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George Soros.
Earlier this week, we brought up just how much super-PAC spending is in this election season -- almost four out of every five dollars, total. Now, today, it became apparent that deep-pocketed Democrats are catching up in the money race.
The New York Times reports that billionaire George Soros will be handing off $1 million to the pro-President Obama super-PAC Priorities USA Action. Soros has notably stayed on the sidelines for much of the election, but according to the Times, a longtime political adviser to Soros announced the billionaire’s seven-figure commitment to the president’s re-election efforts, in addition to $500,000 for super-PACs aiding Congressional Democrats.
The move signals a departure from how many liberal donors have addressed qualms with the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United. The advent of super-PACs left many liberals to scoff at the law and pursue alternatives in grassroots organizing, by comparison to conservatives who largely exploited it as an anonymous piggy-bank of unfettered cash.
Soros attributed his late donation due to the Supreme Court ruling, but told specific members of the Democracy Alliance in an email that the Romney campaign's threats to the social safety net were worth combating (hat tip to the New York Times’ Nicholas Confessore):
“I fully support the reelection of President Obama,” Mr. Soros said in the email. He had not contributed until now, he wrote, because he opposed the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, which paved the way for super PACs and unlimited money in politics. But since then, Mr. Soros wrote, he had become “appalled by the Romney campaign which is openly soliciting the money of the rich to starve the state of the money it needs to provide social services.”
Soros’ cash infusion comes after Priorities USA reported that it had for the first time raised more than its Mitt Romney-supporting counterpart Restore Our Future with $10.1 million to $7 million. NBC News’ Michael Isikoff noted a rise contributions from the president’s inner circle of supporters - particularly trial lawyers - who are concerned with the number of federal judge appointments to be decided by the next occupant of the Oval Office.
"October is going to look like Christmas for the Democratic super-PACs," Isikoff told NBC's Chuck Todd yesterday. That may be true, but at the end, how much difference will it all make?
Gavin Aronsen asks whether super-PACs are overhyped in a new piece in Mother Jones. He answers with five reasons why they're not, one of which is that they've kept the Republican nominee's candidacy afloat:
The Obama campaign has raised $150 million more than Romney's. However, the $143 million already spent by outside groups opposing Obama has tilted the money game in Romney's favor. "We helped leave this race a statistical dead heat," Steven Law, president of Karl Rove's American Crossroads super-PAC, told the Wall Street Journal. "Obama has gotten almost nothing for all the money his campaign has invested." Likewise, Gary Bauer, the former GOP presidential candidate who runs the anti-gay marriage super-PAC Campaign for American Values, told the Journal, "If Romney didn't have the help from the outside groups that he's had, this race would be over."
Super-PAC spending or not, is it over, anyway? That will be a question Melissa will tackle in tomorrow's show. Tune in at 10am, on msnbc.
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Mistake
TRUST, BENGHAZI and the PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
Definition of TRUST
1. a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b: one in which confidence is placed
As Romney begins to receive the overwhelming tidal wave of debate advice from both Democratic and Republican pundits, some as silly as Peggy Noonan saying, “Once he steps on the stage with the President he will “LOOK” Presidential, people will be able to imagine him as President…..REALLY? Charles Krauthammer, “Go Big”…
Ms. Noonan and Mr. Krauthammer let me explain something to you, since this seems to be the miscalculation that the GOP has made. FOX Noise is the number one News Station in the ratings so therefore there must be more Republicans. No, I know you have problems with ARITHMETIC, but the Liberal and Independent viewers are split between MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Comedy Central (this one sad but true) LOL Fox Noise has a lock on the LOW, VERY LOW information viewers, but if you add up all other viewers there are more of us.
My point being is that the American Public is not that stupid or low information as those that watch FOX Noise. “Anyone but Obama” was your first miscalculation. Your second is that all Mitt Romney has to do is stand next to the President and he will be elevated. That might be true in other years, but this year, with so much hanging in the balance. “WE” the American People, the caveat being FOX NOISE VIEWERS, have been doing our research and sharing “OUR” opines online, for the first time since the Printing Press was invented and information could be shared with the masses, democracy has gotten a boost from the World Wide Web.
“WE” have seen every flip flop and “LIE” your candidate Mitt Romney has told for the past 20 years. We know more about Mitt Romney than any other Presidential Candidate ever. Because we see his record or lack of and read about it on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MSNBC comment blogs, MSNBC online, YAHOO News, ABC News.com, NBC news.com, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, the Nation, theGRIO.com and Politico etc. etc.
Mitt Romney is going into the debates with a “TRUST” deficit. We “KNOW” he lies and lies and lies. We know he has no conviction. We know he changes his views on policy from day to day, from hour to hour and from minute to minute. We know what he said in the debates with Kennedy, in the Republican Primary Debates, everything is in a loop. We see it over and over and over again…
The GOP is pinning all of its hopes on Mitt Romney looking Presidential and being able to deliver some good quotes and quips…LMAO The Press is complicit with Style over substance and the truth versus how well fiction is delivered. The Press and the GOP underestimating the viewer and reader of the 21st Century; information is at the tip of our fingers….or our smart phones….we can look something up in an instant.
Which brings me to my final thought, Benghazi….This sad and tragic event is not a political tool to be used by an amateur candidate for President. The Press is all in a frenzy thinking they have something on our President….No you don’t, because we “TRUST” the President, he has proven himself over the last three and half years to be a thoughtful, competent, confident and TRUTHFUL leader. “LIAR” is not the first word that comes to mind when you think of Barack Obama….unfortunately it is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Mitt Romney.
Whatever we find out about Benghazi, I “TRUST” the President did his best and that his team made the best decisions they could…after three and a half years I have not seen deception or incompetence….I TRUST the PRESIDENT and TRUST is very important. He will make mistakes, we are not voting for a GOD the only one who is perfect. I cannot “TRUST” Mitt Romney in the same way or as our Commander in Chief and that is the BOTTOM-LINE isn’t it?
Mitt Romney can take the stage, look Presidential, say funny quips and quotes, have a killer comeback or a gaffless performance….The press will say, “Mitt Romney looked Presidential, he gave a great performance, his opening joke gets rave reviews, he was SYALISTICALLY perfect”…unfortunately NONE of that will erase the LOOPS of LIES and DECEPTION that are forever memorized by technology of the 21st Century.
There is nothing he can do or say that will undo his online trail. On the day after each debate the ravenous dogs of fact checking will feast on his every word….Whatever Romney ends up saying whether elegant or gaff it will be inconsistent with a view he has taken in the past, there is no way for him to win the TRUTH GAME…
GOP jubilation will melt away like the “TRUST” for the Republican Party and their UNTRUSTWORTHY Candidate Mitt Romney! The Fox Noise strategy of lies has come back to bite them….DOUBLE DOWN GOP! DOUBLE DOWN! LOL
But it ain't over until the FAT LADY SINGS!
Isn't it funny that the GOP has been claiming that there is voter fraud going on in America. Now we know who is responsible for all the fraud going on. It has just been announced that the Republican National Committee, (That's right The GOP themselves) is behind voter fraud in states all across America. They hired a consulting company to register voters and they paid them over $1.3 million Dollars to commit these frauds and now they are trying to distance themselves from the fraud. They will do anything to steal this election and enslave all of the Poor and Middle Class Americans in this country. They are trying to stop the elderly, College students and the lower and middle income people in this country so that the super rich in this country can get more while the start more wars and put all of us in danger because of their greed. When is enough enough. How much must they have before they are satisfied.
They are willfully dividing this country and is willing to send our children to wars that we do not need to be involved in. they want to pollute our food, air and water supply just so that they can make a few extra dollars for themselves. the other day i saw a movie by H D Wells. it was about a man who traveled in a Time Machine and when way into the distant future were some of the people went to live under ground after a world war and over the decades they mutated into these creatures that hunted the tribe of people who lived above ground for food and to breed them to keep their mutated species alive. Is that where we are heading? Is that what the future holds for us. Mitt Romney believes it is his destiny to start a world war and put this world in complete chaos. The way the the GOP is going and with the greed in their hearts, I only have one question. Do they believe this is what God wants them to do and if so why? There is a fantasy world and a reality world and they are about to collide if the Republicans Party, The Corporate GOP politicians and Mitt Romney is able to Steal this election or any after this one. Ask yourselves, Am I my Brother's and Sisters Keeper. Please Register and vote. America needs you now more than ever before.