From Amy Contrada – and none of it is surprising since most Republican politicos are for sale.
Romney’s “Leadership PAC” doling out money to elected officials and candidates around the country
And: Who is donating to his Super PACs?
RESOURCE LINKS compiled by Amy L. Contrada
Money and power. That’s all it’s about. Conservative Republican principles? Throw them out the window – while calling yourself a conservative. Collect donations with no limits from wealthy donors for your “Leadership PAC.” Spread it around the Republican Party throughout the U.S. Then count your endorsements.
Since first setting eyes on the White House, Mitt Romney and his backers have spent over $200 million — including $44.6 million of his fortune — on a seven-year quest for the Republican presidential nomination. …
Romney … can thank former business partners and friends in and around Wall Street who’ve been among his earliest and biggest donors. A look back shows the depth of Romney’s investment in trying to win the nation’s highest office, how his supporters circumvented federal campaign laws with huge, back-channel donations years before he declared his candidacy and who the benefactors are whom he might owe favors if he wins….
Beginning in 2004, an array of other state and federal pro-Romney committees [Commonwealth PAC] sprang up to spend millions on staff salaries and on political consultants, while creating a sort of patronage system that spread cash to politicians whose endorsements he coveted.
“When you look at his operation, you end up with two words: Romney, Inc.,” said Fred Wertheimer, the dean of Washington campaign finance watchdogs as president of the nonpartisan group Democracy 21. ‘”It’s as if Mitt Romney is integrating his business experience in the investment banking world into the political world and creating multiple ways in which to advance his presidency. This is a highly sophisticated, far-reaching money operation designed to curry favor with politicians and local and state political organizations, and it’s financed by donors who are bound to have great influence with Mitt Romney if he’s elected president.”
– “Romney’s quest for White House began years ago, costing $200 million,” Greg Gordon, McClatchy Newspapers, 3/4/2012
The amounts noted here are those funds which have been tracked so far. (More “Free & Strong America” PAC donations in the 2012 election cycle may be pending.)
