Wow, that was some debate thing on ABC.
The first half seemed to be a new versions of Six Degrees of Separation where if you link Obama to somebody by one or two Degrees then Obama is responsible for everything that person ever said and did.
It is quite a standard.
Last night I wrote about Bob Schaffer(R) and his Abramoff connections.
Schaffer denies knowing Abramoff. I doubt that’s true, but let’s take him at his word. Based on the links already established, Schaffer is separated from Jack Abramoff by only TWO Degrees:
Bob Schaffer to Ben Fitial to Jack Abramoff .
Hillary Clinton is also separated from Jack Abramoff by TWO Degrees:
Hillary Clinton to Willie Tan to Jack Abramoff .
And she is separated to the sweatshops on abuse on Saipan by only ONE Degree:
Hillary Clinton to Willie Tan
So, she too should be in trouble.
To the jump...
Next Tuesday is April 22, 2008. It is Election Day.
I will be in West Philadelphia helping my daughter and many others GOTV to elect Barack Obama as the Nominee of the Democratic Party. (You can join us by contacting ObamaWestPhilly-at-gmail.com or stopping by the West Philly Headquarters at 280 S 52nd St.).
There are many reasons I am supporting Senator Obama over Senator Clinton and I have explained many of these in past Dairies like Sen. Clinton: mocking reform and ignoring corruption...
And ignoring the Culture of Corruption in Washington seems to be a core principal of her campaign. I have been shocked by her embrace of Lobbyists and her disinterest in presenting any serious reform proposals.
When it comes to ending corruption, the difference between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton is striking. He is in the game, she has left the building to go to yet another K Street fundraiser—but I digress.
As those who have been following my Diaries know, I have mostly written about the growing Jack Abramoff Scandal, the Republican Culture of Corruption and the abuse on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) a US Territory in the Western Pacific. I have been following this story since 1999.
In 2006, and again in this cycle, I have shared my research with writers, reporters, campaigns, bloggers, filmmakers and others seeking to explore the Abramoff Scandal (and yes, my phone bills to Colorado will be expensive, but not as bad as the calls to Alaska).
In making connections to the Abramoff Scandal, the most tainted funds—the dirtiest money—would come from one of two sources:
- A direct donation from Jack Abramoff, his wife Pam, or his inner circle of about a dozen key lobbyist partners such as Michael Scanlon, Tony Rudy, Ed Buckam, Neil Volz, etc.
- A direct donation from family members or key employees of the Tan Family operating out of Hong Kong and the Mariana Islands.
Money from the Tan Family was an important indicator of corruption as they were (and are) the force behind the system of human trafficking and abuse that has flourished on the Mariana Islands. Over time money from the Tan Family flowed to corrupt local officials on the CNMI, Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, George W. Bush and the Republican Party—lots and lots of money.
In my book, money from the Tan Family is worse than money from Abramoff.
It is cash directly tied to crimes against humanity. It is money earned off of exploitation and the theft of labor. It is money made off of human trafficking. It is dirty cash.
Both Bob Schaffer and Hillary Clinton are separated from this cash by only ONE Degree.
I find this to be a big problem and next Tuesday reminds me why.
It was two years ago on April 22, 2006 that I posted this Diary, WTF: Hillary taking $ from DeLay's sweatshop buddies:
Sat Apr 22, 2006 at 10:08:36 PM EDT
I first heard about these donations earlier this year. It boggles the mind.
Why is a Democratic Senator, former First Lady and future Presidential candidate accepting donations from the Chinese family behind the sweatshop abuse on the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands (CNMI)?
It makes no sense. These folks are deeply connected to Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay and the GOP culture of corruption. Bribes from the Tan Family and payoffs (with US taxpayer funds) by DeLay and his pals will send some Congressmen/women to jail.
And yet, Hilary Clinton has accepted $10,000 from the family for her Friends of Hillary Campaign Committee:
Donations to Hillary Clinton from the Tan Family
KIM LAM, PEK, Homemaker; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, JOISE, N/A/Homemaker; 10/2/2005; $2,000
TAN, RAYMOND, Luen Thai/President; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, SIU L, Tan Holdings Corp./Chairman; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, WILLIE, Luen Thai/COO; 9/30/2005; $2,000
This is a problem and it needs to be corrected.
More on the jump...
I went on to explain why this money was bad and why Senator Clinton needed to return it.
I followed up that post with months of action.
I made calls, I wrote letters and emails. I visited her Senate office. I visited her Senate campaign office.
Brick wall every time.
Time passed. More campaign FEC reports were filed. The money was not returned.
I focused my work on the 2006 mid-terms and holding Republicans tied to Abramoff accountable. I made a list I called the Abramoff 65. We won 21 of those races and narrow Democratic control on the House and Senate.
My work had made a difference and I began to think of 2008. As I sorted through my research there was a loose end and I started 2007 with Do you know Hillary Clinton? Can you get her a message?:
Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 10:25:34 PM EDT
Ah, a new year.
As I was sorting files from 2006 and thinking about where to take my Abramoff/GOP Culture of Corruption research, I came across some loose ends.
One that should be address right away was $10,000 in donations to Hillary Clinton from the sweatshops owning Tan Family of Hong Kong and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Last spring I wrote about this: the money from fall 2005 came in as $2,000 donations from five members of the Tan Family, including Willie Tan (celebrated in news reports, released documents and Court filings as a patron of the Abramoff/DeLay/GOP slush fund).
I have been trying to call this to the attention of Sen. Clinton’s campaign so that this dirty money can be returned. So far I have failed and after 14 plus months the donations are still on the books.
Do you care about Hillary Clinton? If so I need your help.
Please join me on the jump...
This was well before the Primary Wars and the Diary gathered 44 comments.
By mid January it was clear that Senator Clinton was going to run for President.
This put me into a dilemma.
If she was a Republican, I would use the links to the Tan Family as hard evidence of a link to Abramoff, sweatshops and the Culture of Corruption. I’ve made similar links recently to Bob Schaffer, Don Young and others.
With Hillary Clinton running as our Nominee, I would have a candidate as connected to Abramoff by TWO Degrees of separation and—even worse—connected to the Tan Family by only ONE Degree.
As the race heated up, I made more visits to her Campaign Headquarters at 1000 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC. The building is now a metaphor for her campaign:
But I digress.
A year ago, I reached out to her campaign through many channels: people who knew her, former aides, visits, letters, calls, etc., etc.
Once I even ran into I ran into Terry McAuliffe on the streets of DC. I explained this issue to him and placed a detailed list of the donations into his hands. Nothing happened.
I bent over backwards trying to understand why her campaign would not just return this tainted cash. I made excuses; I rationalized the facts to make them look better for her.
Back then I was undecided. My support was hers if she could respond to any of my questions and/or requests. I wanted her to do the right thing.
She didn’t.
Once I visited her Senate office with Wendy Doromal. We wanted to explain how bad this money was and why it needed to be returned. We were treated rudely and given the bums rush. We visited many offices on Capital Hill that day, but this reception was a low point. We had better hearings with Republicans.
Still, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and more time.
By summer, my patience was ending. I knew Senator Clinton was schedule to be at Yearly Kos. On the eve of that conference I wrote, Sweatshop - Abramoff Cash = Trouble for Clinton:
Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 02:55:24 AM EDT
Let me start this difficult Diary with two disclaimers:
- I’m undecided. I could see myself supporting most of the Democrats running for President is 2008. At the moment I’m leaning towards Obama or Edwards, but that could change (it has in the past). I haven’t made up my mind.
- I’ll support the Democratic Nominee. Each current candidate has pluses and minuses, but they are all superior to any GOP weasel. Once the choice is made, the Nominee will have my active support in their effort to take back the White House.
I like Senator Clinton. She is a great candidate in many ways. I really wish I didn’t have to bring up this issue, again, but I do.
Hillary Clinton is the only Democratic Candidate who accepted donations linked to the Abramoff Scandal, sweatshops and human trafficking. Worse, her Campaign knows about this tainted $10,000. They’ve been repeatedly informed, the problem has been acknowledged, but no action is ever taken.
It is a two-fold problem for her campaign (one obvious, one not) and we need to vet this in the Primary.
To the jump...
Still, the money was not returned and when I went to Yearly Kos I could not meet with her campaign.
By now the Primary Wars were in full force and I was called more than a few names by more than a few of Senator Clinton’s supporters.
I dug into the Clinton record using the same procedures I would use for any given Republican. I found more links. I found more connections between Senator Clinton and the Tan Family.
A few years ago, the Tan Family created a multi-national Corporation, Luen Thai to expand the reach of their business and give it a patina of respectability. They specialize in helping brands "outsource" their textile manufacturing for profits. (I expect they've already open new sweatshops in Iraq.)
The head of Luen Thai USA is a fellow named Richard Helfenbein. Along with his family, he has added another $16,000 of Tan Family money to her campaigns.
He is also a neighbor of Senator Clinton in Chappaqua, NY and his son is a big supporter. He served as her first Page and as an intern in her office, as well as working with Bill.
Perhaps the Tan Family gave her the money to please their Head of operations in America. Or it could have been about fishing regulations or textile trade with China or another piece of legislation in their agenda.
But does that matter?
After all, in tonight’s Debate thing, I learned that it is all about the Degrees of separation. If you link ______ to somebody by one or two Degrees then ______ is responsible for everything that person ever said and did.
So, by Senator Clinton’s and ABC’s standards for Barack Obama, her One Degree of separation from the Sweatshop-owning Tan Family should be news.
And it is bad news and I explained why in this Diary, Meet the Tan Family: corrupt patrons of the GOP & HRC
Alarm bells should be ringing.
The DSCC is busting a can of whoop-ass on Bob Schaffer over his ties to Abramoff and the sweatshops of Saipan. In a weak response, the RNSC is trying to resurrect an imagined tie between Abramoff and Harry Reid based on Tribal donations, but the best they can do is get Reid three of four degrees away from Jack and that game works for everybody in Washington. It is a weak response.
But Senator Clinton’s ties to the Tan Family are just as close as Schaffer. If we can talk about the weathermen, we should be able to talk about the Tan Family.
In 1992, the Tan Family received the largest fine in US Labor Department history, $9 million, for their sweatshops—and it came from the Bush I Administration. The Family’s sweatshops were fined another $1.3 million for other violations (Sweating it out in Saipan is a good overview of the company from the Hong Kong Standard).
Two of Senator Clinton’s Tan Family donors signed the consent degree for the DOL fine. Another of her donors was listed as a Chinese National when the family place part of their holdings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
One would think these links would cause Senator Clinton to return the money. Or a news organization to do some reporting.
But no, she has not and they have not.
Keeping this Tan money makes Senator Clinton a Candidate lacking a moral compass. IMHO.
I had half decided to let this endgame play out without bringing this up again.
I know that she will never take action. Hell, she even skipped the vote to end the abuse on the CNMI (to be fair so did Senator Obama and McCain—but neither of them have Tan Family money in the pocket).
And then I saw that the new game in town is Two degrees of Separation.
So, I wrote about this yet again.
I am glad she will not be our Nominee. I am glad she will lose. O
If, somehow, she manages to steal the nomination, I can not support her with my time, energy or money. I would vote for her in November, but it would be a moral compromise—one I would make because McCain is even worse.
My choice is to avoid that compromise and work to elect Barack Obama.
I invite you to join me.
As I said before, I will be in West Philadelphia helping my daughter and many others GOTV to elect Barack Obama as the Nominee of the Democratic Party. (You can join us by contacting ObamaWestPhilly-at-gmail.com or stopping by the West Philly Headquarters at 280 S 52nd St.).
Cheers