TPM digs into AmeriPAC, a right-wing political organization run by Bellevue’s Alan Gottlieb. The organization raised $1.3 million from people – primarily by playing upon unfounded fears that the Obama Administration is going after everyone’s guns – but only spent $1,300 on actual political campaigns. So where’s all the money going?
Most of the money raised by AmeriPAC has gone to Diener Consultants, a Lititz, Pennsylvania, firm whose pared down website boasts of “email marketing software and related professional services streamline production time to maximize your return on investment.”
Diener reportedly did work for Alan Keyes’ 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns. According to the Arizona Republic, Diener also ran the failed 2005 California congressional campaign of Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist. But he was none too pleased with their services, telling the paper, “I fired them the day after my campaign was over.”
And by the way, Gottlieb has previously served time for tax evasion.
Good post!
I think we also need legislation that distinguishes free speech from Fauxian profit based demagoguery.
Niw, if only I had the legal talents of Elena Kagan, I would try to imagine how to write such a law(g).
Go TPM. Nothing but a bunch of crooks.
News sources report that 9 employees of a student loan contractor have been indicted for using the contractor’s computer system to illegally access Barack Obama’s student loan records before and after the presidential campaign.
Working for Alan Keyes. A resume to die for.
Lies, as usual, Lee.
There’s nothing “unfounded” about the “fears” that Obama is going after guns. He has stated unequivocally — both before and after his election — he would try to get, as President, a new, tougher, “assault weapons” ban. A literal ban on the sale of many types of guns.
He said it. Whether or not you believe him is up to you, but to say it’s “unfounded fear” to take Obama at his word is ridiculous.
And Obama only signed “a bill that overturned a national-parks gun ban” because it was on a larger unrelated bill he promised to sign.
“Lies”
That reminds me, you owe Ivan an apology over on the other thread. I was also asking you to expand on your “small “L” libertarian” vision of thousands of pussy police patrolling our nation’s vaginas.
“Whether or not you believe him is up to you”.
Indeed! However you choose to split hairs, gun ownership laws have been strengthened since Obama took office.
The spin doctor is in.
Lee: “by playing upon unfounded fears that the Obama Administration is going after everyone’s guns (italics mine)”
Pudge: “He has stated unequivocally — both before and after his election — he would try to get, as President, a new, tougher, “assault weapons” ban.”
Huh? Everybody’s got assault weapons? If not, you owe Lee an apology as well.
Calling everybody with whom you disagree a liar is not only extremely tiresome, Pudge, it’s also indicative of a lack of wit and intelligence on your part. There’s also the utter hypocricy of your being a lying liar when you purposely pull this shit.
…primarily by playing upon unfounded fears that the Obama Administration is going after everyone’s guns…
There’s a sucker born every minute, and a Republican waiting to take their spare cash.
@9 Pudge
Calling others a lier is pretty dumb.
As for “going after your guns,” Obama has been pretty remarkable about this .. he is a true strict constructionist.
Never in its history has the US supported the untrammeled right to bear arms. What we have, arguably had, was the right to have arms as part of our livelihood, for self defense and even, perhaps, to form militias to defend our communities.
The idea that Madison or his more radical mentor, Jefferson, would have supported the right to hold arms to mount an insurrection is belied by the response to Shay’s Rebellion.
The idea that any of the founders would have accepted the right to own assault weapons borders on the absurd.
So rdidle me this …
How would you feel about enhanced civil laws? You own a gun and it is misused, you get sewed. You sell a gun without proper care as to who is buying the thing, you share in any penalties for crimes involving the gun? You manufacture or import guns wit the intent to sell them without regard to their misuse, you get crucified and used as a shooting target.
OK?
@5
There’s nothing “unfounded” about the “fears” that Obama is going after guns. He has stated unequivocally — both before and after his election — he would try to get, as President, a new, tougher, “assault weapons” ban. A literal ban on the sale of many types of guns.
I said “everyone’s guns”, dummy (see comment #8). Not assault weapons, which are just a small subset of the overall amount of guns out there (and in reality are just guns with certain features).
If you think Obama is going to make a large push to ban guns that people use for self-defense and hunting, you deserve to be suckered by people like Gottlieb.
@10…How would you feel about enhanced civil laws? You own a gun and it is misused, you get sewed. You sell a gun without proper care as to who is buying the thing, you share in any penalties for crimes involving the gun? You manufacture or import guns wit the intent to sell them without regard to their misuse, you get crucified and used as a shooting target.
That is just plain fucking stupid. Why not have the same laws regarding cars or kitchen knives?
Hay Pudge ,,,
I have a question. You advocate carrying a gun for self defense?
So riddle me this:
I hire an illegal immigrant (natch) at Home Depot. I pick him up in my classic Ferrari.
As we drive on a lonely street, Pablo pulls a Saturday Night special and tell me to pull over.
Of course, being MY Ferrari, there is a luger in the shift compartment.
SO .. should I try a fast draw?
@12 Plain Fucking Stupid Dr, Dre.
1. Is fucking stupid stupider or smarter than stupid sans intercourse?
2. Actually, we do have law about knives. Try leaving some out on the sidewalk on halloween.
The difference is that guns are more dangerous than knives. Try holding up a 7/11 using a paring knife!
@14….arghh, you so missed the point. nevermind.
Kinda funny that the wingers on here don’t seem the least bit bothered by getting swindled out of their cash.
So who’s next? Keep up the good work digging through those finicals.
Anyone ever notice how the drug war in Mexico got a lot worse after the assault-weapons ban here was allowed to lapse? Besides, any reasonably well-trained man with a pistol or two can defend himself from would-be invaders. It’s not like there’s thirty guys that are going to come rushing in, unless you’re already a paranoid lunatic….
@16…I mind getting swindled out of my cash..especially every April 15th.
LOL
if the new assault gun ban is as effective ad the old assault gun ban the gun nuts have nothing to worry about.
Just curious, but this seems to pretty much be a Republican problem…..
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@18 but you don’t mind having the worlds largest millitary or driving on freeways. Everybody wants the benifits, nobody wants to pay the costs.
@20
It’s a problem with non-regulation of non-profits. The right happen to be the biggest and worst offenders in the political realm.
Steve: Huh? Everybody’s got assault weapons? If not, you owe Lee an apology as well.
You really want to go there?
Fine.
Show me where Gottlieb — or anyone else related to this story — implied Obama is going after EVERYBODY’S guns.
I was actually giving Lee the benefit of the doubt and assuming he didn’t mean “everyone’s,” because no one said that, and instead was talking about the gun bans that Gottlieb was actually talking about: such as the AWB and the gun bans that Obama favored in DC (overturned last summer), and Chicago (will be overturned this summer).
The article doesn’t even say anything about a ban on ALL gun sales, just a ban on “gun sales.” Which is what the AWB mostly is.
So yeah … Lee lied: I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was lying about Obama’s actual views not existing, but instead, he lied that Gottlieb is saying Obama is out to ban all gun sales.
And SJ, you’re useless and I won’t even read your comments.
Pudge @ 23,
“Show me where Gottlieb — or anyone else related to this story — implied Obama is going after EVERYBODY’S guns.”
You didn’t call Gottlieb or any one else in the story a liar, asswipe. You call Lee a liar (lit. “Lies, as usual, Lee.”) and the context of your next sentence (‘There’s nothing “unfounded” about the “fears”’) can only reasonably be interpreted as referring to Lee’s statement about “unfounded fears that the Obama Administration is going after everyone’s guns.”
You fucked up by reading more into Lee’s statement than Lee stated or implied. And now when people respond to a plain-language interpretation of what you said, you attempt to squirm out of it by “going literal.”
That’s simple intellectual dishonesty.
‘The article doesn’t even say anything about a ban on ALL gun sales, just a ban on “gun sales.”’
And nothing that Lee said suggests otherwise.
“he lied that Gottlieb is saying Obama is out to ban all gun sales.”
Lee made no such statement or suggestion. Lee was clearly attributing the emotion as an irrational belief of the contributors, not as a response to Gottlieb’s appeals. Read in ordinary context, “playing upon the unfounded fear…” implies that Gottlieb group was exploiting a pre-existing condition (namely, irrational fear).
You’re not making your mommy proud, Kiddo.
You’re being too kind. When a simple, “Oops, my bad”, would have sufficed, Pudge induldges in making a total twit of himself. Sigh! And now the topic of this thread naturally wants to drift towards, “WTF is wrong with Pudge??” Eh, maybe you could start another post on that topic, Darryl, and we can continue to ponder that question over there.
Pudge ..
How does it feel to be n the light end of an intellectual see-saw?
What amazes me about you and your colleagues from the Suckmyteabag Movement, is the glorification of ignorance.
Did you see Sarah Palin’s PRAISE of Glen Beck as a HISTORIAN!!! …(Time’s list fo the 100 Most Entertaining People).
How about when Mr. Beck himself celebrates Sam Adams .. the avowed terrorist who believed in redistribution of the wealth?????
As for the second amendment, I must apologize for bringing up the topic of how the Federalists dealt with another generation of folks who believed in the God given right to bear arms. I assumed you would google Shay’s Rebellion.
Foolish me.
@17,
Yes, I’ve noticed. I remember a couple years ago reading an opinion piece by a whack-job that even Mexican drug dealers had a 2nd amendment right to buy guns under the US Constitution. Obviously some patriotic capitalists are of the same mind.