I'm baaaack! All of this blah-blah about Swift Boat Veterans and 527 Groups caused me to think: What in hell is a 527 Group? Another service of this blog—besides well-reasoned and soundly-argued rants & raves—is information. And a 527 Group (after McCain-Feiglod) is a tax-exempt group organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code to raise money for political activities including voter mobilization efforts, issue advocacy and the like. Currently, the FEC only requires a 527 group to file regular disclosure reports if it is a political party or political action committee (PAC) that engages in either activities expressly advocating the election or defeat of a federal candidate, or in electioneering communications. Otherwise, it must file either with the government of the state in which it is located or the Internal Revenue Service. Many 527s run by special interest groups raise unlimited "soft money," which they use for voter mobilization and certain types of issue advocacy, but not for efforts that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a federal candidate or amount to electioneering communications. The most famous/infamous of the 527 Groups is the organization calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. However, that group and its attack ads have received enough media attention. The time has come for a new 527 Group. I volunteer to serve as chairman and founding member. The 527 Group whose time has come is Draft Dodgers For Bush! Think of the potential! I didn't serve in Vietnam. Didn't come close. Never called in for a physical. However, I am not alone. The Slickster danced around military service in the Vietnam era; he confessed as much at the Democrat National Convention. W ducked the draft by gaining access to the Texas Air National Guard—Oklahoma never invaded Texas during W's tour of duty—over a raft of other applicants thanks to his superior abilities as a jet pilot. However, W is not alone in ducking the draft during the Vietnam conflict. The Dickster obtained 5 deferments during his eligibility. This explains his hawkish position on Iraq today. The creepy Attorney General—John Ashcroft—received 7 deferments from his friends and neighbors on his Missouri draft board. Karl Rove (W's brain) received numerous deferments as a college student, but never earned an undergraduate degree. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) avoided service in Vietnam due to a bad knee, but he was still able enough to question the patriotism of the incumbent Max Cleland (D-GA). Of course, along with his patriotism, Senator Cleland left an arm and both legs behind in Vietnam after he threw himself on an enemy grenade. Senator Chambliss' attack on the patriotism of Max Cleland was sheer genius. The possibilities for Draft Dodgers For Bush seem endless. The honorary national committee will be filled with familiar names: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Dennis Hastert, Tom DeLay, George Will, and Kenneth Starr. All of the spokespeople for DDFB can describe men like John Kerry and Max Cleland, and John McCain as traitors and unfaithful to the United States of America. If this is (fair & balanced) disdain, so be it.
[x OpenSecrets.org]
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, 2004 Election Cycle
Formed: 2004
SBVT represents Vietnam Swift boat veterans who are critical of Democrat John Kerry's decision to make his military service a major part of his campaign for president. The group questions Kerry's record in Vietnam and denounces his anti-war activities following his military service. The group's donors include some major Republican contributors.
Affiliated Personnel:
# Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann (retired), chairman and founding member
# John E. O'Neill, founding member
# Weymouth (Wey) Symmes, treasurer
# Merrie Spaeth, media representative (former Reagan press officer, advisor to Ken Starr)
Donors:
# Bob Perry (Perry Homes), $100,000
#O'Neill, John (Clements O'Neill Pierece Law Firm) $25,000
#Crow, Hardin (Retired) $25,000
#Paraclette Armor & Equipment Inc (Equipment dealer) $2,000
#Lindsay, Christine M (Homemaker) $2,000
#Symmes, Weymouth D (Retired) $2,000
#Hoffmann, Roy F (Retired) $1,000
#Dingeman, Dr Robert D (Physician) $500
#Brody, Steven N (S N B Associates Management Firm) $500
#Isley, Floyd W (Retired) $500
#Iverson, Ann C (BBDO Advertising Agency) $250
TOTAL: $158,750
527 Activity:
Total Receipts: $158,750
Total Expenditures: $60,403
Note: This data is based on records released by the Internal Revenue Service on Monday, August 23, 2004.
Copyright © 2004 OpenSecrets.org
