Subject: [big campaign] Making the Chamber foreign money story stick to Boehner
From: David Donnelly <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 10:02:25 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

All,

We just sent out a release and a backgrounder to reporters in advance of Boehner's speech in Ohio today. Anything you all can do to amply this would be great.

Here are five questions for Boehner: http://campaignmoneywatch.com/medicenter/five-questions-for-boehner

Here is the release: http://campaignmoneywatch.com/mediacenter/boehner-chamber-advertising

DD

Five Questions for Mr. Boehner About Corporate and Foreign Money in Our Elections

To: Reporters
 From: David Donnelly, Director, Campaign Money Watch
 Date: October 8, 2010

Background

Rep. Boehner will speak today at a manufacturing plant in West Chester, OH that is owned by United Group Services. The owners of the plant are all long-time donors to Boehner and other Republicans. As Roll Call reported today <http://www.rollcall.com/news/50590-1.html> , "Mark Mosley, Daniel Freese and Kevin Sell, three top executives at the [United Groups Services], have contributed thousands to Boehner as well as other Republican candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records."

All week long, there have been questions raised about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce receiving foreign corporate dues and buying attacks ads against Democrats with funds that could include this money. When asked questions about the commingling of foreign and domestic dues, a Chamber spokeswoman said, "We don't feel obligated to answer that."

At least 22 Republican House candidates are benefiting from nearly $5 million in advertising this week from the Chamber.

Outside special interest groups are not required to disclose their donors because the DISCLOSE Act was opposed by Republicans in Congress. These groups are spending tens of millions of dollars, overwhelmingly largely for Republicans.

Questions

Rep. Boehner, as a leader of his party, ought to answer questions from the media regarding what he thinks of the outside money in general and the possibility that the Chamber is using foreign corporate dues to fund its multi-million dollar ad buys. Here are five questions:

 1.  Do you believe special interest groups - Democratic or Republican - should be able to spend unlimited sums in elections anonymously without accountability?
 2.  Do you believe the Chamber should provide evidence that the foreign money it raises isn't funding ads?
 3.  If the Republicans take the House, can you give us any major policy matter that you'd oppose the Chamber on, or are the Chamber and Republican leadership in lockstep together?
 4.  If you become speaker, what legislation will you advance to ensure elections are transparent?
 5.  Do you think it's right that an organization like the Chamber that supports outsourcing of jobs is also apparently outsourcing funding for its operation?

These questions, obviously, are not exhaustive. But we encourage members of the news media to find out what the man who wants to be Speaker thinks about the influence of corporate money in the 2010 elections.

Boehner urged to repudiate Chamber of Commerce's controversial advertising
Watchdog group demands Boehner stand up to Chamber's reported use of foreign corporate money; sends letters to five Democratic House members

Washington, DC - Stepping up its pressure on candidates benefiting from controversial political spending by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nonpartisan Campaign Money Watch called on Republican Minority Leader John Boehner and five congressional Democrats to speak out against the use of foreign corporate money in the elections.

The move came one day after the group sent letters to 31 separate federal candidates to urge them to tell the Chamber to pull advertising in their races because of the controversy surrounding the Chamber's acceptance of foreign corporate money into the same account from which it makes political advertising expenditures.

"John Boehner is auditioning to lead the People's House, but if he gets that job, it will be largely because these elections were bought with special interest money," said David Donnelly, Campaign Money Watch's Director. "If John Boehner wants to show he's a true leader, he will speak out today about the foreign corporate money raised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - an organization that is spending tens of millions to give him the gavel. To not do so can only be understood as acquiescing to the hijacking of our elections by corporate special interests, or the buying of his silence.

"Whether we are Democrats, Republicans, or independents, we can all agree that foreign corporate money has no role in our elections," continued Donnelly. "All candidates benefiting from the Chamber's spending - including the five Democrats for whom the Chamber began advertising yesterday - should speak out."

The U.S. Chamber reportedly began advertising yesterday to promote the candidacies of five Democrats: Reps. Frank Kratovil (MD-01), Bobby Bright (AL-02), Glenn Nye (VA-02), Dan Boren (OK-02), and John Barrows (GA-12).

"After spending $10.5 million earlier this week attacking Democrats, it will be interesting to note how much the Chamber is spending in these five districts praising them," Donnelly said.

Of the five, Rep. Kratovil is the only cosponsor of the Fair Elections Now Act (HR 6116), which would place elections into the hands of everyday voters. All five Democrats voted against the DISCLOSE Act, which would have required that the sources of the funding of the advertising now running in their districts was made publicly available.

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