Did Robson and Erpenbach Violate Campaign Finance Laws?
Hmmmmm....
Lawmakers who joined with interest groups to conduct a poll on a proposed universal health care plan might have violated campaign finance laws by taking money from groups not authorized to make political contributions.
State Elections Board Executive Director Kevin Kennedy hadn’t seen all the details of the arrangement Tuesday but said Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson (D-Beloit) and Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) might have benefited from special-interest funds that aren’t allowed into the electoral process.
The two senators contributed campaign funds toward a poll also bankrolled by groups that cannot give to candidates.
If the interest groups had paid for the poll themselves and simply given it to the senators, there would be no trouble, Kennedy said. Potential problems have arisen because the poll combined political and non-political money.
I’m sure it’s just some misunderstanding.
Yeah, “misunderstanding.”
That’s it. As much of a “misunderstanding” as Progressive Majority of Wisconsin doing the district polling for State Senate Dems last year and giving them to each campaign for free.
Those checks are still in the mail too I hear.
Posted by Kevin Binversie on August 22, 2007 at 1943 hrs
One Wisconsin Now, Progressive Majority, Citizen Action et. al are all front groups for the dem party. They take out of state money and put up former Capitol staffers with gigs to push the Dem message statewide.
These sham groups have plenty of dough to throw around and they skirt the polling laws all the time. This time they were just stupid. The poll was not paid for by these groups PAC dollars, so they must have used their corporate operating money. The problem is - you can’t use corporate money in WI. By giving the entire poll to the senators and paying for part of it with corporate dollars - that corporate payment must be considered an in-kind donation to Robson. Uh-oh that is a big violation.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2007 at 1959 hrs
If this is such a slam dunk, why has no one filed a complaint?
Either (a) because they would lose, or (b) the other side does the same thing.
Posted by xoff on August 22, 2007 at 2031 hrs
It’s also far from clear there is any corporate money involved.
(I wasn’t involved in this, just fyi, so don’t know anything firsthand.)
Posted by xoff on August 22, 2007 at 2037 hrs
First you get the proof. THEN you file the complaint.
Posted by dad29 on August 22, 2007 at 2040 hrs
Bill,
The compliant will be filed soon. I forgot to list the Greater Wisconsin Committee in my list before - thanks for chiming in, Bill.
But this is just par for the course - AARP paid for Lewin power point presentation that the Senate Dems are masquerading as an actuarial study. Their lobbyist was handing the out the pamphlet at the press conference. Special interest influence? Naaahhh…
But back to the Robson/Erp boner move. Bill, even you know that Kevin Kennedy rarely makes statements so leading to the media. And if no corporate money was not used - then why didn’t the groups involved have the poll listed on their recent filing?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2007 at 2048 hrs
Misunderstanding? Not at all. They looked at the law, understood it, did a gut check and concluded they weren’t receiving any political benefit. I mean, it’s not like the gut check approach hasn’t been used before, right?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2007 at 2049 hrs
<spews coffee all over computer screen at Michael’s comment; thanks. . . .>
Now, Michael, “gut” became a no-no word on this blog a couple of posts ago.
But not because it referred to the portion of the anatomy that is used in judicial analysis on the highest court in our state now.
So maybe it’s still okay to use it as an adjective, just not as a verb. Yeh, that’s it, that’s the reasoning.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2007 at 2110 hrs
Of course Bill. What were we thinking? Democrats don’t commit violations of Campaign Finance laws.
After all, it was parking tickets that brought down Chuck Chvala from the State Senate and stripped him of his law license.
It completely explains why age makes Jim Baumgart such a dick back him.
Posted by Kevin Binversie on August 22, 2007 at 2124 hrs
None of this surprises… EspeciallY Xoff showing up to defend.
I thought you retired from blogging Bill?
Posted by Fred on August 23, 2007 at 1005 hrs
Tome this post just demonstrates how stupid our campaign finace laws are. If the SI group would have done the poll alone it could have given it to the senators no questions asked. But becuase the sens. help pay for it it is a violation.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 23, 2007 at 1128 hrs
See Joe, that is along the lines I was thinking
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 23, 2007 at 1325 hrs
It sounds like Wisconsin’s campaign contribution laws are as convoluted as Texas.’ Bleecch.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 23, 2007 at 1442 hrs
Well, as campaign law violations go . . . let’s get after Robson and Erpenbach when Scott Jensen goes to jail. What is it now, 500 days since his sentence?
And for now, let’s not distract our legislators, who have a job to do. That li’l thing called the budget—since we now are the LAST state without a budget passed.
Think about it: When even California and Illinois can get their acts together and get budgets, but our leggies are still meeting about every other week for only about two hours, and only to yell at each other for the cameras—and only a few Madison media cameras, as the rest are looking for real news—our leggies are pathetic.
But what do Huebsch & Co. come up with to distract us? While UW students had to wait eons to find out about financial aid, student loans, work-study jobs, etc., with no tuition set? (And some still are waiting for final word—so getting it done in little time probably meant overtime for some state employees; now, that was smart of our so-fiscally minded leggies.) While the UW school year starts at the spending rate of last year, so if there are to be cuts, it’s bye-bye spring classes? Etc. . . .
What do Huebsch & Co. do? They come up with this story. Pffft.
Pass a budget, boyos and girlies. Get to the table, get past the posturing for the media, and get to work. Or get another job.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 24, 2007 at 0945 hrs
Whether or not Jensen goes to jail is irrelevant to this story. He’ll go (or not) whenever the court of appeals makes a decision.
Also - it is not just the Republicans who are not passing a budget.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 24, 2007 at 1405 hrs
True, Joe, that Dems also must pass the budget—but this thread is about a story that came from the Republicans.
As for Jensen, well, misconduct by legislators also is what this story is about.
Next nonpoint?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 24, 2007 at 1635 hrs
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