nation’s foremost gold producer and has never been more
profitable, it seems.

News Item No. 2 – Nevada casinos won $12.6 billion in 2006, compared
with $11.6 billion the previous year. The Strip win increased by almost
11 percent and many of those companies were investing millions in
far-flung Macau.

Other industries also are worried about being tapped to make up the
budget shortfall. The homebuilders recently sent a missive to lawmakers
that highlighted the housing slump. Trust me – the subtle message was
not that this isn’t a good time to sell your house.

And what about for-profit hospitals? Or insurance companies? Or the construction industry?   

They are all rich. Can’t we siphon some cash from them, too, to pay for roads, textbooks and mental health facilities? (Ral)

How about this for a tax plan: order those who gave money to Gibbons’ campaign from those who gave the most to the least, and then tax them in proportion to their gifting. I call this plan "Adelson First." Hitting the Gube’s gift list will get you just the people you’d want: the mines, the casinos, the hospitals and the insurance companies, plus that power company that seems to be doing okay, too.

Bundling is when a donor contributes more than the legal limit to a campaign by channeling the donations through several sources, like several different corporate sources. The legal limit is [...]]]> I finally got around to having a good look at Congressman and Governor wannabe Jim Gibbons’ campaign report. And there’s a whole lot of bundling going on.

Bundling is when a donor contributes more than the legal limit to a campaign by channeling the donations through several sources, like several different corporate sources. The legal limit is $10,000 per campaign, $5,000 for the primary and $5,000 for the general election.

Here’s some examples from the latest Gib-report (searchable version–big!):

page 10:
$10,000 from Golden Gaming (Golden Route Operations)
$10,000 from Golden Gaming (Golden Tavern Group)
$10,000 from Golden Gaming (Golden Gaming, Inc)
$10,000 from Blake Santini (Owner, Golden Gaming)
$10,000 from Denise Santini (The Wife?)
———
$50,000 total!

MGM Mirage bundled up some goodies for the Gibster:

p. 12:
$10,000 Treasure Island (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)
$10,000 MGM Grand (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)
$10,000 Treasure Island (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)

p.16:
$10,000 Monte Carlo (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)
$10,000 New York, New York (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)
$10,000 Mirage (Owned by MGM Mirage Inc)
——-
$60,000 Total!

These guys share the same office (#220) at 3455 Cliff Shadows Parkway, Las Vegas:

$5,000 Coyote Equities
$5,000 Cal-Nev Land Company
$5,000 Bridgekeeper, LLC
$5,000 Beltway I-15, LLC
$5,000 Acacia Properties, LLC
$2,500 Shlincoln PAC
$2,500 Acme Enterprises PAC (fitting that they’re funding Nevada’s answer to Elmer Fudd!)
——–
$30,000 Total!

The last two guys are funded by "Focus Contributions" which name has an astounding similarity to the name of the company "Focus Commercial Group," a subsidiary of a multi-state real estate company called the Randall Group. Focus Commercial also operates out of 3455 Cliff Shadows Parkway, Las Vegas, Suite 220. Must get cramped in there.

Focus Contributions, as you will see if you look at the reports for the Shlincoln and Acme Enterprises PACs, has a ton of money and seems to be giving all of our politicians a nice taste.

These guys come out of one address, too:
p.17:
$10,000 Elkhorn Investments
$10,000 Sedora Holdings
——–
$20,000 Total!

Another small office:
p.32
$10,000 Monterrey Somerset Investors
$10,000 PMG Golf Communities
$10,000 Town Center Residential
$ 8,500 MDG Nevada
———-
$38,500 Total!

Goldstrike Mining seems to have clearly passed the $10K limit:

$10,000 Goldstrike Mining (January Report, p. 43)
$ 7,000 Goldstrike Mining (August Report, p. 18)
———
$17,000 Total!

You’d think these guys could afford two offices:
p.35
$10,000 Howard Hughes Properties, Inc
$ 9,680.62 GGP Limited Partnership: Other Hughes Properties
———-
$19,680.62 Total! (What, it’s so hard to come up with the $319.38? Must be that much sitting in the coffee money.)

And another $10,000 from bundlin’ Shelly Adelson (p. 28)

So, what to do? It’s election year, folks. Make sure you elect a Governor and a Secretary of State who are ready for reform. But you’ve got to get your state legislators on board, too. Do you know where your State Senator and Assembly person/candidate stand on reform? Call them up and ask.

[UPDATE: Supporting the Townsend bill would be a start, too.]

Fat Cats "bundle" their contributions by using several corporate funds to spread out their contributions. In Nevada, an individual can give a max of $5K to [...]]]> I agree whole heartedly with Jon Ralston’s column in the LVSun today. He wrote that the State of Nevada has to stop fat cats from circumventing campaign contribution limits by "bundling."

Fat Cats "bundle" their contributions by using several corporate funds to spread out their contributions. In Nevada, an individual can give a max of $5K to a non-federal candidate for the primary and another $5K for the general election. Fed candidates have their own rules.

Las Vegas Sands Fat Cat Sheldon Adelson, worth a mere $15.6 Billion, funneled nearly $100K to Jim Gibbons’ war chest through various corporate fronts. He should be in jail for violating Nevada State campaign finance laws, but instead he sits in the Venetian Corporate offices and laughs at the rest of us for thinking we have a say about who our next Governor will be.

And who else is laughing at us? Jim Gibbons. Why should he even bother shaking hands and kissing babies?  He can just take the cash from the Fat Cats and buy time on the Stephens-Greenspun-Rogers media monolith and pretend he has hometown, rural values.

If hometown, rural values consist of kissing the shiny black shoes of Big Gaming, Big Mining, and Big Developing, that is.

Titus also benefited from the practice of bundling, but at least she was calling for reforms last Monday in the Review Journal.

Should we expect reform from Gibbons? When he won’t even return the $2000 he got from Tom DeLay and the $1000 he got from Titan Corp., torturers?

Should we expect pigs to grow wings?