Bundling Blumenthal.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate, says he went to Vancouver this month to talk to some lawyers about the problems of ordinary people. He could have done that in Connecticut. Gathered in Canada, however, was a remarkable collection of political donors and bundlers working under the auspices of a new fundraising committee, Committee for a Better Future, a political action committee formed in May to raise money for Blumenthal and others. Since the past has been dogging Blumenthal, the five term attorney general would probably travel far for a chance to look ahead.
What a lot of got-rocks Democratic contributors Blumenthal crossed the continent to hob-nob with. Blumenthal loses his way trying to explain the event in this interview with WTNH’s Mark Davis. He says the gathering wasn’t a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But it was–and for Blumenthal, too. How could he not have known that? The invitation to a July 11th fundraising event at the Vancouver Convention Centre reveals its a festival of big-money donors gathered to benefit Blumenthal and 11 other Democrats running for the Senate. Blumenthal had to have known that the Committee for a Better Future was formed specifically to raise money for him and those other Democrats. It says so in the documents filed with the Federal Elections Commission in May.
The top ticket price was, brace yourself, $43,200.00 to attend the 90 minute event. Here’s pdf of the invitation from Committee for a Better Future. What problems of “ordinary people” do you think they discussed? Blumenthal’s share of the loot was precisely 7.07%. Reid receives 20%.
Among the other recipients bundled with Blumenthal is Illinois Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. He’s the sort of dodgy figure Blumenthal usually condemns not conspires with. Giannoulias is a financial pirate who worked for his family’s bank when it made millions in bad loans to disreputable figures. The FDIC took over the mismanaged bank in April. Total cost to taxpayers is not yet known. Blumenthal is keeping some very bad company by divvying up dough with Giannoulias. Perhaps he asked the grasping young millionaire what he knows of the concerns of “ordinary people.” That could have made the 3000 mile sociological jaunt worthwhile for Blumenthal.
What Blumenthal went very far out of his way to avoid revealing was that he embarked on a long fundraising trip to participate in a short event that put him and other candidates in the same room with big donors writing enormous checks. Why can’t Blumenthal be honest about it?
7 comments
Whoa – it’s pretty damn clear in that second PDF that 7.07% of the funds raised were designated for “(Richard) Blumenthal for Senate”. This HAS to be a huge story today. How people can continue to slam McMahon for uncovering this will be astounding. There’s a bunch of Blumie followers out claiming that he succumbed to accepting PAC money because of Linda’s willingness to spend massive amounts of her own money.
It’s amazing…
Really intersting, Kevin. It’s clear what the purpose of this junket was and that it was contrary to everything the man has proclaimed in the past. Can we believe anything he says? No wonder he has been considered the worst Attorney General in America. I don’t think all the money in the world could ever get this guy elected for anything again. It’s definitely time for a change.
It is just more of the same – - more “Say as I do, not as I do” from a career, entrenched politician. Blumenthal gets away with it simply because the fawning media and the disengaged voters allow it. Until now.
Now, the former swim team captain for Harvard University is facing a determined, energetic and fast-learning campaigner in the form of successful businesswoman Linda McMahon.
Blumenthal hasn’t had to raise funds or explain his actions in the past because he coasted to victory every four years. No more.
Linda McMahon is focused on what is important to voters in CT: creating jobs, rebuilding the economy and reforming Washington. Meanwhile, Blumenthal rubs elbows with lobbyists and pretends that his image is untarnished. Come November, he will learn that the Emperor has no clothes.
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[...] won’t Dick “Rambo” Blumenthal come clean about his Vancouver fund-raising trip? He says the gathering wasn’t a fundraiser for Senate [...]
Linda has no place going to Washington. She hired people to write her plans. None of what she says comes from her own beliefs, it comes from the people she has hired to help get her elected. Despite having hundreds of millions of dollars, she hasn’t in the past decade done a thing to promote the policies she is putting forward now and the way she has donated money, you wouldn’t think for a second she’s a fiscal conservative. If you want a real candidate who knows what he is talking about, says what he believes, and has been actively saying it for the past few years, then look up Peter Schiff. Schiff predicted the current recession years before it happened despite fierce opposition from people who turned out to be wrong. If you want a candidate who stands up for himself and for what he knows is right then vote for Peter Schiff. A race between McMahon and Blumenthal will be a dirty race which will focus on destroying the image of the other candidate. Peter will force Blumenthal to debate real issues, and that is where Blumenthal can not win.
Jim, you don’t ever have to worry about Schiff debating Richard Blumenthal as it will never happen. It is absolutely, positively 100% impossible for Schiff to win the Republican primary next week. The sooner you accept that, the better off we’ll all be.