Unauthorized (Obama) fundraising effort gives nothing to official campaign

Newsjock

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Tue Jul-24-07 11:48 PM
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Unauthorized (Obama) fundraising effort gives nothing to official campaign

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The state chairman of the "Californians for Obama" campaign has raised thousands of dollars in donations through promotions ranging from celebrity-studded Mexican cruises to CD sales to campaign office "grand openings" in support of the popular Illinois Democratic senator and presidential candidate.

But the official presidential campaign of Barack Obama said Tuesday it was unaware of the activities of the entirely unauthorized Southern California-based fundraising efforts of Emmett Cash III -- a self-proclaimed former movie mogul who was a registered Republican until last month.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, after being informed by The Chronicle of Cash's Los Angeles-based fundraising activities, said the senator's camp Tuesday issued a stern warning "asking him to close operations."

... But a Chronicle examination of the latest Federal Election Commission records on file for the organization for the reporting period ending June 30 shows that while Cash has raised nearly $10,000 this year, not one dollar has gone to the Obama campaign -- or any other political candidate.

Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/25/OBAMA.TMP&tsp=1

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Kagemusha

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Tue Jul-24-07 11:57 PM
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1. Uh, the group was specifically set up NOT to donate $ to the Obama campaign.

Therefore, that it has not done so is not, in and of itself, is a surprise.

It is a surprise that the guy running the effort was a registered Republican and that the Obama campaign is telling him to stop, presumably out of a desire not to be associated with a group that may be running afoul of campaign laws, or, certainly, if it was directly associated with the Obama campaign, would DEFINITELY be running afoul of campaign laws (and the Obama campaign with it). So some self-defense going on here.

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Richard Steele

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Wed Jul-25-07 12:01 AM
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2. Looks like it was specifically set up as a SCAM to me.

Using Obama's name and image to raise money...and keep it.

This guy needs to be charged with fraud.

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Kagemusha

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Wed Jul-25-07 12:04 AM
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4. If you are correct (and you may well be...), absolutely, charge the jerk.

We'll see. It smells wrong, but if the guy's actually serious, he can probably do what he claims... but probably not using Obama's name and image. Which would defeat the purpose. Which makes it sound like a scam.

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madrchsod

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Wed Jul-25-07 12:01 AM
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3. hillary is 44 will be all over this tomorrow

somehow they `ll blame obama and remind their faithful that this sort of thing would never happen to hillary...but try and find who`s behind hillary is 44...glad i`m an edwards fan

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emilyg

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Wed Jul-25-07 12:30 AM
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5. Reminder - that is not her site, Jeez.

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MADem

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Wed Jul-25-07 04:40 AM
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6. What a BAAAAAASTID!!! In my book, this is called a CON JOB

But critics say his independent efforts to parlay Obama's presidential drive into a fundraising bonanza illustrates an increasingly disturbing trend in political campaigns of the Internet age -- the proliferation of entrepreneurs who use technology to scoop up voter donations without official campaign sanction.

Cash's "Californians for Obama" boasted an official-looking Web site that was graced by a smiling photo of the candidate. The site pitched a star-studded Obama "Women of Power" cruise for 2,000 to Mexico that attracted donors like a 65-year-old woman from Compton (Los Angeles County), who said she has paid the $2,423 cruise fee believing the funds would help support her candidate.

But a Chronicle examination of the latest Federal Election Commission records on file for the organization for the reporting period ending June 30 shows that while Cash has raised nearly $10,000 this year, not one dollar has gone to the Obama campaign -- or any other political candidate.

Indeed, nearly two thirds of the group's 2007 funding has already been paid out either to Cash himself -- for listed expenses such as salary and travel and snacks -- or to his organization's accounting firm, Burbank-based Durkee & Associates. Other expenses include U.S. postage and signs, the records show.

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