Wednesday, May 31, 2006
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:
Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle's Ad Watch reported:
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.
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.
