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AIPAC
Randy Black answers John Heelan's question about AIPAC "I
am happy to pass along a bit of news about the lawsuits against the AIPAC since
the 1980s over their PAC activities. What is AIPAC? A nationwide network of
local political action committeesgenerally named after the region their
donors come fromsupplies much of the pro-Israel money in American politics.
Additional funds also come from individuals who bundle contributions to candidates
favored by the PACs. The donors' unified goal is to build stronger U.S.-Israel
relations and to support Israel in its ongoing negotiations (and armed conflicts)
with its Arab neighbors. AIPAC, the country’s most powerful pro-Israel
political group, does not give campaign contributions but does spend more than
$1 million annually on lobbying. Note: Democrat Tom Daschle was the largest
beneficiary of that group’s efforts back in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Bill
Clinton and former California Governor Gray Davis were huge beneficiaries of
“Jewish giving.”
As near as I can tell, AIPAC is a clearing house for PAC donations and nothing
more".
Source: http://home.ddc.net/ygg/rj/rj-08.htm
http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=321
http://www.al-awda.org/mightymorphinpowerbrokers/
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/background.asp?Ind=Q05
RH: From everything I have read, it is much more than that. Randy does not answer
John Heelan's question: "Further research suggests that the primary pro-Israel
lobby (AIPAC) has managed to avoid having to report figures to the Federal Election
Committee (FEC).Perhaps somebody could tell me if that still is the case, as
it might explain an anomaly".
Regarding AIPAC, I said:". Randy Black does not answer John Heelan's question:
"Further research suggests that the primary pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC) has
managed to avoid having to report figures to the Federal Election Committee
(FEC).Perhaps somebody couldtell me if that still is the case, as it might explain
an anomaly". John now comments: "Curious as to why it is difficult
to get a grip on the total pro-Israel political donations, I came across the
following explanation:
"Over a generation, this magazine has compiled a list of some 128 pro-Israel political action committees. This has not been easy. Most of them have been established by officers of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to get around the limitations AIPAC, as a single PAC, would face in donating to a candidate. If one PAC can give only $10,000 to a candidate, 50 like-minded PACs can give half a million dollars. And usually there are at least 50 pro-Israel PACs active in every election cycle. Interestingly, where most PACs have descriptive names so that donors can discern what they are supporting, the PACs established by AIPAC officers have non-descriptive names, making no reference to the Middle East, Israel, Zionism or Judaism. Among them are Badger PAC of Wisconsin, Beaver PAC of New York, Desert Caucus of Arizona, Garden PAC of New Jersey, Southpac of South Carolina, Gold Coast PAC of Florida, Elections Committee of the County of Orange in Southern California, Americans for Better Citizenship of New York, Citizens Concerned for the National Interest of Illinois, San Franciscans for Good Government, Hollywood Women’s Political Committee, Tennesseans for Better Government and even the wildly misleading Walters Construction Management Political Committee (Colorado). You get the idea."
[Source: http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-news-0010.html]
Even discounting that the magazine is devotedly anti-Israel, the substance
of the report, if true, perhaps gives a clue why it is difficult to calculate
the total pro-Israeli donations to US politics. My question is "How true
is the report?"
This report from Randy Black shows how twisted is the financing of US elections
and political causes: "I studied the Federal Election Comission (FEC) website
and, according to the various laws, the AIPAC is not required to file reports
with the FEC. Interestingly, George Soros’ Moveon.org shows that the billionaire
has donated about $9 million to the Democratic effort to defeat Bush since January.
Your answer as to why the AIPAC is not required to report to the FEC is on page
13 of the document I have linked below:
http://www.fec.gov/law/feca/feca.pdf
The AIPAC does not make contributions to candidates. Despite its name, the
AIPAC means The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, not Political Action
Committee.
(Abridged from 1992 and 1997 court cases); Previously, the FEC has found that
political action committees, commonly known as PACs, raise funds to distribute
to political candidates. The FEC, in response to a complaint filed in the early
1990s, found that AIPAC spent money in an effort to influence congressional
elections. But the FEC also ruled that this was not AIPAC's "major purpose,"
he said, meaning that the pro-Israel lobby did not have to register as a political
action committee. On appeal, a lower district court upheld the FEC ruling, as
did a three-judge panel at the federal appeals court. The plaintiffs then appealed
to the full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
AIPAC's future hinges in part on whether the FEC rules that it is a membership
organization (which it has done). Federal law grants wide latitude for such
groups to raise money and to communicate with members on political matters and
candidates' positions. Different laws, however, apply to PACs. PACs are restricted
in the amount of money that they raise from individuals and in the amount they
spend on a particular candidate. For AIPAC, the answer is clear. "We're
entitled to communicate anything we want to our members. We're a membership
organization, pure and simple," said Philip Friedman, AIPAC's general counsel.
"If I'm wrong on this and we're not a membership organization, then the
FEC decision would impact every organization, every union, every do-gooder that
meets with a candidate and tells their members and their friends" what
the candidate said and what their positions are.
Sources include: http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/961213/aipac.html
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/6458/edition_id/120/format/html/displaystory.html
"
RH: If the electoral law impedes the political activities of Soros and AIPAC,
they get around it. The whole electoral and political process stinks of money.
Discussing the Jewish organization AIPAC, John Heelan quoted from http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-news-0010.html].
Randy Black protested "The site is anti-West, anti-UN, anti virtually anything
not Islamic". John replies: "I agree with Randy on the negative jihadist
nature of the website. However, that said, I would appreciate some reassurance
that the comment it makes about AIPAC disguising PAC political donations is
completely untrue before dismissing it as propaganda".
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