HELP!!!!!! Got a question....

Don't know if this is the place I should post this, but I am trying to talk to my parents - both Republicans - about Obama. There is one thing I am having issue with and was hoping that you guys could give me some info....

For some reason, my parents believe that Obama is receiving funds from foreign donations, specifically Iraq & Iran. I did some research and discovered that the original article that was sent to them via email was a hoax. Now, I need to give them some actual data.

My problem, evidently the RNC has filed a complaint with the FEC(?) that is accusing Obama of this exact issue - monies received by the Obama campaign from foreign donations.
From CNN - http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=36996

Does ANYBODY know if this is real or just another "hail Mary" from the Repubs???

Any information would be greatly appreciated.....Please include links to info if you have it.


Thanks! :hi:



edit: inserted link to story on CNN

Good luck with your concerns.

There has never been any proof of this allegation. There were t-shirts bought through the campaign by some Palestinians back in February. But th campaign's mechanisms caught it and they immediately returned the money.

Tell your parents that only suckers believe things without being able to show some proof.

I read about the shirt purchases in February....is that really where all of this is coming from????


Reading about the RNC complaint, you get the impression that it's ongoing.

But, it also comes from this ideation that by aligning themselves with the Republican party, they are somehow standing for Christian values. (My dad is an ordained Baptist preacher.)

I keep telling them that, according to their own belief system, Christianity is determined not only by your salvation but also by the fruits of your spirit. Ultimately, we are to care for each other and help those who cannot help themselves. Since when has the Republican party done that?! They haven't.

Looking at the fruits of W's presidency and Republican congress, you can see quite clearly the fruits of their labors. It has not been or even been about the American people, but only about how much $$$$ they can shove into their pockets and bank accounts.

It sounds to me like your parents are worried about all the "Obama is a Muslim" smears they are hearing. I recommend that you pick up a copy of Obama's autobiography and send it to your parents.

Hoping that will help with some of the hype and fear mongering.

when Obama's campaign set up their web store they incorrectly allowed purchases to be made from outside the USA. Those purchases must be listed as contributions for FEC filing purposes. When this was pointed out, many many months ago, they changed their store so that purchases can no longer be made from outside the US.

We're communicating by email and it would help greatly!!!!! Thanks!

but here's a couple....

http://www.smallgovtimes.com/story/08may12.mccain.fundraising/
Judicial Watch files fundraising complaint against John McCain
By: Judicial Watch | Submitted on: 05/12/08

EDITORIAL - Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it filed a formal complaint, dated April 22, 2008, with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) related to a fundraising luncheon held at London’s Spencer House to benefit Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign. The venue for the event was apparently donated to the campaign by foreign nationals, in violation of federal campaign finance laws.

“Recent news reports suggest that Sen. John McCain and John McCain for President may have accepted an in-kind contribution from foreign nationals Lord Rothschild OM GBE and the Hon. Nathaniel Rothschild of Great Britain in contravention of federal election laws,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton wrote in a complaint letter dated April 22, 2008. “On behalf of Judicial Watch and its supporters, I hereby request that the FEC investigate the matter.”

The McCain fundraiser was held on March 20, 2008 at London’s Spencer House, billed as “London’s most magnificent 18th century private palace.” The McCain campaign distributed an invitation indicating that the site for the luncheon had been provided “by kind permission of Lord Rothschild, OM GBE and the Hon. Nathaniel Rothschild,” who are both foreign nationals. In statements to the press, the McCain campaign referred to the luncheon as a “fundraiser.”

While it is, as yet, unclear how much money was raised during the luncheon, had the venue not been donated to the McCain campaign, the net profit from the event would have been significantly reduced. The donation of the venue, therefore, represents an illegal in-kind campaign contribution.



McCain campaign to return $50,000
Some solicited for donations had no intention of backing McCain, camp says

updated 6:52 p.m. ET, Thurs., Aug. 7, 2008

WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign said Thursday it is returning tens of thousands of dollars in contributions solicited by a foreign citizen.

The move follows the disclosure that the money was being raised by a Jordanian man who is a business partner of prominent Florida Republican Harry Sargeant III.

The McCain campaign said some of the people solicited by Mustafa Abu Naba'a had no intention of supporting McCain for president
----------
The New York Times reported Thursday that Sargeant allowed abu Naba'a, a longtime business partner, to bring in some $50,000 in donations in March from members of a single extended family, the Abdullahs, in California, along with several of their friends.

A House committee chairman is looking into Sargeant’s defense contracts for shipping fuel to U.S. bases in Iraq as part of a probe into whether contractors are engaging in overcharging.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said abu Naba’a is not a bundler for the campaign, although Sargeant is.

to look at what McCain is accusing Obama of. There is a very consistent pattern.

In trying to talk to family about it though, I like to have things in writing.

Probably the one thing that both of my folks drilled into my head...."If someone promises you something, get it in writing."

There have been times in my life when I wished I did have something in writing and didn't....*sigh* Oh well, back to research.

One story that I heard on CNN, I think, was that a few donations came with a GA address that the campaign staffers thought was Georgia but was really... Gaza.

With the overwhelming responses that the website got, some, perhaps more than some, fell through the cracks. However as soon as they discovered it they corrected it.

Found it

McCain also raised the specter of illegal foreign donors to Obama's campaign and special "earmark" spending requests for campaign fundraisers. "Why has Sen. Obama refused to disclose the names of people funding his campaign," McCain said as the crowd booed. "His campaign had to return $33,000 in illegal foreign funds from Palestinian donors."

In fact, McCain's reference was based on a Newsweek article that said the Obama campaign had returned the money to two brothers living in the Gaza Strip. According to the article, the two Palestinians "had bought T-shirts in bulk from the campaign's online store. They had listed their address as 'Ga.,' which the campaign took to mean Georgia rather than Gaza."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD93L97J80

It's CNS! They are a lot like Fox.

Sorry.... :blush:

Just be vigilant!

Haven't been able to find anything else on this complaint anywhere else, so I'm thinking this falls into the Hail Mary category.

Just sent off an email with some links to articles and myth debunking that I have found so far. Plan to continue checking this to find more info as it comes available.


Thanks again for all of your help!