Developer Gives $9 Million To Angelides: What Campaign Finance Reform?
That kind of money doesn’t come without strings attached.
The S.F. Chronicle reports: “When the California Professional Firefighters decided to back a candidate for governor — picking Democratic state Treasurer Phil Angelides over state Controller Steve Westly — the labor group faced a dilemma.”
“With contributions to Angelides’ campaign limited to $22,300 in the general election and the primary, the firefighters looked for a way to make a bigger political impact. Their solution: an independent committee that would allow them to spend as much as they wanted on Angelides’ behalf.
“When you want to do one for Phil Angelides, it’s no secret that one of the first people on your call list is going to be Angelo Tsakopoulos,” said Carrol Wills, the firefighters’ group’s spokesman, referring to the Sacramento developer who has been Angelides’ longtime friend and political backer.
. . .The independent committee, which also has received money from police, teachers and electrical workers, picked up its largest contributions — about $9 million so far — from the Tsakopoulos family.
“The claim has been made that if it weren’t for (the Tsakopoulos family), this race would be over,” Wills said this week.
Almost makes you wonder if John McCain is on the advisory team. (C’mon, we’re just kidding)
Angelides, surrounded by a large group of environmental supporters before a stunning backdrop of San Francisco Bay, strongly defended his campaign against what he called “Swift Boat attacks” paid for by Westly — a reference to attack ads against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.
When you’re reaching for that political gem as defensive rhetoric, it means usually means that your boat is sinking.
Disclaimer: We’re not voting for either of them.
June 1st, 2006 at 8:11 pm
I know this is off-topic, but the other post seemed worn out.
So, anyway, is there an apology forthcoming?
http://www.californiaconservative.org/?p=3091
June 2nd, 2006 at 5:44 pm
“Campaign finance reform” is a power phrase that means “anything to help an incumbant stay an incumbant.”
Why else does McCan’t do anything in public or private?